Daisy's Adventures 3: Time Trap
by Lucent Shadow
Summary: The demon witch, Marissa Arkana, has crippled the planet under the suffocation of the Nirvana Barrier! A small resistance headed by Rosalina resides in a sky refuge above the ominous clouds as the last known free city! Freshly emerged from a portal through time, Daisy and the Kruna must embark on a campaign to liberate the world and take down the tyrannical spellcaster for good!
1. Chapter I

**Time Trap**

The World of Tomorrow:

The gear-like Chronos Aeon portal opened up from the clock of the Sarasaland Campanile to drop the eight Kruna onto the Bellbridge Terrace. Nova Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Ramona, Andrew, Marut, and Neva scattered and landed unceremoniously onto the hard combination Plexiglas-metal floor. Just moments after appearing, the portal shrank and vanished.

The Kruna all got to their feet, battered and bruised. It had all happened so fast. King Boo's sneak attack struck them all and set up Marissa's divine spell, the spell that sent them through the portal to where they stood now. The Sarasaland Campanile's clock read just several minutes after midnight. In their perception, the time between King Boo's attack and their exit from the Chronos Aeon portal could not have lasted more than five minutes. But when they all looked at the world around them, everything had changed.

The sky looked dark and murky and had a red and purple hue to its absurdly thick cloud cover. The air around them felt deathly still, making the near silence all the more haunting. All eight of the Kruna sensed an eerie undertone pervading all around in every direction that seemed to have strange characteristics on the atmosphere. Not only did the temperature feel uncharacteristically cool, but the air felt both heavy and light at the same time.

Then the Kruna looked down at the land below Bellbridge and beyond. Castle Town looked dead. Many of the buildings still stood, but all looked aged, charred, and abandoned. Bellbridge itself wasn't even lit up. The sources of light came from the ominous, almost non-existent glow of the Nirvana Barrier making up the sky, the illumination from the Sarasaland Campanile's clock, and some scattered lampposts down in the streets. The only sound that could be heard was that of the air itself; a creepy, faint, tunnel-like sound that felt hollow to the eardrums.

"No no no no NO!" screamed Andrew. In fury, he flared a powerfully dense orb of shadow in his hands, then spun around and sidearmed it out into the distance. It disbanded and faded out when it got too far away, its deep, pulsating hum the only other discernible sound the Kruna heard break the increasingly unnerving ambient noise of the world around them.

"How did this happen?" asked Warra. "What happened here to Castle Town?! What happened to us?!"

"We were only in that portal for like, two minutes!" exclaimed Marut, clutching his hat. "Tops! Did Marissa actually do all _this_ in two minutes?"

"No, because the Nirvana Barrier is overhead," said Neva. "By what Marissa told us, it would've taken a few days for the barrier to become noticeable, let alone complete."

"And I don't think any of us can doubt that at least most of this was Marissa's doing," said Daisy. "No one else could've done this; not that we know of anyways."

"Something is wrong here," said Bowser. "Exactly what was Marissa doing when we were charging our Elemental Seal?"

"It was some kind of spell, I'm sure," replied Ramona. "I remember seeing her doing hand signs, and remember what threw us in that portal in the first place? Those light circles that resembled clocks-"

"And they threw us into the _gear_ portal that emerged from a clock," said Athelstan, pointing at that of the Saraland Campanile. "That one over there. Call me crazy, but I think that the concept of time is somehow involved here."

"...Did she...bend time, somehow?" asked Marut.

"No..." said Daisy. "That can't be right. If she bent time, we would've still been around to prevent all this from happening."

"I don't think I get what you're saying," muttered Neva.

"If she bent time, she would've just fast forwarded everything," stated Daisy. "And if that was the case, nothing would've prevented us from fighting her and King Boo. Do any of us have any memory of anything regarding what happened after we got sent through that portal? Or better yet, do any of us remember anything in between that time period and...whatever time period this is? She had to have taken us, ripped us out of that time, and flung us forward into this world in some sort of time skip..."

"And it looks like in the time we were gone, Marissa went on a relatively uninhibited tear," added Warra.

"But Mario and Luigi should've been able to defeat her, right?" asked Ramona. "They're the real heroes, aren't they? I mean...we're just..."

"We suck..." mumbled Marut. "I think you can just flat out say it."

A string of quick flashes lit up sections of the sky. Thunder followed just seconds later, after which a bolt of lightning laced out through the clouds. A downdraft of wind briefly blew through over the Bellbridge Terrace.

"Hey, we're just as good as those two are!" asserted Daisy, although her tone sounded less than enthusiastic. "But for them to not have prevented this is more than alarming."

"This is just utter desolation..." Andrew barely managed to even whisper. Ramona walked over to him and grabbed one of his arms. They both stood there for a little while and stared at the Central Castle and the gaping hole in its roof towards its rear as the wind picked up again.

Daisy turned to look at her team. "Buck up and harden yourselves, guys. We're going to need to scout around and find out what's going on...or rather, what went on. This is likely going to be a worldwide issue, so we've got a long road ahead of us."

Warra and Neva took out their pouches and distributed recovery Mushrooms and Nuts to everyone to try and get back some power and health lost. The items were just a quick fix though, for it would take a while for them to get back to where they were before the battle against Marissa, her former Sweeps, the whole hellhound horde, King Boo, and Cerberus. Even with the help of the recovery items, the Kruna looked drained and hurt. Thunder continued intermittently booming through the air.

"You're still going to stay in Nova Form?" asked Bowser.

Daisy nodded. "It's of no significant detriment to me anymore, remember? I haven't switched out of it since that day we were at Watcher's Cape. With Nova Form mastery, I can stay transformed indefinitely. I'll switch back to normal at some point, because it has been a while..." Her tone turned dark as she continued speaking. "But for now, I don't think it's a very good idea to at all. I get the feeling that we're in very hostile territory; and if I switch out of it now, it may be a while before I'm ready to go back into it again."

"I think just looking at you like that is making _me_ tired," Bowser muttered, wiping at his forehead. "Or maybe I'm just more winded than I thought..."

"For Mario and Luigi to have not stopped this is one thing," said Warra. "But Rosalina, Geno, Culex, Donkey Kong, Arka Knight, the Comet Observatory; something couldn't've been done between their collective efforts?"

"Very disconcerting," said Daisy. "I don't like the way that sounds at all. Everyone, we'll move through the Bellbridge paths and descend back to the streets at ground level to get a closer look at the scene down below... Be on your guard."

* * *

When the Kruna exited the southern Bellbridge gate and stepped onto the Castle Town streets, everything they saw from up above on the skywalk suddenly looked and felt many times worse. Signs of devastation, decay, and a chaotic mass exodus – or massacre – lay all about in the broken, empty buildings and roads. A steady rain had developed and produced a musty, chalky smell. Puddles formed around scattered debris, discarded possessions that littered the streets for who knows how long, and decomposed corpses and skeletons strewn about like unwanted trash.

Thunder cracked through the sky as a breeze kicked up and blew the rain into a constantly shifting angle. As the Kruna walked through the desolated mess, Daisy replayed the battle against Marissa in her mind. She pulled up glimpses and flashbacks of her near-earthquake, her father's lethal injury by Marissa, the chase to the Bellbridge Terrace, the decision to allow Marissa to draw power through the Blood Moon, and then her own supposed death from a harsh string of the demon witch's attacks.

 _It was a mistake to let her power-up, wasn't it?_ Daisy thought. _No, it couldn't've been, because I still got the best of her..._

Then the Kruna of Earth recalled herself storming back up onto the Bellbridge Terrace where the other Kruna had taken her place. She had then battled Marissa on her own and had eventually wore the witch down. It was then that Marissa pulled the critical reversal off of King Boo's surprise attack.

 _But I knew King Boo was coming,_ thought Daisy. _And I alerted the others that somebody hostile was on their way, so why didn't I just hurry up and finish everything when I had the chance? By dragging out the fight, yeah, I avoided the risk of burning myself out too soon, but I also welcomed the risk – and eventual actuality – of King Boo coming up to catch us all off-guard._

Daisy took a moment to look around at the Castle Town ruins some more as the Kruna continued their pace through the town. _And now this...all this...it's...it's my fault...isn't it? If it were Mario and Luigi in my place, they wouldn't've fooled around nearly as much as I did. They could've prevented all this...but I...I...I showed the world why they were always the ones doing all the important work while I got left behind to live life as an unimportant pedestrian._

With a deep, maddened grimace, Daisy clenched her fists. The wind moved through again and became a nuisance as the rain continued to come down. One short gust blew a faded, dented rattle out into the street in front of the Kruna. Ramona and Andrew both winced when they saw it.

 _We've got to fix all of this!_ Daisy yelled in thought. _I've got to! Somehow! We can't let this-_

Her muse got cutoff by an explosion in the distance that shot a massive fireball into the air. The Kruna stopped and turned around to see the red and yellow illumination around the ascending smoke cloud. The explosion itself didn't surprise them as much as the action of it happening did.

"Who did that?" asked Ramona. "I can't sense any other sentient life here besides us eight!"

A loud, rhythmic, clanking thud became audible in the background of the now constant wind and heavy raindrops. Still, no discernible source could be found for either the explosion or the metallic sounds. After a few moments though, the thuds sounded like they had a similar likeness to footsteps; muffled only by the booms of thunder.

"Metal Mario?!" grunted Bowser. "Even in this time, that thing's still here?!"

A crash and another explosion went off in the same general direction as the first, biting into one of the taller buildings. Several more buildings near there shook and collapsed.

"Metal Mario got buff," said Marut, wide-eyed.

"That's not Metal Mario," said Warra. "Whatever that thing is, it's moving too fast."

"It's too dark for us to see a silhouette," said Bowser. "The rain and wind is certainly not helping either! Daisy! Andrew! What can you see?"

"It's something big," said Daisy.

"Big? Try giant!" exclaimed Andrew.

The very next second, a golden laser beam three feet in diameter burst down through the buildings the Kruna had been facing. Though none of them took a direct hit, the immediate concussive recoil from the resulting explosion in the ground scattered them all along the street. Already hurting enough, the eight Kruna had to force themselves back to their feet as if the planet's gravity had doubled.

More buildings cleared and crumbled as fires ignited and spread over the mounting destruction. A titanic, mechanized abomination lumbered over the flaming rubble and debris, its thirty foot tall apple-shaped body shuffling its way over on its set of arachnid-esque legs. The robot had two colossal, segmented, tentacle-like crab claws, each almost half the size of its body. A tail several feet longer than its height stood on end at its rear over its "head," where a thick, cylindrical stump housed a pulsating red eye. Its black metal skin glowed with neon red markings of mostly unknown origin, but it looked like the most prominent of the symbols was Marissa's Mark of the Witch. Though the robot was mechanical in nature, its movements appeared all too organic. It even had living tissue mixed in to its machinery; some of it exposed and pumping with fluid.

With surprising quickness, the mechanized abomination spun the dials in its "head" and readied another laser through its eye to fire at Athelstan and Marut. The Kruna of Air got out of the way in time, but Athelstan couldn't move quick enough and had to get up his Avalanche Spear to block. Unfortunately for him, his tool didn't last long and snapped in two under the pressure of blocking the powerful laser. As his tool gave out, Athelstan let go and rolled out of the way.

"What? C'mon!" Athelstan hollered. "That was my only elemental tool!"

"That makes two of us," said Ramona, her Light Broadsword having broke in the fight against Marissa. "At least you have those Boot Club Additions to help!"

Bowser threw out a Fanning Torch fireball to tear along the ground at the monstrous robot, expecting the green flames to lay down some formidable damage on the organic portions of its body. Though the Fanning Torch created a large, steamy explosion in the rain that smothered much of the bottom portion of the robot, it did not elicit nearly as much damage as the Kruna of Fire thought it would. The koopa stared at his Blazer Claws with confusion.

"Did I really undercharge that?" Bowser wondered aloud, sounding strained.

The robotic fiend readied another laser from the eye in its head and tried to sweep around in a wide wave as it fired. The Kruna all shot down to the ground to go prone as the laser buzzed by overhead and bore into the many buildings lined up behind them. The smoke and smog from the combination of the explosions and rain spread out and dispersed over a wide area, made worse by the winds. More explosions triggered from the gas and electrical power supply in some of the buildings the laser had hit, adding even more to the chaos.

"We gotta get out of here!" Warra called out. "We're too weak right now!"

Marut brought in an opposing gust of air to expand the great explosion cloud around them and give the Kruna some cover to take off. They had to hold in their coughs and ignore their burning throats as they fled in a sprint for the southern gate of Castle Town. Bowser looked behind him with the power of his Pendant of Omnidirectional Vision and saw the robot rushing through the wild smoke cloud to chase them down.

"That thing's coming up!" Bowser shouted. "We didn't fool it as well as we thought!"

Several smaller lasers spayed out in a burst fire that peppered the buildings all around the Kruna. One of them caught Andrew in the back and slowed him down. Daisy looked back when she heard the Kruna of Shadow scream and immediately focused energy into her palm.

"Marut! Grab me and let's fly!" Daisy ordered.

Giving a quick nod, the Kruna of Air activated his Alkemei Furaito and lifted his feet off the ground. With his Pendant of Flight working to its fullest capacity, Marut wrapped his arms around Daisy as she materialized her Crystal Fist and rocketed up into the air while the rest of the Kruna kept running. The robot in pursuit paid special focus to those two exclusively and fired another laser beam to snipe them out of the air. Marut pulled off some swift aerial maneuvers to get him and Daisy around the incoming blast, but in the process almost clipped into nearby buildings twice coming out of the evasions.

"Easy, man!" Daisy snapped. "You're really pushing that pendant! Don't lose control here!"

"Sorry!" Marut replied. "Still kinda getting used to it!"

The robot shot off another laser at the two aerial Kruna, but it missed and blasted off a chunk of the building it hit instead. The huge debris fell in front of Athelstan, though he made a great reaction by whipping around and slamming a kick into it with his Boot Club Additions. Thanks to the Kruna of Stone's timely move, the chunk ripped through the air and struck the incoming robot dead-on. But even with the brutal blunt hit, the organic robot abomination had only become discombobulated and slowed down for a handful of fleeting moments.

"Ah, I should've used my Alkemei!" Athelstan grumbled. "A double-strength kick could've doubled the speed that debris flew at that mechanical monster!"

"I'm trying to focus my remaining energy for an illusion!" Andrew yelled. "Let's just keep running south, and when we get out to Sarasa Field, cut east so we can get to Geno's Sanctuary!"

"Let's stay up here for a little while longer, Marut," said Daisy. "I don't want to waste this Crystal Fist!"

"Okay, but that Crystal Fist is weighing me down a bit!" Marut responded.

Ramona turned around to backtrack and fire off her Photovado to see if her inverted, spiked conglomeration of thick light rays could elicit any damage on their mechanized pursuer. Warra added to her offense with two Water Bullets from his Aqua Axes to try and pierce through the robot's hull. Neither attack did much more than produce some modest damage and slow the fast-moving robot down some more, only for the mechanized abomination's head to spin around and fire another laser at Ramona and Warra. Luckily for them, Bowser had angled a Tavado blast up in a vertical arc to reach over them and clash with the incoming laser.

The Kruna collectively sped up to try and outpace their pursuer through the fiery explosion, but to their shock, the robot leapt onto the side of a building and began leaping across the sides of whatever structure it could to keep pace. Not only that, but its erratic, hard to track movements made it very difficult to even get a good target on it. The robot only stopped long enough to let out more lasers, but its position tampered with its aim. Much of the shots went into the ground or other buildings, racking up widespread destruction in an already dead city.

"What kind of hellish harbinger of death are we dealing with here?!" screamed Ramona. "It's climbing along the walls like some sort of frog-spider!"

"It's getting awfully close to us now, Daisy!" cried Marut, looping around the robot's outstretched, snapping claw.

"Exactly! This is perfect!" exclaimed Daisy. "It doesn't have a stable base now! Try and aim me at its head!"

Marut bolted ahead of the Kruna and twisted around to propel into the air in a spiraling drill dash, then looped back down to gain momentum. He curved up and let go of Daisy just as the biomechanical robot got close. As she came out of the air, Daisy pulled her Crystal Fist down and back and then swung up at the top of the robot's head. It was an awkward hook to make that broke Daisy's Crystal Fist on contact, but a necessary strike to carry out in order to launch the robot back and away.

"That's not gonna keep that thing down for long," Daisy said as she landed. "I short-armed that punch. We gotta move now!"

With the southern gate just a couple blocks away, the Kruna wasted no time and sprinted for the exit. Marut stayed in the air for a little while longer but shot back to the ground when he saw the robot stirring about further back up the street. As the eight elemental wielders exited the gate, Andrew directed them all into some nearby bushes.

"Duck down, keep still, and stay absolutely quiet now!" whispered the Kruna of Shadow. He then used all of his available elemental energy to pour a wall of shadow over all his fellow wielders. Within just a few moments, their bodies had all camouflaged with their immediate surroundings. Only seconds after Andrew got the illusion off, the robot charged out of Castle Town's southern gate and stopped. The lightning picked up and began flashing again, intermittently lighting up the dark land and the robot that sought what it now seemed unable to find.

This formidable robotic monster had outmatched the weakened Kruna so far, and it now surveyed the area to try and get even the slightest glimpse of something out of place. If they gave away their position at all with even the littlest sound or minuscule rustle, they would be dead. Everyone kept their breath shallow as the robot continued to slowly pace out from the southern gate and rotate its one-eyed head around. The darkness of the night and the rainstorm should've helped to make them unnoticeable and to drown out their respiration. Every cautious footstep the robot made on its heavy metal legs echoed its loud thud through the Kruna's attentive eardrums. Marut could feel his own heartbeat throbbing in multiple places throughout his body and wondered if the others felt the same of their own.

Much to Andrew's chagrin and strain, the mechanical abomination before them was taking a long time to survey the southern gate area; much longer than he had expected. _C'mon, man!_ Andrew thought. _Just go already! I can't hold this forever!_

The robot moved a little further away, but still kept too close to where the Kruna were. Then, the robot turned around and lumbered closer to them, coming up to just a handful of yards away from their spot. It had gotten too close to them, and they knew it. The robot's eye turned and stared right at the Kruna's position, making all of their hearts beat hard, fast...and loud.

 _Uh-oh,_ Daisy thought. She wiggled a finger in the direction of the huge robot and put her focus well behind it to dig up a little mound of earthy soil near a tree. She then raised it and slammed it back onto the ground where it was. Alerted to the gravelly sound behind it, the robot turned around and fired off a laser at the tree with no hesitation. The attack created a large explosion that engulfed everything within a seven-foot radius of that same tree.

The robot then rushed over to where it had fired and scanned the immediate vicinity, thus drawing attention away from the Kruna. Crackling ash and smoldering wood sprayed up into the sky and dropped all around with the rain. After just a few more moments looking over the area, the monstrous robot turned and stormed off westward on Sarasa Field.

Once the robot had marched almost out of sight, Andrew canceled his illusion. Neva helped him up as the rest of the Kruna got back to standing. The danger had left, allowing calm to return to the area.

"Critical save, bro," said Athelstan. "No way we could've outran that thing!"

"Whatever that _thing_ was," Neva muttered, reaching into her pouch. "Last Super Mushroom goes to you, Shady."

When Neva pulled the recovery item out, Andrew grabbed her hand and shook his head. "I'll deal until we find more," he said. "It might be a while before we do. I'd hate to say it, but that Mushroom could end up saving one of our lives if we don't get away with another one like that..."

"We should go now," said Bowser. "There's a chance that that robot might not be the only thing we have to worry about out here. Let's get to Geno's Sanctuary to figure out what happened."

"Is he still even gonna be there?" asked Marut.

"We're just going to have to find out," said Warra, running for the eastward path.

The other Kruna followed under the falling rain, heading east on the darkened, somewhat decayed Sarasa Field. As they ran, Daisy took up the rear and got one final look back at Castle Town and the ruined wreck it had become. A haunting, disturbing question then snuck into her mind.

 _If Castle Town is like this, then what has the rest of Sarasaland become?_ Daisy thought. She looked away and returned her gaze to the path ahead. _What about the rest of the world? Is it going to be just as bad? Is it going to be worse?_

* * *

 _So...my Dark Sentinel has been activated..._ Marissa thought. _I suppose it is about that time now..._

The demon witch stood on the balcony of a grand, familiar castle, her two normal eyes looking out at the shadowed horizon and the darkened tan and green fields as her Malocchio Eye kept focus on the freshly emerged and fleeing Kruna. Where she was in the world, it was daytime. The Nirvana Barrier's red and purple sheath covered the top of the whole sky, appearing much brighter than it did over in Sarasaland where it had only recently passed midnight. A dim, blurry gold circle tried to poke through one area, but failed.

 _It's been eight years already..._ she thought. _My...how quickly it came..._

Marissa stood in a dark red sheath dress with purple embroidery, a silver hat with black trim, black forearm cuffs, and knee-high black boots. Though her new dress had sleeves, areas had been cut out to reveal her shoulders; particularly the deltoid area, unlike her old maid-style dress. Centered on the sides of both her shoulders, a large, scarred, diagonal slit stretched across most of the exposed skin. She raised one of her hands to look at her palm, where an equivalent, horizontal scar-slit rested across the middle. More likely than not, her other hand had a matching scar.

 _I am now more powerful than I have ever been,_ the witch mused. _In this world, I am the Lord of Lords, the perpetual pinnacle of power, the divine demon demigod; Marissa Arkana._

Similar to her dress' shoulder cutouts, a space in her dress had been tailored to expose the front of her waist. Where her navel was supposed to be, yet another horizontal gouge in her skin existed instead for a total of five scarred slits on her pale body. Though the dark marks looked weak and sensitive, Marissa kept all of them exposed without any protection for them whatsoever.

 _The time has now come,_ Marissa said in her mind. Through her Malocchio Eye, she focused on the black-clothed Nova Form earth wielder. _You and your band of Kruna are out of place, Sarasa girl. A new order has taken center stage. This is my world, and_ I _make the rules here. Every city that still stands is mine. Every race, species, culture, and cult answers to me._

Her Mystic Broom had been abandoned in favor of a double-sided, claw-bladed black staff that took the former magic tool's place across her back. This Dominion Scepter had a red jewel built-in through the base of both of its asymmetrical dual-bladed ends. She clenched her fists, showing no aggravation from the pressure on her scarred slits.

 _But look at this pitiable scene,_ Marissa thought. _Ah, yes; the bludgeoning they endured before I cast them away in my Chronos Aeon spell those many years ago has left them weakened and vulnerable. It would be neither fair nor nearly as enjoyable to eradicate them in this pathetic state. I have no reason to rush to an endpoint. Should my Malocchio Eye lose sight of you, or should I direct my Eye to focus on something else, my Dark Sentinel will follow and stalk you and alert me of your location. I have all the time and power in the world that I would ever need, so I will deal with you when I see fit. That is, if you ever make it past the Dark Sentinel – let alone the powerful assemblage of archfiends that now roam and patrol the Earth._

The demon witch giggled. _And even should you somehow defy the insurmountable odds placed before you, I will finish what I started and send you all off with a one-way ticket straight to Hell._ She then giggled even harder. _Oh, sorry; that's right. We're already in Hell, aren't we?_

Marissa continued to laugh for a few more moments until her eyes suddenly shot wide open. In anger, she grabbed her dress near her groin area and tugged it a couple times as if trying to readjust something. She fidgeted around with her legs, showing discomfort and annoyance, then frowned and gave up after several more tugs.

"Why?!" grumbled Marissa. "Why does EVERY pair of underwear that I buy ride up when the label explicitly says that it's not supposed to ride up?!" She paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to kill that salesperson..."


	2. Chapter II

Bloodfalls:

The Kruna burst through the tunnel underneath the Muda Mountains and emerged into Geno's Sanctuary, but what they found cut through their spirits like a gash from a dull knife. Though it was hard to tell under the darkness of the night and the persistent rainfall, the once majestic and heavenly valley had withered and died out. The ground had become barren and cracked, the remaining patches of grass had wilted and fallen apart underneath the pounding of the raindrops, and the sparse amount of trees in the area had contorted and warped into lifeless trunks with wicked, crippled limbs.

"Geno!" Nova Daisy called out. "Are ya here?!"

No response. Daisy called out again, but still, nothing. None of the Kruna could sense anything or anyone. Geno's house still stood across the river – or what was once a river but had since become a dried up ravine. The Sanctuary felt as abandoned and dead as Castle Town.

The rain let up into a soft drizzle as the Kruna crossed the once full trench and scouted around the area beyond Geno's house. The sandpit where they had often gathered was still there, illuminated by lightning strikes horizontally streaking through the sky above. The mirror leading to the Warrior's Realm was also right where it was before, but it looked to have lost its magic through a diagonal crack across the center. Raindrops seeped in through the crack of the weathered mirror, the sound of impact seeming to reverberate through the air. It was Geno's magic along with the Kruna's eight elemental powers that made the mirror active before, but now, the mirror had no semblance of energy flowing through it whatsoever.

"That's it then," Bowser murmured. "Geno's not here..."

Daisy saw the tree she had planted the day of the fight against Marissa. She walked up close to it and noticed that it was the only tree still alive in the sanctuary. It had grown to stretch a few feet above Daisy, its silvery dark brown trunk and branched limbs trying hard to grasp onto the life it still had. Despite everything else around the tree having faltered and died, some lotus and hibiscus flowers somehow managed to bloom on some of its branches.

The sight made Daisy's eyes water as she collapsed onto her knees, though she fought hard to keep herself from breaking down and crying. The others gathered alongside her and stared at the tree. Neva knelt down beside Daisy and hugged her, and Warra put a hand on the earth wielder's shoulder. No one felt a need to speak at all at that moment, nor did anyone think it appropriate to.

Neva sniveled and nestled closer to Daisy. Marut and Athelstan both stared at the lotus and hibiscus flowers, glum in the face and full of uncertainty. Bowser closed his eyes and bowed his head as he knelt down. Andrew turned away and looked in some other direction, only for Ramona to move towards him and see him wiping off angered drops from his eyes. Warra took a hairband out of his pocket and used it to tie his long hair into a ponytail, though he kept some hair hanging out over his forehead to try and conceal his face – much in the same way Ramona did with hers – as he glanced at his feet, motionless.

It ran through all of the Kruna's minds at that moment; a singular, universal feeling that ate into their spirits and souls. Utter failure. The somber and depressive stupor took them all over and filled their minds with so many questions. But the queries and wonders all revolved around one theme. All the Kruna could think about, one way or another, was just how badly they failed and all the known and unknown repercussions and consequences that came about as a result.

For a while, the Kruna just let the remnants of the passing storm drizzle down and cause the only sounds that broke the otherwise overwhelming silence. No one knew what to do. No one knew what they could do. In a world both so familiar, yet so bizarre and foreign, every last one of them was lost. They knew next-to-nothing about the world around them or the situation.

Daisy looked down at Neva leaning into her in distress and anguish. For as ill-tempered and bitter as the little ice wielder had proven herself to be, her intimate gesture was nothing short of unexpected. But then again, none of them had expected to find the world the way they did when they dropped out of the portal and onto the Bellbridge Terrace a while ago. Daisy put her arm around Neva, and though it made the Kruna of Ice look less distraught, it also made her cry harder. Neva's depressed angst tugged at Daisy's heart, for she couldn't stand seeing anyone so sad and upset.

"No..." murmured Daisy, wiping her face with her free arm. "We can't cry now. There's more than enough crying going on in the world now, I'm sure of it... Guys, we've gotta go."

"Where, exactly?" asked Andrew. "We don't have anywhere to go. I'll bet this whole planet's effectively trashed..."

"We're going to go find Marissa and finish what we started," said Daisy. "This is all her doing, and we weren't around to prevent her from carrying this all out, so let's go find her and fix all this."

"We just barely got away from that robot monster and you want us to go after Marissa?" asked Warra. "No, we're too weak and we'd be walking right into a trap-"

"Well, we need to do something!" Daisy snapped, bursting out into raging tears. "We can't just sit here and sulk while everything around us is suffering! We gotta defeat Marissa! We need to find Geno, find Rosalina, Mario and Luigi, Donkey Kong, Arka Knight, my dad – somebody!"

"If they're even alive..." Neva murmured.

"Rosalina would've showed up by now," muttered Bowser.

"But remember when she was talking about Mario and Luigi being on a very high-level mission?" asked Ramona. "She only came but once and left in a hurry on account of providing them aid. I mean, who knows how long ago that was in this world, but, what if they're out there fighting Marissa right now, and Rosalina hasn't come to us because she's watching over Mario and Luigi, or she's actually fighting against her with them as we speak?"

"Why now, though?" asked Bowser. "Why not before everything in the world became... _this_?"

Marut tugged on his hat. "Oh, I don't know what's going on! What are we doing?!"

"What _are_ you doing?" a familiar voice called out.

Daisy gasped, not needing to turn around to know who's sharp and metallic voice had spoken behind her. The Kruna turned to see Kokoro the Soul Stealer standing not too far away in all his vampiric, horrifying glory. He looked no different from the last time they saw him, and he still had the Master Pendant secured around his neck. Daisy helped Neva up and stepped to the front of the group to confront the demonic archfiend that had caused them so much trouble.

"You guys should pay attention, you know," said Kokoro. "Instead of keeping your senses alert, you want to gather around a stupid tree. Interesting."

"What do you want, Kokoro?" barked Daisy.

"I just want to congratulate you on a job well done," said the Soul Stealer. "You could not have failed any more than you have. Really, you and everyone else here would have been better off if you had died instead of failed and lived on. That's worse, don't you think?"

"Why didn't you do anything to stop her?!" Daisy yelled.

"Fools!" snapped Kokoro, stifling a laugh. "Why should I care about this world? _I_ am not a part of your miserable society...or, whatever's left of it, anyways. Besides; that Nirvana Barrier overhead is granting me quite the generous increase in power. Funny thing too, actually; it seemed like that night of the Blood Moon eight years ago, I experienced a noticeable uptick in power from this Master Pendant. And then combined with this barrier over the planet – it added to my magical acuity even more! What say you, Daisy? What have you accomplished hiding for eight years?"

" _Eight years?!_ " Daisy asked in wonder. "...What..."

"Yes," said Kokoro. "While you were all off skulking in whatever underground bunker of shame you hid out in, the whole world more or less went to Hell. Really, that demon witch had an easy time."

"Hey, we weren't hiding!" Daisy barked. "You're the one who's always lurking about in secrecy!"

"Oh, really?" replied Kokoro, crossing his arms. "So where were you all this time? Don't try to say that you had all been training in the time since you were gone, because you all seem a good deal weaker since the last I saw you. But then again, maybe that's because everyone and everything on this planet has gotten that much more powerful in your absence..."

"And just what are you still doing with that Master Pendant?" asked Bowser. "You need to get rid of that thing! I don't care if you've held it this long – it's too dangerous to have!"

"Oh?" replied Kokoro. "I beg to differ. For you see, I've been doing a little research on this Master Pendant. This Master Pendant contains a divine power locked away by the eight elements. If I can unlock the sealed power within this gem and take full advantage of its secrets, I can become a god among mortals and claim some of this forsaken galactic rock for my own."

Daisy's eyes intensely narrowed. "That's wicked power in that Alkemei, Kokoro. You don't wanna unlock that!"

"Au contraire," replied the Soul Stealer. "The so-called 'wicked power' has been guiding me ever since I got a hold of this Master Pendant; this, 'Alkemei,' as you just said. It wants me to unlock the powers within-"

"You're right – I bet it does!" snapped Daisy. "But not to benefit you!"

"Well, it's certainly not to benefit you either," said Kokoro. "I believe it may have something to do with the Crystal Tears that came into being not too long after you all disappeared. Maybe if you were to 'help' me with my search to make up for burning my Scroll of Souls, then that means I would only have to rip one of your arms off to get even with you, Daisy. I bet with the Crystal Tears working on my Master Pendant, I could succeed against Marissa where you all failed."

"Crystal Tears..." murmured Ramona. "Like, actual, solidified tears?"

"Nice try, Kokoro," said Daisy. "But we know that even if you do intend on defeating Marissa, you've still got some ulterior motives for even suggesting such a thing."

"What are these Crystal Tears, even?" asked Warra.

Kokoro grunted in disgust. "I was hoping you all would have had some collected already or would have at least been able to tell me where to look, but I can't even take any from you seeing as how you're obviously blind and oblivious to their existence." In a disgruntled haste, he turned and headed in the direction of the mountain tunnel back out to Sarasa Field.

"Now where are you going?" yelled Daisy.

"I've got business I need to take care of," Kokoro shouted back, not bothering to turn his head. "I'm not wasting my time and power dealing with you lot. Maybe it's better you all just stay ignorant and crawl back into whatever shell of a home you've all been hiding out in for the past eight years. I am going to look for Crystal Tears here in Sarasaland. You all are going to stay out of my way if you know what's good for you. Enjoy, for this is the only time I will be even a trifle bit merciful."

The Kruna watched as Kokoro entered the tunnel leading into and through the mountains. Soon, the Soul Stealer had disappeared from sight without any hitch in his gait. The rain had now lightened into a misty sprinkle, though lightning continued to flash ahead. There was no telling what time it was, for the moon could not be seen anywhere thanks to the Nirvana Barrier encircling the planet.

"Well, we just got blitzed with a good deal of information," muttered Neva.

"Crystal tears though," Ramona mumbled. "That sounds so...sad..."

"We need to scout around Sarasaland," said Andrew. "Let's see what we can find, if anything."

"I agree," said Daisy. She gestured with her arms to get everyone to follow her as she made her way towards the mountain tunnel. "C'mon. There's got to be someone around here that can fill us in on more about what happened to this world."

"There must be a link between wearing all-black and being impulsive," grumbled Bowser, glaring at Daisy and Andrew in turn. "Just where are we supposed to go?"

Daisy shrugged. "Somewhere. Anywhere but here. We've done all we could here, so let's go."

"Yeah," said Andrew. "If nothing else, at least we can get a better assessment of the situation when we can see what's up with the other places around here."

"And run the risk of getting cut off by that monster robot?" Bowser replied.

"We don't have a choice, now do we?" snapped Daisy. "We'll just have to be careful is all. Unless you all just wanna sit here and wait for nothing at all to happen, we need to get out there and get started on trying to undo what seems to be more and more of a dystopia with each passing moment."

* * *

Having left Geno's Sanctuary, the Kruna trekked through Sarasa Field. They decided to avoid going anywhere in the western vicinity of Sarasaland to make sure they could keep the risk of running into the monstrous biomechanical robot from earlier low. Even so, there was no guarantee that the robot had already changed direction and ventured somewhere else; or even that it had not already locked onto them and had been following them from behind. But at this point, the Kruna couldn't second guess themselves as they had nothing to work off of. Ramona and Andrew found themselves unable to combine their elemental powers to create a portal, likely due to interference from the Nirvana Barrier. With that ability scrapped, fast travel was out of the question.

Traveling on foot ate up a lot of time, and the Kruna all had gotten tired and sleepy as they pressed on with their fatigued bodies. Daisy and Marut clutched at their stomachs a few times, expressing obvious – albeit comical – hunger. Judging by their environment though, they were a long ways off from food, recovery items, and possibly even civilization.

At no point did the Kruna sense any other sentient life during their run up north through the deformed, decrepit Sarasa Field. Bowser's Alkemei Kracielle couldn't pickup on anything in any direction except for a few wild animals lurking about. What made things worse was that no one could sense the Dark Sentinel robot, considering none of them could sense it during their encounter with it in Castle Town. That meant that the omnidirectional vision granted through Bowser's Alkemei was the only means of detecting the robot if it got close.

They had went north along the eastern portion of Sarasa Field for a little while before something caught Nova Daisy's attention and made her stop. The rest of the Kruna stopped as well and looked around. Warra then picked up on what Daisy had noticed and gazed off to the group's right.

"Do you guys hear that?" asked Daisy. "It sounds like...water."

"A gushing waterfall, rather," said Warra. "But...that can't be right..."

The group of eight diverged off of the main route up Sarasa Field and headed east towards a familiar region past the northern tip of the Muda Mountain Range. After a short walk, they arrived at a great cliff overlooking the vast field where the northern Muda Kingdom met the southern Chai Kingdom. A great elliptical hole in the surface running a handful of miles in circumference occupied much of the land down below. Further up at a higher elevation, an expansive, raging river stretching most of the average diameter emptied into that same titanic chasm.

"What is this place," murmured Ramona. "I don't recall this being here..."

"You guys remember, right?" asked Athelstan. "This is the Colossal Hole. This was the Great Canyon before King Sarasa's final T-29 Remodeling Device ripped into the planet's surface and sunk the whole gorge down. All that's left of it is that massive, circular abyss...and whatever is flowing down into it."

"Yeah, but that's what I meant," said Ramona. "Last time we were here, there wasn't any river. And I think the hole was only like a little more than half the size it is now. The edges are all contorted and jagged too. This place has to have been tampered with."

"I bet that river's not natural either," said Warra. "Its breadth and flow upstream doesn't conform with the natural layout of the land around it."

"Oh, gosh," Daisy grunted with a grimace. "It smells like rust!"

"Iron," said Athelstan. "I'll bet that water running off into the Colossal Hole is loaded with iron oxide."

"But why would there be so much iron dissolved in that water in the first place?" asked Andrew. "It smells like someone's blood splattered all over the place and the stench is infused in the air..." He paused, a sickened undertone entering his voice when he spoke again. "Uh...wait... You don't think..."

"Something's coming!" Bowser said with urgency.

A dense laser shot through the air just above the Kruna's heads. When they turned to see the source, the Dark Sentinel robot was already speeding towards them on its several legs. In just seconds, it had them cornered and trapped at the edge of the cliff.

"Damn it, not again!" cried Neva.

"That thing moved quick!" exclaimed Bowser. "I didn't even get much of a chance to see it!"

"We're closed in!" hollered Daisy. "We need to jump!"

"Daisy!" Warra shouted, but it was too late. Daisy had already leapt off the cliff and dug her feet into the slopping cliff face to effectively skate down the descent.

Marut took out his Gust Boomerangs and leapt off too, activating his Pendant of Flight to soar down behind Daisy. Andrew leapt off and stuck his Shadow Blades on his feet in midair to ski down the slope. Neva shot a handful of ice arrows at the Dark Sentinel to disrupt its power flow and stall while Athelstan broke off the precipice the remaining Kruna stood on and sent it downhill in a controlled rockslide.

The slope down was long and steep. Andrew and Marut both shot past Daisy, though she saw the others coming down on the chunk of rock when she looked up and backflipped into the air to make a landing on their incoming platform. Though they thought they had gotten away from the Dark Sentinel, it surprised everyone when it fired a handful of lasers down to try and make their rock crash. Bowser and Ramona both countered with blasts of their respective elements, but through the embers and explosions that resulted, the Dark Sentinel flew down to chase. It spun its legs around and emitted magical energy from underneath its body as it pursued the Kruna on their sliding chunk of rock.

"It has no quit in it!" yelled Athelstan.

"The damn thing's possessed!" snapped Bowser. When he shot off the fiery torpedoes of his Tavado blast, the Dark Sentinel didn't even bother to try and evade. The robot took the whole of Bowser's attack head on, only slowing down for a moment as it plowed straight through it.

Flames eroding off its hull, the Dark Sentinel sped up and gained ground on the Kruna even as their speed down the sloping drop increased. Its claws snapped and clacked as electricity pulsed through and around the end of its tail. Daisy jumped at the Dark Sentinel and formed a Crystal Kick as she got close, but the robot wound up one of its claws and smacked her with added momentum down the slope. Marut angled through the air to catch Daisy as she dropped down to save her from a brutal, crushing landing.

Collectively, the Kruna were all just about two-thirds of the way down when the Dark Sentinel floated upwards and kicked its aerial speed into overdrive. Andrew and Marut both slowed up when they saw the robot fly over top of them on its way down to the bottom, but at that point, none of the Kruna could do anything to protect themselves. The Dark Sentinel already had a powerful laser beam charged when it perched itself at the bottom and fired it off the moment the Kruna all got too close together.

The robot's blast looked different from its other ones and radiated more power than any of the ones before. Its neon blue light tore into the rocky slope just in front of the Kruna and created a gargantuan explosion from underneath the stone surface. All eight of the Kruna went airborne in a daze and on a trajectory that sent them hurtling straight at the Colossal Hole. The Dark Sentinel turned and charged through the field, coming to a stop at the edge of the great abyss. It watched the eight elemental wielders fall down into the darkness of the Colossal Hole, then turned and marched away.

Semi-conscious, Daisy tried to make out the rapidly changing world around her and just barely got out a critical command. "MARUT! BLOW IN A GUST!"

Though it took a while for Marut to regain his bearings and respond, the Kruna of Air curved in a strong burst of air from above to push him and the others up against the wall of the Colossal Hole. They dropped deeper into the chasm before finally crashing several hundred yards onto a rocky platform jutting out from the side of the abyss. There they lay, sprawled out and knocked out as the stench and sounds of the Bloodfalls from the other side of the Colossal Hole raged on.

* * *

When Daisy awoke, she stirred in fatigued, stiff pain. She rolled over and pushed off the ground to get to her feet. Bowser and Athelstan were already up and trying awaken the others. They too looked sluggish and jerky in their movements.

Daisy looked across the almost overwhelming expanse of the Colossal Hole's width and depth. They had fallen a considerable distance, for the height of the edge above made scaling a skyscraper look easy. The sky brightened significantly from the way it looked earlier, though it still remained a dark crimson-purple meld. If anything, the lighting and illumination of the world around them improved, but not the brightness. Daisy assumed that it had to have been past what was supposed to be the time for sunrise had the Nirvana Barrier not been blocking the sun. The daytime brightness was relative though; not only because of the Nirvana Barrier's occlusive effects but because of how deep into the Colossal Hole the Kruna had fallen. Once Ramona got up, she took a peek off their ledge and saw nothing but darkness below.

On the other side of the Colossal Hole, the Bloodfalls emptied from the river above to flow into the endless pit. Strange sections of land acting as platforms that seemed to magically stay up without being bound to anything were scattered throughout the Colossal Hole. It seemed that most of the platforms to jump and travel on lined the circumferential wall of the abyss, and only a handful of definitive routes went across through the middle. By the time all the Kruna had regained consciousness and returned to their feet, it became evident that their route out was not going to be a pleasant one.

"That robot must've thought we were dead if it didn't chase us down here," said Warra, clutching just below his neck.

"It looks like all of us are just about out of power," said Bowser. "So we're just going to have to make a little platforming run."

"Pfft... 'Little,' he says," muttered Neva. "This is a gauntlet that we have to run!"

"A long, slow, convoluted ascent for sure," said Andrew.

"Well, unless you all wanna stay here on this lonely little ledge, we should get started," said Bowser.

"Mario and Luigi do this crap all the time," said Daisy. "I'm not about to sit here and say that we can't do something like this."

"Even though one wrong step or miscue means one super-long fall..." mumbled Ramona.

"Guys, I see the light..." said Marut, holding his head.

"No man! No! You do not see the light!" yelled Athelstan, grabbing and shaking Marut. "We've got so far to go! You can't just give out on us now!"

"I see the light too!" exclaimed Warra. "It's that blue pulse above the top of these red waterfalls!"

Sure enough, a blue shine hovered just over the Bloodfalls where the waters dropped off. Even at about a mile away, the Kruna could all see it. What it was though, they could not tell; although it had a certain feeling to it that gave off a very horrid mystique.

"Let's go check it out," said Daisy. "We're gonna have to cross over this extended, extreme obstacle course first..."

The route the Kruna had to take to get from their perch at the side of the Colossal Hole opposite the Bloodfalls to the falls themselves invoked a sense of emptiness. Platforms were just enough in abundance, but the unknown depth of the drop below and the simple, wide expanse of the vastness of the Colossal Hole within felt more than just barren. As they leapt up, over, across, and onto the various platforms suspended within the abyss, much of their thoughts included more wonders of what the rest of the world had turned into in their eight year absence. The magnitude of change elicited on everything they knew before could not be understated, and it weighed on their minds just as much as everyone else's whereabouts did.

Judging by what they had already seen in the Dark Sentinel and Kokoro, any enemy they come across would be faster, stronger, tougher, meaner, nastier, and grittier than anyone they'd faced before; especially considering that these potential adversaries would have had eight years to stew in this worldwide dystopia and to develop all kinds of new capacities and tactics to adapt and survive against the far more dangerous threats that could be lying anywhere in wait. And in the same vein, the areas, locales, civilizations, and landmarks they knew before could have more likely than not underwent drastic alterations as well; because just as the Kruna saw with the Great Canyon, all it takes is one significant enough event to trigger a wide-scale, cataclysmic change. Even though all they could do at this point was speculate about this new world around them, they still couldn't help but wonder; for even the meanings and roles of some places could have changed too. Each of them worked up anxiety over their hometowns and places that had been so significant to them in their travels together.

In the process of just getting to the platform near the middle of the abyss, the eight Kruna had exhausted well over ten minutes at least. Traversing the Colossal Hole had already proved to be a daunting task, and they still had a minimum of another half of platforming to go. The smells and sounds of the Bloodfalls became stronger and more vibrant the closer the Kruna got to them. It wasn't long before the stench's pungency elicited a visceral response from Ramona and then Marut, prompting Daisy to stop on a platform and glance back at the cries of disgust.

"There was a point where we needed to stop and we have clearly passed it," Ramona muttered, sick in the face.

"So let's keep going and see what happens!" snapped Bowser. "You can breathe without smelling, you know."

"Look, Ramona," said Daisy, pointing up at the Bloodfalls. "That blue light is still hovering at the top of these red-orange waterfalls! So if we're quick enough-"

"Go go go go go!" Marut screamed, dashing and leaping ahead. With his remarkable agility, he one-hopped a long string of platforms on his way to the ascent of ledges lining the left side of the Bloodfalls. The others sprang in a rush to keep up with him.

The closer they got to the Bloodfalls, the shinier, thicker, and murkier the red-orange flow of water appeared. Whenever any of them looked down, all they could see were the waters emptying into the abyss below. They could not point out any discernible splashes, pools, or anything that would hint to there being an end to the drop. As far as the origin of the Bloodfalls, no one could even begin to speculate about that. Neither Daisy nor Neva could recall there being any body of water nearby that could have facilitated the gallons upon gallons of fluid running off into the Colossal Hole now.

"Someone had to have ripped open one of the smaller rivers or lakes and then redirected it here," said Daisy. "How these waters became so contaminated, I don't know."

"I don't wanna say that this is all literally blood," said Athelstan. "So maybe this is pollution?"

"I think literal blood would've been a far more realistic guess," said Warra. "But the amount dropping here is ridiculous-"

"Hey!" Marut called out from ahead. "Speak up! These falls are loud!"

"Why don't you just wait up, air-head?!" Neva screamed.

Marut slowed his jumps to allow the others to catch up to him. They then made a steady, cautious move across the long stretch of remaining platforms laid out in front of them to finally reach the other side of the Colossal Hole. The Kruna leapt onto a ledge sticking out of the abyss wall just out of the reach of the Bloodfalls.

"Alright," said Daisy. "It's just a straight shot up now."

"It's nauseating to be this close to those waters," muttered Ramona.

"I have to agree," said Andrew. "They seem to be getting more viscous every time I look at them."

"Well just stay away from them," said Bowser. "You're likely to have a hard time getting out of them, and at this angle, that means a one-way trip downwards."

The Kruna only had an upward climb of ledges to have to jump on now, though several more rocky platforms suspended in midair hovered about nearby, and some of the ledges along the walls had considerable distance spaced between them. That meant they'd be forced to detour several times onto the platforms around and in front of the Bloodfalls in order to get higher up. As they ascended, many of the platforms they had to jump onto and travel across were close enough to the waters for them to get sprayed with stray mist.

In total, their climb just to make it most of the way up to the top of the Colossal Hole took them around and in front of the Bloodfalls four times. Strangely enough, all four times they ran in front of the Bloodfalls, their route led them across single, long, extended platforms from one end of the falls to the other end. Even more bizarre were the ornamental stone and metal arches jutting out over each of the path-like strips of rock, making each of the four hovering platforms seem like pseudo-tunnel bridges.

"Now this really isn't adding up," said Warra as the Kruna walked through the arches of the fourth long strip across the stretch of the Bloodfalls. "Arches are not natural formations; not like these, anyways."

"I can confirm this," said Athelstan. "Someone's been meddling around here..."

"I'm really getting a bad feeling about this," said Daisy. She looked intense and ready for something to leap at them from any direction.

Coming out from under the arches of the fourth "bridge," the Kruna ascended a considerable distance towards the top of the Colossal Hole with only a short distance and a few more bunches of platforms to go. The long trek from the other side of the enormous pit ate up a substantial amount of time and required a great deal of effort and tenacity. Now, as they leapt across the remaining batch of platforms and emerged to step foot on the surface again for the first time in a while, the blue light they saw from earlier looked as bright as ever. Soon, the brightness faded, and what took its place stunned and shocked the Kruna when the eight dashed several yards up the river feeding the Bloodfalls. The blue luminescence hovering further up just over the middle of the red river died out and gave way to a familiar woman in a white and pink dress.

"Peach?!" Bowser said in a gasp.

"Peach!" Daisy screamed at the Mushroom Kingdom princess.

Peach had her back turned to them as she stood with her feet oddly stable on top of the water. She didn't turn or move at either mention of her name. How she was able to stand on the flowing river eluded everyone's mind.

"What are you doing?!" Daisy screamed. "Get the hell out of the water!"

Peach still gave no response. The Kruna sprinted up along the river to get closer to Peach, Daisy and Bowser both screaming out for her name as they ran. Still, the princess paid neither of them any mind and kept facing away.

Just as the elemental wielders got close enough to Peach to make out the embellishments in her dress, she dropped straight into the water as if a trap door had opened up underneath her. Without any hesitation or questioning, Daisy leapt into the red river and swam out to where Peach fell in.

"Daisy, wait!" Warra shouted.

"I have to save my friend!" Daisy called back. She struggled trying to stabilize herself in the water, but she forced herself on anyways. For as poor of a swimmer as she was, she handled decently against the flow of the river. Even so, her teammates back on land could see her slowness and ungraceful difficulty with the waters. The thickness and viscosity of the river only served to make the swim that much more difficult. Daisy moved as fast as she could to where Peach had plummeted, trying hard to ignore the burning sensation of her muscles' fatigue in the dark, rusty river.

When Daisy got near to where Peach fell through, she then took a deep breath and braced herself to dive into the pungent depths below. It seemed the Kruna of Earth's efforts were for not, though. Daisy had only swam for a couple seconds underwater before she realized that Peach wasn't there or anywhere to be found. She looked in all directions trying to spot her, but saw her nowhere. Not able to hold her breath for long, the earth wielder kicked back up to pop her head out of the water.

"Daisy, get out of there!" Warra suddenly screamed. Marut and Neva became intensely animated in urging the Kruna of Earth to come back to the side of the river with haste.

Daisy didn't get why they wanted her out so quickly at first, but then she noticed the blue glare reflecting on the water around her. She looked up and saw the blue light from earlier hovering in the air with a double-bladed scythe now twirling around it. The light morphed itself to resemble a blue flame burning in a metal lantern.

Sensing an uptick in strength of the disturbing presence from earlier, Daisy flipped over and backpedaled her way through the water to the others to keep an eye on the entity above. Luckily for her, the floating scythe and lantern showed surprising patience and did not show hostility. The entity did follow Daisy though, and by the time she got out of the water and stood next to the other Kruna, it had gotten within a handful of yards away from them.

The eight elemental wielders found themselves absolutely speechless as Peach materialized in place of the blue light, her hands grasping both the scythe and the lantern. Peach's eye sockets were empty, and her expression looked both angry and depressed. Bowser and Ramona both went pale in the face.

"Peach? What happened?" asked Daisy. "Please, tell me what happened here! What happened to you?!"

An incredibly deep, reverberating laugh assaulted the Kruna's earddrums, followed by a growling grunt of an even lower tone. The Kruna watched as Peach's body morphed and transformed before their eyes into a smaller, more compact shape. Before long, instead of Peach floating in the air with the scythe and lantern, Geno hovered in her place.

"Wait, what..." said Bowser. "I don't understand...what is this?"

Geno then shrieked a demonic screech and faded away just as swiftly as he had taken Peach's place. The double-sided scythe and lantern remained visible, though now the scythe's blades glowed a bright blue to match the blue lantern fire. With wicked rotation, the scythe raised higher and spun with great speed to create a reverse vortex effect in the air. Just a quick four-second burst of the air maneuver caused a great disturbance in the red river and forced the Kruna back and away from the body of water. An angry roar followed with the same intonation as the laugh frommoments ago.

"No..." murmured Daisy. "It's way too obvious now. That's not Peach...and that's not Geno either!"

"That's something else entirely!" Andrew exclaimed, charging an erratic burst of shadow in his outstretched hand. It may have been one of the weakest orbs of dark energy he had ever made, and the Kruna each expected like results if they tried to use their elemental powers in any capacity with their fatigue. None of them felt even remotely ready for a battle of any sort, especially not against an entity that has already displayed some potentially formidable abilities.

Fortunately for them, the scythe and lantern drifted away and headed upstream, northbound in the direction of the Chai Kingdom. Andrew dismissed his glaring shadow burst and took a deep, stressed breath. The Kruna looked to the north and saw the blue illumination of the scythe and lantern fade from view as it moved further away.

Daisy looked on, spooked and disturbed by the illusions of Peach and Geno. With so many questions and possible implications already up in the air, a sense of dread filled the Kruna of Earth over the Mushroom Kingdom and its fate. Thoughts on the state of both the nation and the inhabitants incited anxiety in all the Kruna, but not quite as much as Daisy. A sort of numbness overtook her for a brief moment that made her question her consciousness.

Resigning to the fact that too much flooded her mind at that moment, Daisy didn't dwell on anything and just focused on taking steps towards making any sort of progress or getting any sort of information on this new world. She looked just offset to the left of the direction the entity with the scythe and lantern had flown in and motioned to the other Kruna. With minimal verbiage spoken, they all followed as she lead them north into Chai Kingdom territory.


	3. Chapter III

Enter the Malevolent Darkness:

"Why are we doing this?" asked Warra as the Kruna marched into the Chai Kingdom's Deep Wood. "This is has got 'bad idea' written all over it!"

"Hey, if she's there, she's there," said Nova Daisy, smirking. "If not, then damn; that's just our luck, isn't it? We won't have nobody getting in the way of us scouting out the place for clues or even a possible ticket back to our time."

"Aw, shucks-y-doodles!" Neva muttered, adding to Daisy's sarcasm.

The eight elemental wielders had trekked from the Bloodfalls into the lower portion of the Chai Kingdom and entered into the once dense bamboo forests of the Deep Wood to search for Marissa's Lair. The dried out, scarce plant life littered about on the greenish-tan and brown landscape around them suffered and wilted under the red and purple ceiling of the Nirvana Barrier. Out of the group, only Daisy, Warra, and Neva had ever been inside the demon witch's archaic mansion.

"Okay, but I'm just thinking about what if she _is_ there!" exclaimed Warra. "We're absolutely depleted, and I don't like how that sounds against an immortal three-eyed demon witch who's supposedly had eight years to get that much more powerful!"

"Does that look like she's there?" asked Neva, pointing up ahead.

They had reached the clearing where Marissa's Lair stood, but what they saw made them freeze in place with disbelief. The whole mansion had been leveled and destroyed, reduced to ruins and abandoned just as Castle Town had been. Such a discovery only added to the mess that the Kruna had stumbled upon in their time skip.

"So why is her place busted up too?" asked Marut. "Did she just go mad and tear the walls down?"

"She could've," said Bowser. "But somebody else could've too."

"Let's go check it out," said Daisy. "I don't sense anything we need to be alarmed about here."

"Marissa could easily be using a spell to hide her energy signature," said Warra. "Let's not-"

"Would she really be concerned about hiding considering the power she's built up?" asked Andrew. "I doubt it. Let's just go see the wreckage and not worry about what would at this point be a highly improbable ambush."

A short walk later, the eight Kruna stood just a handful of yards away from the rubble and debris of the former mansion. Some of the walls, although broken, still stood, but much of the infrastructure had been weathered and worn down. The roofs and ceilings there before no longer existed.

Judging by a quick scan of the area with his Alkemei Kracielle, Bowser saw that the place had been stripped. Aside from the obvious fact that a building had once occupied the area, there was little to no evidence that anyone had ever lived or set up a base there at all. The other Kruna looked around in all directions and slowly but surely came to the same conclusion. Warra and Neva noticed it more than the others, having been the two that made that run through the building the day when everyone was in the Easton Kingdom.

"There's nothing here," said Neva. "No equipment. No tools. No artifacts. No collection of magic books. No special tomes. Nothing."

"What about down there?" asked Daisy, gesturing to the staircase that lead into down into the Catacombs. "Surely a multilevel basement should be protected from the elements, wouldn't you say?"

"Unless flood waters made everything all musty and dank and corroded," muttered Marut, exaggerating his own gestures as he talked. "Why don't you lead us through that underground dungeon, earth-eyes bro?"

"Actually, I was going to say that you guys should stay up here," said Daisy. "I just wanted Andrew to go down with me. I'm all but certain that whatever lighting Marissa and her Sweeps had running down through there is no longer active. So since Andrew and I are the only ones that can see in the dark, you all can try and scout around some more up here."

"Just try to hurry it up down there," said Bowser. "I don't think we want that robot walking around and finding us again. If it thinks we're dead, let it keep thinking we're dead."

Daisy and Andrew descended through the staircase to go down underground and entered the former lair's first subterranean level. As expected, the only light source came from the stairwell opening. Absolutely no light came from anywhere else. Neither Bowser nor Ramona had enough energy to spare to even generate any sort of illumination by way of their respective fire or light, so their presence would not have made an impact on visibility.

Even for earth wielder and shadow wielder night vision abilities, navigating through the basement proved to be a challenge. Low light environments were one thing, but pitch-black conditions like these required a little more careful progression. Descending through to the other levels of the basement underhalls amounted to much of the same thing. Daisy and Andrew saw nothing but hallways and empty rooms void of anything besides abandoned tables and other assorted furnishings. A musty smell caught their noses as they went deeper through the subterranean levels, the echo of their footsteps bouncing through the barren halls. By the time they reached the third level below the surface world, the reverberation of their steps reached its apex.

"You get the feeling that something could just jump out and lash at us at any moment?" asked Andrew. The strong echo of his voice surprised him.

"If that were to happen, we'd be done for!" Daisy exclaimed with a laugh. "We don't have any way of defending ourselves as of now. But I think the only thing we need to worry about is the ceiling caving in on us! Judging by the depths and structure of these subterranean halls, they're probably not gonna last very long."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The weathering that got in and all this musty stench leads me to believe that this place has had a lot of environmental exposure. Everything down here is holding a lot of moisture – probably from the rain and snow that ran down here through the years. This'll more likely than not be a mini sinkhole soon!"

"Wow, you sure know your caves and wet dirt."

"Who's the earth wielder here?" Daisy replied.

"Oh, right..." Andrew said with a laugh.

The two Kruna reached the final staircase and went down to head into the deepest of the levels of Marissa's Lair. Daisy was surprised to see that the entrance to the Catacombs had strangely been left open. The ground felt soft and squishy when they got off the steps.

"Good thing we're wearing boots – this place is flooded," said Andrew.

"If I remember correctly, this part of the underground was the least renovated," said Daisy. "We're not walking on pavement anymore, and these walls are densely-packed clay and earth. Be careful. Animals could have found their way into here and changed the layout. One wrong step and we could collapse the ground with our weight and end up somewhere else entirely."

Daisy and Andrew maintained a light tread throughout the Catacombs, a splash accompanying each step through the shallow pond of flood water. Drops of moisture from the ceiling and runoff from the staircase accounted for the only other sounds they heard. Andrew tried hard not to cringe from the thought of being so far underground with nothing but musty moisture all around him. _Why did I agree to come down here?!_ he whined in thought.

In just another moment, they reached the throne room – the open throne room without any barriers preventing entry. Daisy remembered getting taken into this very room and getting bitten by the demon witch, subsequently turning into the half-beast Betedaimon form that she had since been cured of. The room was well lit then. Now, the light in the room equaled zero percent, much like most of the underhalls. At this point, their eyes saw everything like a pair of normal eyes saw a dark forest. Consequently, Daisy and Andrew had a little hard time making out much of the room. The absolute absence of light didn't make scouting around impossible though, and what they found in searching the throne room had far reaching implications.

* * *

"Do you think we should check down there?" asked Marut.

"No way! That's creepy!" cried Ramona. "And we need to show them respect – not invade their privacy in such a blatant manner!"

Marut and Ramona referred to not the staircase Daisy and Andrew went down, but to the graveyard just behind the remains of the mansion they and the other four Kruna at the surface had went to. The six were trying to figure out why all the tombstones Warra and Neva said were there in their first visit were now not there anymore. If it weren't for the two Kruna of Water and Ice, they would never have thought the area to be a graveyard. Besides more building debris and apparent rubble from whatever structures once occupied the graveyard, only the metal cardinal and bishop fencing and the few dying trees in the area still stood.

"The tombstones must have moved," said Athelstan. "Somebody either took them or they got blown away by some storm."

" _All_ of them?" asked Marut.

"Well why would _zombies_ care about removing their own tombstones?" asked Athelstan. "If they arose and left, they're just gonna get rid of their tombstones and gently replace the ground they displaced before they walked off on their own?"

"The mere mention of zombies is assuming that there were actually dead bodies buried here," said Neva. "Part of me thinks this graveyard was just for decoration. I mean, why would Marissa's backyard be a cemetery?"

"Could've been some sort of macabre way to amplify some of her magic powers," said Athelstan.

"There's only one way to find out," said Bowser. "So who wants to go find some shovels?"

"No no no no!" Ramona snapped, frantically waving her hands. "I think not! Uh, let's just assume that they're either still dead down there or out roaming the Earth as we speak..."

"Okay, well how's this for an idea?" Bowser began, panting a little as he wiped at his forehead. "Someone came here, revived the dead people, removed the tombstones, and then made the area as inconspicuous as possible before leaving to make it so that no one would ever know that this used to be a graveyard?"

"That sounds like a likely scenario," said Warra. "But I wonder what the motivation would be behind it all...and would that person be the same being that destroyed this mansion?"

"Bowser...are you alright?" Ramona asked. "You look like you're about to pass out..."

Everyone looked at Bowser, who had sweat running off his forehead and dark circles under and around his eyes. His breath had become fairly shallow and heavy, and his musculature appeared flatter and more deflated than it should be. Granted, everyone was in poor condition, but Bowser seemed that much more broken down.

"I think we're all about ready to pass out," Bowser replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, but you look _really_ bad," said Ramona. "I noticed it on the way up here, but I didn't know if I should've brought it up."

"It's fine..." Bowser replied, looking no better. "...I'm fine..."

The Kruna of Fire's response didn't do anything to reassure the group. To them, his mouth said one thing, but his body said the exact opposite. Bowser's immense fatigue no doubt left each of the Kruna with varying levels of concern, but before anyone uttered anything more, the koopa spoke again with soft firmness in his tone.

"Just stop looking at me," Bowser said, now trying to normalize his breathing. "I'm good to go. Good enough, anyways."

Daisy and Andrew walked out of the staircase and headed for the graveyard when they saw the other Kruna there. Not more than a handful of seconds after stepping onto the graveyard grounds did they hear a sound akin to that of an implosion. They turned around just as the other Kruna looked up to see the remains of Marissa's Lair descending into the ground in a swirling collapse. A loud thud followed the mass amount of debris and dirt that kicked up and around once the sinking wreckage stopped. Now all that was left of the mansion was a jumbled mess of earthy chunks, broken ruins, and half-buried structural pieces.

"Well, speak of the devil," said Daisy, rubbing the back of her blushing, grinning head. "Good thing we got out of there when we did!"

"What did you guys find?" asked Athelstan.

"Nothing," said Andrew. "Lot's of nothing."

"I wish he wasn't being literal," said Daisy. "Nothing in the underhalls, nothing in the Catacombs, nothing in the throne room. It's like this place got raided before whatever happened here happened."

"I think we can safely say for sure that Marissa's not here," said Bowser. "And I'll bet she's not anywhere here in Sarasaland at all either."

"So if Marissa's not here, then where could she possibly be?" asked Ramona.

"Where is anyone?" asked Marut, slumping down to the ground.

Daisy looked around, hopeful that there was somewhere else they could try to go to next. Out of what they've seen so far, nothing added up; and yet, there was still so much that they hadn't seen yet. She glanced around some more, trying hard to come up with an idea. When it finally came to her, she perked up and gasped.

"We have to go," she said with haste, already making a run to head back through the remains of The Deep Wood. "There's got to be someone here! I know that he's still got to be here!"

* * *

Nearly an hour of mad running brought the Kruna to Watcher's Cape. The area remained just about the same as it did when they had first came to the area. Crossing over the many bridges connecting the towers of land sticking up from the water proved to be much easier than last time though, for they only needed to go through Culex's trials the one time that they did. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the entrance to Culex's Chamber, located within the hollowed-out, frowning mountain on the last island of the chain.

But when they trotted through the mouth of the mountain, they saw nobody inside. Culex was nowhere to be found. The dimensional portal that occupied the room before had vanished. It seemed as if every bit of mystique the chamber had before had gone away, leaving the room even emptier than it appeared to be.

"Not even Culex is here anymore," said Athelstan.

For the first time in a long while, Daisy powered-down out of her Nova Form and transformed back to normal. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting the long deep breath rattle through the nerves in her body. With an angered frown, she shook her head.

A short while later, the Kruna emerged from Culex's Chamber. Disappointment didn't even begin to describe their general mannerisms. None of them knew where to go next. With the Nirvana Barrier blocking Ramona and Andrew's ability to create even just one portal for fast travel with the meager amount of energy they had, the Kruna found themselves stranded in what could be described as nothing short of a desolated, abandoned nation.

"Aw man," Marut whimpered with angst. "I feel like we haven't made any progress at all since we got here!"

"I feel like I could pass out again if I'm not careful," said Athelstan, cupping a hand in front of his chest.

"There's like, literally no one here in Sarasaland...is there?" Ramona half-asked.

"This whole nation feels so lonely," said Andrew. "If the rest of the world really is like it is here in Sarasaland, then...what are we doing?"

"Ah, this is ridiculous," muttered Neva, trying to stop herself from crying. "This just ain't right. I didn't sign up for this mission."

"None of us did," said Daisy, glancing around at each of her teammates. "We were just simply called together by the stars...not knowing our purpose or our enemies; let alone, each other. All we knew for sure was that the world was in danger."

"The corruption of the elements," murmured Warra.

"The elemental shrines that we had to purify," said Andrew.

"Shrines that we had to liberate from powerful forces," added Ramona.

"Rosalina urged us to embark on that mission," murmured Bowser. "It was her that brought us all together so that we could fulfill our destinies; destinies that some of us did not have any interest in accepting for one reason or another."

"We weren't the best elemental wielders out there," said Daisy. "But we did our jobs. We did what we could to help out the world, and in doing so we helped each other."

"Helping the world helped us," said Marut. "It wasn't just a distraction from our lives-"

"But a call to duty!" Athelstan finished. "The journey to the shrines was not a mission, but a single task! Our mission didn't stop there!"

"We've inherited the title of 'Kruna' for a reason!" Bowser proclaimed. "When we accepted the task of cleansing the shrines and purifying the elements, we weren't just taking on that one quest, but all the quests that were to follow!"

"And, such a cause, I want to be a part of too..." murmured Neva.

"We owe it to everyone to live up to that title!" asserted Daisy. "We are Kruna; guardians of the elements!"

"We all have purpose," said Ramona. "Even if we were all in one way or another lost, we are no more."

"This is what happens to the world in our absence," said Daisy. "If we were here like we were supposed to be, then none of this would have happened. We've got to fix this all somehow, even if that means we're all alone in this world. Nobody else stopped her before all this came to be, and nobody else is here to lend a hand. We're all on our own, so the pressure's all on us!"

"Well, not necessarily," a familiar, elderly voice called out.

The Kruna all looked up at that moment and saw Polari and Lubba hovering down out of the sky. The two Lumas gazed at the eight elemental wielders before them with muted surprise. As Polari and Lubba came to a stop in front of the Kruna, the elemental wielders looked upon them as if they hadn't seen them in ages.

"Well I'll be..." said Lubba. "It actually is them! Long time no see, am I right?"

"No kidding!" exclaimed Athelstan. "What happened here? Why is everything so screwed up?"

"Where's Rosalina?" asked Bowser. "Why isn't Culex here?"

"And Geno?" asked Daisy. "And what about Peach?"

"Peach is alright, isn't she?" asked Bowser. "Where is she?"

"We didn't want to risk having Rosalina come down here," said Polari. "The world has become quite the dystopian cesspool in the time you've all been gone. That was quite the unfair spell Marissa pulled on you all; never mind how forbidden that spell is and how she even managed to learn it in the first place. That witch has really proved to be the bane of our world. We did not expect her to evolve into anything more than a minor nuisance; but _this_...this is..."

"...Reminiscent of the days of Osiris and the Shadow Queen," murmured Lubba. "It's happening again before our very eyes, and neither one of them are the culprit this time. This whole world is covered in chaos and eternal crisis. Oh, what an awful mess..."

"Why didn't Mario and Luigi prevent all this?" asked Bowser, getting irritated. "They always pull through and win! How could they have let this happen?"

"Hey! If I recall right, _you eight_ were the ones handling Marissa the night of the Blood Moon!" snapped Polari, suddenly bitter. "You had the opportunity eight years ago from this day to prevent this from happening, and what did you do?"

"Just...we did what we could, okay?!" Andrew growled, crying. "We tried and we failed! It's not like we intentionally got thrown into that time portal!"

"Now c'mon, Polari," said Lubba. "We can't play the blame game here. We need to bring them up and get them ready to go! They look like a little puff of wind could knock them all over!"

"Real Kruna would've succeeded where you all failed," Polari grumbled at the eight elemental wielders. "You've got to be the weakest, most disappointing team of Kruna we've ever had in history! The only reason we're even going to lend you any aide is because Rosalina deemed it necessary. You would have already been revoked of your titles if it were up to me."

"Hey, bro...that hurts," mumbled Marut, dejected.

"Do my words sting, boy?" asked Polari. "Too bad. Your little hurt feelings can't measure up to the suffering this world is now under."

Polari raised an arm and circulated magical power through it as he made a slamming gesture towards the ground. A sizable star appeared on the ground where the elderly brown Luma's arm pointed. The golden, celestial-textured star expanded to several times its original width all around and entered a continuous, stationary rotation as its dark blue glow flowed upwards. A black ring then formed around the star's five points and stretched upwards a short distance, leaving an opening in front of the Kruna.

"Ordinarily, I'd just have this Cosmic Star teleport you all," said Polari. "But this wretched Nirvana Barrier seems to be preventing any and all sort of teleportation or portal use. So it looks like you'll just have to use this as a platform to stand on while I get you all to where we need to go."

The Kruna felt compelled not to move. Daisy, Warra, Bowser, and Ramona stared at the ground. Athelstan, Neva, and Marut all looked to the side. Andrew angrily had his head turned away, trying to coax himself to stop crying but failing to do so. A few strained, awkward moments passed in this manner, all the while Lubba staring wide-eyed back and forth between Polari and the Kruna.

"Well? Get in already!" grumbled Polari. "We've got quite a bit of distance to have to cover! Unless of course, you want to bide time down here and try your luck against the Dark Sentinel?"

"Don't mind him," Lubba said to the Kruna. "He means no ill will...just...know that whatever questions you have now will get answered when we get back to the citadel refuge. Please, step on the Cosmic Star."

Contorted in the face and clenching her fists, Daisy marched towards the Cosmic Star. She stopped and turned to gesture at her teammates to follow. The irate melancholy spread about among the Kruna was evident as they stepped onto the Cosmic Star one by one.

"C'mon, you guys," murmured Daisy, stepping onto the star herself. "We've gotta buck up, even if only a little bit. I know it's hard right now...but..."

"Don't worry," Lubba assured. "We can get this all fixed. It's just going to take a helluva lot of effort. First thing's first though; we're gonna get you to Rosalina."

"So we're going all the way up to the Comet Observatory then," said Athelstan.

"Not exactly," Lubba replied.

The black guard ring around the Cosmic Star closed with all eight Kruna on the platform. Polari's arm continued to glow as he turned and ascended up into the Sky. The Cosmic Star and Lubba followed the brown Luma in a slow and controlled manner.

The Kruna and Lumas rose high off the ground, continuing far into the sky to the point where their view of the surface zoomed out and shrank. Their ascent brought them closer and closer to the red and purple hues of the Nirvana Barrier as they rose several miles above the surface of the planet. Out in the distance, Bowser saw a faint, orange-yellow blip trying to poke through the cloud barrier without any success.

"Wow, we're pretty high off the ground," said Daisy. "How far up are we going?"

As if in response, Lubba sent a wave of cosmic power higher up into the sky in their track of movement. His continuous beam shot upwards to pierce into the Nirvana clouds. Polari sped up his flight speed and his drag on the Cosmic Star, and Lubba kept up at an offset angle while he maintained the flow of his cosmic power.

"So long as I hold it, we've now got a path up through the Nirvana Barrier," said Lubba. "But it will only hold for as long as I hold influence over it with my energy. When we get up there, we're going to need to take our time getting through to the other side. This cloud barrier is very thick, very dense, and very tough. Trust me; you do not want to get caught in the Nirvana clouds unprotected!"

With Lubba maintaining the small gap in the Nirvana Barrier, the group flew up and rose to get just underneath it. Close up, the Kruna could see pink and neon purple lightning flickering through randomized spots of the Nirvana Barrier with startling frequency. The background noise coming from the barrier sounded like a deep bass version of a constant wind gust paired with intermittent thunder.

"Oh, this is beyond frightening," muttered Ramona. "This is like some conglomeration of fiend and phantom auras that are all screaming at you at once..."

"You're not helping your case!" Polari shouted down. "This barrier is about a mile thick, so brace yourselves! You may experience a bit of turbulence, but that's what that guard around your Cosmic Star is for!"

Polari wasted no time and dragged the Cosmic Star up as he entered the gap in the barrier. Lubba followed from behind to make sure the clouds would stay off and away from the group. Their path up through the barrier was narrow, their visibility measuring less than a dozen yards around judging by Bowser's Kracielle.

Eventually, they popped out on the other side atop the Nirvana Barrier. The moment they all exited the makeshift tunnel, Lubba cut off the flow of his power. Almost immediately, the small gap in the cloud barrier closed up. Now the group flew through the atmosphere over the red and purple sheet covering Earth, and for the first time since coming out of the Chronos Aeon portal, the Kruna saw sunlight. The reflection coming off the Nirvana Barrier blended the sky blue atmosphere above it and around the Kruna with a golden-orange-red hue. Most of the elemental wielders felt a sense of freedom flow through them now that they had escaped from underneath the red and purple clouds. Having cleared the mystic cloud barrier, the group sped back up to their original pace on a westbound path of flight.


	4. Chapter IV

Above the Clouds:

The Kruna looked around as they rode on the Cosmic Star platform behind Polari and Lubba. They had traveled low to the top of the Nirvana Barrier for a while now and began to rise further up and away from the smoggy red and purple clouds below them. A small blip of a floating mass became visible up ahead in the distance.

Daisy took a deep breath and smiled. "Ah, I know it's really bright and I'm an earth wielder and all, but I really missed the sun!"

"It actually feels warmer up here, too!" exclaimed Ramona. "It had to have been getting close to freezing down there on the surface!"

"Well, when the sun's rays get cut off in such a manner, a global cool down is bound to happen," said Polari.

"Hey! Look!" screamed Marut, pointing down to the side in the distance. "What's that break in the Nirvana Barrier over there?"

The group all glanced at a sizable hole in the red and purple wall of clouds visible some ways away. The withered gash appeared to be mobile with the moving cloud barrier.

"That is the one and only break in the Nirvana Barrier," said Polari. "It is dubbed as the Nirvana Aperture. Since the Nirvana Barrier's rotation is erratic and inconsistent with that of the Earth's, the hole in the cloud wall only goes over the same portion of the world no sooner than eight days apart at a time. That is the only time sun ever reaches at least some portion of the surface, but the hole really only clears about two percent of the whole barrier. That means that areas of the world only get a few hours of sunlight every eight days at best, and even then, the Nirvana Aperture could appear over an area during the nighttime, offering little for the land. I'm certain you've seen much of the decay and change in flora, but that only tells part of the story. Natural disasters have increased in intensity and frequency under the mystical effects of the barrier, and it has inflicted psychological changes in many of those on the surface."

"It actually looks like the Aperture is hovering towards the equator now," said Lubba. "That's a little unexpected. You know, down on the surface, they actually started an Aperture Tracker a few years ago that meteorologists now have to cover on their weather reports. That just means that there's more for the weather people to screw up, am I right?"

"So there are still people living on the surface world?" asked Warra.

"People living in constant fear," said Polari. "With all the demons, fiends, malevolent spellcasters, monsters, raiders, and bandits and pillagers lurking about, many cities have built up walls; massive, impenetrable walls that people dare not venture out of without at least a militant militia group of soldiers and elemental wielders standing by."

"The worst part about it is the fact that Marissa didn't even do anything to invite all of them!" said Lubba. "A lot of these evil forces were already here, but the Nirvana Barrier granted them a boost in power – almost as if it were like a field power effect of some sort. With the breakdown of society and government that followed after your defeat eight years ago, a lot of the peaceful inhabitants of the world turned on one another and decimated others. Many of those spellcasters and raiders and whoever else wicked that you may find used to just be peaceful, law abiding citizens..."

"That figures!" Daisy growled. "It's just like the lowlifes to come out and attack when the world's at its weakest! Just a bunch of cowardly opportunists taking advantage of the situation!"

"Wait, so then what's going on with the Mushroom Kingdom?" Bowser asked Polari. "What happened there? And you never told us where we're going. I heard something about a citadel refuge, and then that was it!"

"You'll see," said Lubba. "It's coming up just ahead. Let's get there first before we address more of what's been going on."

The Kruna looked over in the direction of their travel to see that the small mass they saw in the distance earlier had grown into a segmented, multi-leveled, floating silhouette. The glare from the sun overhead blurred the details of the floating mass, but the closer they got to it, the more it began to look like a group of islands. Soon, they made out a network of bridges that appeared to connect the islands together. Each of those islands held several buildings of various shapes and sizes, but those weren't the most striking features. The top fraction of each of the islands appeared to be made up of thick, solidified rainbows, while the lower majority of the islands consisted of dark blue, celestial cosmic matter with stars and sparkles visible in the distance. To go along with the unique structure of the islands, the buildings all had rainbow-esque designs and lighting; all topped off with an ethereal aura of many blues overlaying the whole group of islands. Rainbows lined the bridges and arched all over and through the air above the city in the sky.

"This is the citadel refuge," said Polari. "One of only a few safe places still left."

"We of the Comet Observatory got it put together before the Nirvana Barrier completed its formation," said Lubba. "It's a safe haven; one we call, Rainbow City."

* * *

On the southeastern of the group of seven hovering rainbow islands, Polari flew up and directed the Cosmic Star carrying the Kruna onto the multicolored ground. The Cosmic Star then dissipated, setting the Kruna down onto the rainbow floors. Lubba flew a short distance ahead and gestured all around to the citadel refuge in the sky.

"Welcome to Rainbow City!" Lubba declared.

All around, Lumas, koopas, Piantas, Nokis, humans, Nimbi, and several other races of people made up the citadel's population. Rainbows were scattered all about as walkways to ascend or descend in altitude at various locations and often around or near taller buildings. Though the locations of each of the seven islands were irregular and varied in height and distance from each other, the island nearest to the center of the assemblage looked like the largest, brightest, and most built-up of the bunch.

"A nice little community has been made of this place," said Lubba. "It's not like it's crowded up here or anything, but there's a modest amount of people here. You might be able to get to know everyone before all is said and done. The hundred or so folks here are really friendly and have taken the situation quite well as of late!"

"This place is amazing!" exclaimed Ramona. "It's like everything was essentially built on top of a rainbow!"

"And to a lesser extent, built _of_ rainbows," added Athelstan.

"Now we're going to need to be heading towards that larger island at the center," said Polari. "The dock and docking bay are on the westernmost island, but we'll get to that later. Follow us...Kruna..."

Polari and Lubba led the Kruna down the main rainbow road of the southeastern island, passing by several buildings and structures and underneath many lights and bright, glowing star banners. The inhabitants and citizens took note of the eight elemental wielders, but no one seemed to recognize any of them.

"This is really called Rainbow City for a reason, huh?" murmured Neva, wide-eyed and captivated by the unreal sights around them. Much of the aesthetic of the citadel had lively, otherworldly animations scattered throughout the islands.

"Obviously, we would have liked to at least save more people," said Polari. "But there was only so much we could do with what little time we had. Bless all those still suffering down on the surface, all living in torment and fear from the time they awake every single day to the time they try to relax themselves enough to sleep."

"Luckily, Marissa doesn't know about Rainbow City," said Lubba. "Whether it's because the Nirvana Barrier is actually preventing her Malocchio Eye from seeing past it, or if she just never noticed it, we're not sure; but in either case, we made sure we were as covert as possible in getting this little mini-nation set up and sneaking who we could up here."

Daisy looked around at the people out and about along the streets. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, but she couldn't help but notice a sense of depression hidden in the undertone of Rainbow City's lively, upbeat ambience. _Imagine what it must be like to have to have gone through such a traumatic experience,_ she thought. _To be forced away from your homes while the world around you falls apart..._

"Wah! Hey! Over here!" a gruff voice called out at the Kruna.

The elemental wielders stopped and turned to see Wario and Koops trotting over to them. Wario was in some sort of yellow and purple guard uniform with a Rocket-Propelled Bob-omb Launcher strapped to his hip, and Koops had on a light blue and green guard outfit with armor and some sort of rifle strapped across his back.

"You all look like you got hit by a train!" Wario hollered with a laugh.

"And you look like you got forced into that uniform," muttered Bowser.

"Wah?! No!" Wario snapped, flinching backwards a step. "I took on this job on my own accord!"

"That's not what I meant, but okay," Bowser mumbled.

"I'm proud to have this job!" said Wario. "Not only is it good pay supplementing Wario Ware Inc., but I get to ensure that Rainbow City and our new budding headquarters up here stays safe!"

"How are you running Wario Ware Inc. with what's going on down there?" asked Marut.

"Easy, skinny boy!" Wario replied. "We just cut productions once that cloud barrier appeared overhead and I got some of our officials to move our finances and stock up here! I don't know what happened to the merchandise left behind on the surface, but Wario Ware Inc. lives on! I mean, sure the market's not nearly as large up here, but I think that's just fine. At this point, my purpose with Wario Ware Inc. is to provide our people up here with quality entertainment to distract them from the surface's troubles and to help them cope with the stress of the whole situation."

"If you guys wanna check out the new Wario Ware Inc. HQ, you're more than welcome to do so," said Koops. "You can find it on this island here at the southeast of region of Rainbow City. There, you'll be able to play lots of different sub-games! Head over there if you guys feel like you need a quick break! I know I find myself needing a break every now and then. Oftentimes, I even feel like I just wanna quit and give up; but Mario taught me to be strong and not to back down from fighting for the better of the common good, so I stand now as one of the several guards here for Rainbow City!"

"I understand you all would like to catch up, but let's get going," Polari said to the Kruna. "We've got to get to Rosalina."

"See you chumps around then," said Wario as Koops gave a salute. "Me and Koops here need to get back on patrol now. Our shift's not up yet!"

As Wario and Koops marched away, the Kruna followed Polari and Lubba to the rainbow bridge leading to the middlemost island of Rainbow City. The bridge's construction felt both sleek and sturdy, and the tall railing looked to be put in place to defend against gusts of wind that could knock people off and send them into free fall. When they reached the island, Polari and Lubba motioned for the Kruna to follow them to the center of the island.

"You see that up ahead?" Lubba asked the Kruna. "Rainbow City Town Center is the grand clearing where that tall fortress is; the one with the many rainbow bridges branching out from its roof and upper levels. If Rosalina is not at the Comet Observatory, she'll be in or around that fortress; and since she had a special request for us to bring you up here, she'll be waiting for us without a doubt."

* * *

Sure enough, when Polari, Lubba, and the Kruna got to Rainbow City Town Center, Rosalina stood by the large water fountain in the Courtyard Square. Not only was Rosalina there, but so were Toad, Alden the koopa, Toadsworth, Toadette, Waluigi, and Donkey Kong. Rosalina had abandoned her dress and instead had on a much lighter, armored outfit in sky blue and silver with a matching cape and a large wand slung on her hip. The Elder of the Cosmo's appearance seemed jarring to a lot of the Kruna, for they had never seen her in anything other than some form of enchantress dress.

Toad and Alden were decked out in their blacksmith gear just as Waluigi and Toadette were in lighter, individualized versions of the armor seen earlier on Wario and Koops; Waluigi in purple and light blue, and Toadette in pink and gunmetal grey. Donkey Kong had his own set of yellow and purple clothing and armor pieces, but he also had a large, mysterious black eye patch over his right eye. All of them looked surprised to see the Kruna walking towards them, as if they thought they would never see any of the eight elemental wielders ever again. Even so, they kept their applause muted. Given the situation, the Kruna all understood and kept the greetings and pleasantries short.

"She told us that you guys had finally showed up after all this time," said Toad. "So we gathered and waited to see if you all were gonna make it up here or not."

"Hey, bro; can I see that eye patch thing ya got there?" Marut asked Donkey Kong.

"Sorry," the ape mumbled, suddenly serious. "I can't allow you to do that..."

"What? Oh..." said Marut. "Uh...okay..."

"It's been quite the gauntlet since your disappearance," Toadsworth said to the Kruna. "It's great to see you all alive and well..."

Daisy nodded. "But it's little consolation considering what's been going on in our absence, we're sure. So what's the deal? What's the reasoning behind all of this?"

"A lot can happen in eight years," said Rosalina. "Things change. Time moves forward, and I see it appears that you've skipped that step."

 _She looks like she had put in some time out on the battlefield_ , Bowser thought, looking at Rosalina's combat-ready appearance.

"The demon witch, Marissa," said Warra. "She flung us into that portal and the next thing we knew, we popped up out into this realm."

"Not to mention we got chased down by that psycho-robot-monster-scorpion-crab!" exclaimed Marut.

Rosalina sighed. "Oh dear, then it is true. The Dark Sentinel robot...yes, that's the robot who hunted you. It may still be hunting you as we speak."

"It probably thinks we're dead though," said Bowser. "The last time it saw us, it had blasted us into that huge abyss where the Great Canyon used to be."

"But if it gets any hint that you may still be alive, it will pursue you," replied Rosalina. "Marissa created that robot and infused it with ominous forces and Dark Arts. We don't know anything about it other than that its sole purpose and design was more likely than not to act as a guardian and kill you if and when you reappeared. That's all we could tell when we sent Toad, Alden, and some officials down there to investigate it. The moment it had first appeared, it was inactive and asleep; and nothing anyone else did woke it up."

"Figures," said Bowser. "Send us into the future when we're beyond fatigued and have a deadly robot waiting for us to pick us off with."

"It's a blessing that you managed to survive and escape the Dark Sentinel," said Rosalina.

"I'll say!" exclaimed Toad. "The tech on that robot is astonishing! You'd have to have quite the power source to be able to get that thing running; let alone keep it running!"

"An artificial power source is not powering that robot," said Rosalina. "That's the scary part. I wonder if the Dark Sentinel can even be beaten."

"Really? That strong?" asked Daisy. "I mean, I'm not gonna say we didn't struggle against that thing, but you're saying that it might not even be beatable?"

Rosalina's expression severely darkened. She added nothing and gave no response but a mild, anxious scowl that elicited a short, uncomfortable silence among the group.

"Just give it to us straight!" exclaimed Bowser. "What happened when we left? What is all of this?! We've been trying to figure everything out ever since we popped up in this twisted future!"

Rosalina sighed as she tried to quell the tension in her face. "...You're all now standing in and on Rainbow City. It's the citadel refuge of the Earth; a sky city high above the planet where we have established the last populace that is free from the Nirvana Barrier and Marissa's control."

"When you guys disappeared, Marissa and King Boo wrecked Castle Town," said Donkey Kong. "I just barely got out of there when I did."

"Wait, then, what happened to my dad?!" asked Daisy. "What about all the people there?"

Donkey Kong gave no answer. Neither did any of the others. Even though all Daisy saw out of them were blank expressions, she put two and two together and got a pretty good idea of King Sarasa's fate. She frowned, but said nothing more.

"The Nirvana Barrier had finished its formation a little more than a week after your disappearance," said Rosalina. "In that time, we put together the foundation for Rainbow City and tried to get as many people up here as we could while we still had the chance. Marissa and King Boo bridged to another dimension and brought about several horrifying archfiends shortly after clearing out Sarasaland. They all have dreadful power and abilities – even by all of our standards. No one had ever seen anything like them. The world could do nothing to defend itself but to try and slow down those monsters. Every nation that didn't surrender suffered and collapsed under their blood-lusting might."

"They're all savages!" cried Toadette. "That's the best way I know to describe them – absolute savages! The moment they spawned across the planet, the surface world and everything we knew vanished; gone for good and now nothing more than a fading memory..."

"What kind of power do these fiends have to be able to ransack the world the way they did?" asked Andrew.

"It's hard to define them," said Rosalina. "They're unlike anyone you eight have ever faced."

"They're in a league way beyond that Elkon guy!" said Waluigi. "And I thought he was bad when I saw him! Two of those guys swept through Maralah and flattened it within the hour! I had to run and hide – the whole population had to run and hide! It was like we had no defense force at all!"

"Nothing even comes close to rivaling them at this point," said Toad, angered. "Their very presence emits a spooky, ominous aura of doom that you won't easily forget. I stared at one of them and saw death itself..."

"Wait, so you guys are saying that they're even worse than Marissa?" asked Daisy.

"No..." murmured Rosalina. "Marissa is by far the worst one of the bunch."

Daisy gasped, followed by visceral, flustered reactions from the other Kruna. The Elder of the Cosmos didn't back down from her statement. All Daisy could do was think back to her fight against Marissa on the Bellbridge Terrace. The witch was without a doubt hard enough to have to handle then, and it practically took everything the Kruna of Earth had and then some to get the upper hand on her.

"No way!" hollered Daisy. "As powerful as this band of archfiends is, and you're saying that Marissa is still stronger than all of them?!"

"The Nirvana Barrier boosts the powers of spellcasters, demons, and fiends of all sorts and walks of life," said Rosalina. "Independent of that even, Marissa has had eight years to further develop her powers to the staggering height they are now. What's more, her body had adapted to the large uptick in energy from before over time. She now does not have the same issues controlling and containing the power within her now that she did when you fought her. I myself am nothing compared to her." Her expression once more became exceedingly dark. "I should know. I tried."

"You fought Marissa?" asked Ramona. "And _you_ couldn't beat her?"

Rosalina shook her head. "She has become even more mentally unstable than before. If I didn't pull away and flee when I did, I would've died."

"Marissa, King Boo, all of them; it's mind boggling how much power they all possess," said Toadsworth.

"There's just no rhyme or reason to what they and those archfiends have done to the world below," said Alden. "They're living, breathing engines of chaos and misery. Whoever they let live, they let live in suffering; as if they want to watch the people of the surface turn on one another in a multi-sided, free-for-all fight for survival. They're all ruthless and take delight in the pain and agony spread throughout the Earth."

"Living down there on the surface is like living in a nightmare," mumbled Toadette, starting to cry. "No one can do anything but run. They're always running and hiding; looking for a way out while trying to keep safe from those that turn on them... But any open act of defiance against Marissa's rule spells either a slow and painful, torturous death, or everlasting torment. When you've seen people get dragged away by those archfiends, you'll never be able to remove that image from your mind...ever..."

"Aw man!" Athelstan bellowed with a groan. "The Dark Sentinel nearly killed us twice! And yet, from what you're saying, each one of those archfiends is just as bad – or worse – than that robot?"

Toad nodded. "Every time we make a mission down there – rescue, recon, resources, or otherwise – we do everything we can to ensure we don't get tagged by them, because we know that if one of them ever catches us, it's game over. No extra tries. No continues."

"They all share the same passion for hunting that Marissa does," said Rosalina. "If they lock on to someone, they _will_ pursue, capture, and may even destroy on the spot. There's not much we can do against them besides run... We've had too many close calls already..."

"What?" Daisy said with a gasp. "Wait, what about Mario and Luigi? Aren't they helping you guys out? They're up here too, aren't they?"

No one said anything. Daisy waited for someone to speak up, but no one did.

"They can help, right?" Daisy asked, wide-eyed and grimacing. "They're up here too...right?"

"They can't," said Toad. "They're not up here..."

"While you were all in Sarasaland, Mario and Luigi had undergone a brutal mission of their own," said Rosalina. "The quest had severely weakened them and left them very vulnerable. They were not able to make a full recovery in time before Marissa swept through the Mushroom Kingdom, and..."

"We never saw or heard from them again after that..." finished Toadsworth.

"You've gotta be kidding!" yelled Bowser. "Those two are the best in the business! All those times I've clashed with them, and even they couldn't hold up against her?"

"They were caught off guard," said Toadette. "Marissa beat them in record time. They tried, but, they were basically running on empty..."

"Which actually leads us to our next point," said Rosalina. "Marissa has made the Mushroom Kingdom her own personal home and command center. As we speak, a great, crimson wall of magic exists around the entire perimeter of the Mushroom Kingdom. Except for the instances when Marissa, King Boo, or one of their archfiends makes a small opening in the wall, no one can get inside, and no one can get out. We don't know what has went on in there..."

"What?! NO WAY!" Daisy cried, furiously shocked. "Then...then what happened to Peach?!"

"She, Toad, Toadette and I took off while Master Mario and Master Luigi battled Marissa," replied Toadsworth. "We armed ourselves and traveled light, but we got ambushed by one of those devilish archfiends. Luckily, Master Polari and Sir Lubba came to our aid and got us to safety... But the princess; oh dear Princess Toadstool..."

"We're all that's left from the Mushroom Kingdom," said Toadette. "Mario, Luigi, Peach; as far as we know, they're all dead..."

None of the Kruna could manage to say anything. They all harbored some mixture of anger, shock, and sadness over the whole ordeal. Daisy looked at her quivering hands, mouth agape, a desire to slam Marissa straight through the center of the Earth welling up within her.

"We're doing the best we can up here," said Toad, anxiety mounting. "We're doing the best we can to stay positive and keep the fight going. At least Marissa and them can't get up here, but there's always the threat of sky beasts and aerial monsters rearing their ugly heads up here on Rainbow City."

"It's not a hundred percent safe up here," said Waluigi. "But we're far and away much better off dealing with the occasional nuisance creature up here than we are stranded down on the surface world."

"Far too many people live in perpetual terror on the surface," said Rosalina. "We only ever manage to get a few people up here whenever we get a chance to get down there, but it's always a trial to do so every single time. So many are suffering at the hands of those demons!" At that point, she grimaced and clenched her fists. She became more flustered with each passing moment; a far cry from the level-headed, stoic Elder of the Cosmos the others had been so used to seeing. "Oh...damn them! They're just too powerful – far too strong for us to do a thing against!"

"Hold on, what about Culex?" asked Warra. "We didn't see him at Watcher's Cape, but surely he had to have at least been able to put some sort of resistance down there together somewhere!"

Rosalina rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath to calm down some. "Culex abandoned this dimension. He disappeared not too long after the Nirvana Barrier completed. It's likely he may have determined there was no hope left for this realm and simply left it to crumble in ruin."

"What about Geno?!" asked Daisy. "You gotta tell me _he_ at least made it up here!"

"We probably know more about where Peach is than we do about where Geno is," said Donkey Kong. "And we have absolutely no idea where Peach is."

"Alright then," said Daisy, intense in the face. "So how are we gonna go about getting rid of those archfiends down there? Or maybe we oughta try and bust through that magic wall around the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Polari perked up in surprise. "You mean after everything you heard, you want to fight them _now_? I hate to break it to you all, but not only are you not powerful enough yet, but you all look flat and liable to get demolished in one hit in your current state."

"You guys aren't even scared of those ghouls?" asked Toadette.

"I am..." muttered Ramona.

"I second that," said Marut.

"Well, maybe a little bit," said Warra.

 _I'm not gonna say that I am_ , thought Neva, comically distraught.

"We shouldn't be scared at all, you guys!" Daisy asserted to her team. "This is our chance to make a difference and make things right here!"

"Unreal..." Polari mumbled, blinking several times in succession. "You're willing to try and fight where Mario and Luigi failed?"

"Well, we failed before they did, didn't we?" asked Athelstan.

"We'll fight on in their honor!" Bowser declared. "I owe those two that much and more. Peach too; I feel indebted to her after all that happened in the past. I'm not going to turn a blind eye to what Marissa and her cronies did! None of us are!"

"Listen, Kruna," said Rosalina. "Things have been pretty bad. Everyone lives in constant fear with no apparent end in sight – it's absolutely awful! But maybe your intervention can turn the tide and make a difference! As you are now though, you won't last if you go back down there. We all admire and applaud your willingness to go down there and make an immediate change, but something of this magnitude will take time. Please, just stay up here for a while. Rest, recuperate, recover, heal; then we will talk about getting you all ready to start making a move on Marissa. It does you nor the world no good to go down there now and get captured, die, or even worse."

"Well, what are we gonna do about getting back to our time?" asked Marut. "I mean, if it's even possible..."

"You may have a chance, but it's tough to say," a voice called out.

From behind Rosalina and Donkey Kong, the five former Sweeps walked out to stand offset of the gathered group of people. The Black Mages – Naraka, Solovar, Tamara, Machula, and Maki – all looked alive and well through their featureless faces. It was Naraka's voice that had called out to the Kruna.

"Hey, you guys made it up here too!" said Ramona.

"Yup," said Maki. "Even though you didn't stop Marissa, thanks for trying. At that point, no one could really do anything."

"We're up here lending a helping hand for Rainbow City," said Tamara. "I only wish we could be more effective, but apparently no one can be effective in a situation like this."

"So you guys know how we can get back to our own time?" asked Warra.

"Crystal Tears," Naraka said. "They may be the key."

"Crystal Tears?" asked Ramona. "That sounds...so beautiful...yet, so depressing."

"Yeah," said Marut. "Crystal Tears... It makes me sad just thinking about it."

"It is a sad tale; much like the rest of the world is, to be dreadfully truthful," murmured Polari. "The Crystal Tears are said to have been shed by a being of purity that wept from the corruption and downfall of the world under Marissa's influence. There are sixty-four scattered about in different concentrations. No one knows what their purpose is, but Marissa has kept an eye out for many. She has already placed several batches of them in the hands of her chief archfiends, but many remain lost."

"Hidden somewhere in the world lies a dormant Gate of Time," said Solovar. "It is an ancient piece of technology fabled to bridge together two times. It could grant you the path back to the past – if it even works – and the Crystal Tears may have a chemical makeup close enough to collectively work as reactors for the gate to get it up and running."

"But again, that's if it even bends time," said Tamara. "There's never been any record that it has ever worked, has there?"

"I do not believe so," said Rosalina.

"Well, if that doesn't work, we could always try and send you back ourselves!" said Maki. "The Crystal Tears should give us enough latent power to be able to make use of a variant of the spell Marissa used to send you here."

"The only problem is, well; Marissa knows a lot of spells!" said Tamara. "Like, books and tomes and whole scrolls either committed to memory or collected and archived into her personal handbook. We've only known a fraction of her spells, let alone seen them in action."

"We knew Marissa had delved deep into the Dark Arts and the territory of forbidden powers," said Naraka. "But never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that Marissa would have been able to pull off a time spell; especially one of that nature. Even if we had all the Crystal Tears and we Black Mages combined all of our powers, we'd still have to figure out what spell Marissa used _and_ how she did it."

"Man, they don't make anything easy, do they?!" Marut hollered.

"Of course not," said Lubba, giving at least a somewhat jolly chuckle. "So it looks like best case scenario; you're all gonna be stuck here for a little while."

"We understand; you're all very far from your homes," said Rosalina. "You're all very tired, fatigued, and worn down in all facets of your being; physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. You all have done well as Kruna, even though this has been far from the favorable outcome. No one could have foreseen any of this. But that doesn't mean this is all final. We still have a say in what the ultimate fate of our world is. So while nothing has ever looked as bleak as this before-"

"We shouldn't give up," finished Daisy, cutting Rosalina off. She looked at each of her teammates in turn, all of them giving some form of reassuring expression or gesture in one way or another. Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Andrew, Ramona, Neva, Marut; despite obvious fear apparent in some of them, none of them gave her any impression that they would back down. Daisy looked back at Rosalina, adding, "And we won't."

Rosalina nodded and smiled. "You all do us proud." She then pointed up the street behind her. "Just a couple blocks down is an open dormitory where you guys can stay and claim residence. It's called the Rainbow City Suite; you can't miss it. The whole third level is open, so you should each have your own room there. Just talk to the receptionist to get yourselves set up inside."

"Yeah, and take a shower while you're all at it!" Waluigi muttered. "Y'all have got a powerful stench to ya! It's like somebody fried salt and sweat on an iron skillet and let the aroma get damp!"

"I oughta crown you!" Daisy snapped, even though she laughed anyways.

"Well, look; we better be off," Toad said, speaking for much of the group. "Alden and I need to get started on making some new equipment for you guys!"

Alden nodded. "I think maybe now, we'll get to see about putting those experimental pieces we've been working on into action, you know?"

"Yeah," said Toad. "Those'll probably be the best ones to go with." He turned to the Kruna again. "Wait'll you guys see what we have in store for you! It'll take some time, so just have some patience and bear with us. Eight years of experience has given us a lot to work with!"

"See ya later!" Alden called out as he and Toad left the Courtyard Square and went down the street.

"If you ever need to talk to us, we'll be scattered throughout Rainbow City," Naraka said to the Kruna, speaking for himself and the other four Black Mages. "This is as much our problem as everyone else's, and we take on some of the blame for the world's desolation too. Even if all we can do is help defend Rainbow City, well, that's better than nothing."

"We'll try and figure out where the Gate of Time is in the meantime," said Solovar. "And we'll also look into how to and if we can orchestrate a similar time spell to Marissa's if the Gate of Time doesn't fall through."

"Good luck, Kruna! And thanks for your help!" Maki said as the Black Mages split and marched off in separate directions.

"We're gonna get back to guard duty," Donkey Kong said, referring to himself, Waluigi, and Toadette. "But first, we're gonna run by the forge south of here and talk some more with Toad and Alden. It was great seeing you guys again!" With that, DK, Toadette, and Waluigi ran to catch up with the two aforementioned blacksmiths.

"Alright – last one to the suite is a stomped Goomba!" Marut screamed, dashing up the street.

"Oh yeah; I can feel the drowsiness starting to take over," said Athelstan, walking in the same direction. Neva and Ramona then followed, leaving the rest of the Kruna with Rosalina, Toadsworth, Polari, and Lubba.

"Thank you again for your efforts, Kruna," said Rosalina.

"Hey; you've helped us in a lot of ways," said Daisy. "We should be thanking you. Doing what you did for those that you helped; that's big. In a way, it gives us inspiration, wouldn't you say guys?"

"Oh yes," said Warra. "It's a wonderful blessing that you've all survived and opposed Marissa's rule for this long."

"And know that we embrace the pressure, Grand Elder," added Daisy. "That pressure's on us to wrestle the world free from Marissa and to work in the name of Rainbow City. It's extra incentive to do our very best."

"Yeah; especially since everyone is so much stronger here," said Andrew. "We welcome the challenge. I think I'd rather be the underdog than the favorite."

"I'd rather be the underdog than the favorite too," said Daisy. "And in the situation we're in now where every place on the surface is enemy territory, I know I'm gonna revel in being one."

"There's just a special feeling you get when you beat someone on their own turf," said Andrew.

"I wanna know..." Bowser murmured, looking at Rosalina. "Just what makes the Crystal Tears so special?"

"Sadness and sorrow...remorse and rage..." said Rosalina. "Love and pain...a hopeful rain... We have no idea who shed the Crystal Tears, but we know that this person is the Oracle of Fates. The Oracle of Fates only revealed themselves after you got sent through your time skip into this world. Whoever this person is...is supposedly a person with power and influence beyond even their own mortal control."

"It is said that the Oracle of Fates' would not even know of their own role," stated Polari. "Just about every generation throughout history has had one. This being is believed to be a kind of trump card for the world in which they hold some sort of fail-safe. We've wondered for a while if the Crystal Tears are this fail-safe, but we don't know because they don't seem to be doing anything down there on the surface..."

"The Crystal Tears," murmured Rosalina, shaking her head with a smile. She seemed ready to form her own tears when she said that. "Such a strange phenomenon. In an odd way, it gives life and hope just as it shows how far the world has fallen..."

"But enough talk for now already," said Lubba. "You've all had a tactical nuke of knowledge dropped on ya that's gonna take some time to soak in, so go on and get some rest. And then maybe if you guys are up for it tonight, us or some of the guys will get ya around the seven islands that make up Rainbow City and show off some of the things we have here!"

"A night out on the town sounds good," replied Andrew. "Nothing beats the nighttime atmosphere, is what I say."

"Of course _you_ would say that," Daisy said with a laugh. "Are we all ready to go?"

"You go on ahead," Bowser said to Daisy, Warra, and Andrew. "I'll catch up in a minute."

"Alright," said Daisy, giving a thumbs-up. Her, Warra, and Andrew then went on to follow their teammates. Bowser smiled as he watched them go, though he looked uncomfortable. Rosalina, Toadsworth, Polari, and Lubba all noticed it from the Kruna of Fire. His smile mostly faded when he turned to look back at the four still standing there with him.

"How are you feeling, Bowser?" Rosalina asked.

Bowser stared at her for a little while, then turned away and looked in several directions before sighing and giving a reply. "Strained, deflated; like I'm just full of a lot of internal pressure that's pulling me inward instead of making me puff up."

"Then go on ahead with the others," said Rosalina. "We can talk later."

"But this thing that's been bothering me; this thing in me..." Bowser said. "I don't think I can put it off any longer. Not only is it restricting my power, but I don't feel comfortable anymore having _that_ entity as a part of who I am. I gotta get it _out_."

"Again, we can talk later," Rosalina said, smiling. "Don't worry about it now. Go on and get some rest, Kruna of Fire."

Bowser looked at Rosalina, saddened and worried, yet hopeful. He nodded and gestured a goodbye to her and the others as he turned to go to the Rainbow City Suite. Rosalina, Toadsworth, Polari, and Lubba watched him walk away. Soon, the two Lumas then left, leaving Rosalina and Toadsworth to converse with one another in the Courtyard Square.


	5. Chapter V

Welcome to Rainbow City!:

Daisy wrapped a towel around herself when she stepped out the shower of her personal bathroom. Every second under the hot water stung her numerous wounds and cut through her pain nerves, leaving a lasting aftereffect on her. The first several steps towards the sink had her cringing, grimacing, and grunting; and applying ointment on her raw skin only intensified it. She could only imagine something similar from the rest of the Kruna. It was one thing to be so beaten up in the heat of battle when it's the last thing on one's mind, but to have calmed down and suppressed the adrenaline surge running through the body makes injuries glaringly noticeable.

Her room in the Rainbow City Suite came with a full-size bed facing the window, a whole television set and stand, and a wide, open area with a couch, table, chair, and mini fridge. It was essentially a mini apartment. Contrary to the bright, flashy, colorful exterior of Rainbow City, the interior of the rooms and halls of the suite looked muted and traditional.

When she stalked out of the bathroom, she found several replacements of her all-black earth wielder outfit neatly folded up and stacked next to her wrist and ankle weights. A few extra pairs of silver boots also sat by the bedside. Daisy walked over to get a look at the note left by the attendant who delivered the clothes.

 _Here's some updated replacements of those worn, tattered garments you all came in with,_ the note generalized statement implied that the other Kruna had similar deliveries for their own respective stuff.

As soon as she got dressed, she could feel the secure, protective fit the clothes provided that surpassed even that of her older set. She had a strong sense that these would prove to have everlasting durability if tested enough. The snappy stretch they had felt indestructible.

Daisy noticed a slight change in the aesthetic to the getup she had been so used to using. The silver trim on the pants looked like they had a little curve to them and a more angular look compared to the straight stripe from before, and the earth emblem on her cap-sleeve shirt moved to her shoulders as opposed to underneath the neck of the back. She even found an added silver half-arrow on each of her shoulders just above the earth emblem. The two top-halves pointed back behind her, mimicking flat swooshes.

 _I'm glad the design didn't change much after eight years,_ Daisy thought. _I guess this is a more modernized look to match this generation. The earth symbol and colors have stayed the same though, and that's great to know. Hopefully that'll stay the case for every element. They've all got centuries of history behind them._

Then something interesting caught her eye. On both hips of her pants, just behind each leg's stripe, was a large, stylized white "K" about the size of half a fist. It looked like it was in a font common up on the Comet Observatory.

"K..." mumbled Daisy, rubbing her head. "K... Oh! Kruna!" The realization made the fit of the fabric feel that much more empowering.

She trotted over to the pile of frayed, ripped, stinking, torn earth wielder garments she had came into the suite with and tossed them in the hamper. Though it was very likely they were beyond repair and would have to be discarded altogether, Daisy stared at them and wondered if she should hold onto them. _It wouldn't be to wear, but to just hold onto,_ she thought. _Even though it ended up being a failing effort at Bellbridge, it was still the greatest battle I had ever fought in to date._

Daisy then smiled as she turned and walked toward her bed. _And it's a good reference point to look back on later when I have become an even stronger version of myself._

She flopped onto the bed as if completing an Olympic high jump. It had been so long since she had been able to lie down, let alone in a bed and not on the ground. The clock surprisingly read just a little bit after noon, meaning that Rainbow City must've been aligned further west in the world than Sarasaland. The receptionist had said that the dining hall remained open from sunrise to early in the morning after dark, but he had also mentioned that dinner didn't start until after six. With that in mind, Daisy didn't want to sleep too much past then.

But getting to sleep proved to be a little harder than expected, even with the overwhelming fatigue and weariness running through her. Daisy's smile faded as she thought about Sarasaland and the nation's Castle Town. When she had fought Marissa, Donkey Kong had taken King Sarasa to the nearest hospital in the city. Nothing pointed to King Sarasa making an escape from Castle Town before whenever Marissa and King Boo destroyed the city.

 _So this is what it feels like now that dad's gone..._ Daisy thought.

Then she thought back to the last time she saw Peach. It was just for a brief moment when the Kruna had returned from the fight against Elkon in the Twelfth Dimension. Mario, Luigi, and Toad were both there too. The two Mario Bros seemed as powerful then as they had ever been, and yet Marissa ended up beating them when the witch stormed through the Mushroom Kingdom.

 _They're probably dead too,_ Daisy thought. _I can't imagine what Marissa would gain by keeping them alive. It was probably easy for that hunter; catching them when they were at their weakest..._

From what the others said, Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth all got away with Peach, but one of those archfiends on the surface split the Mushroom Kingdom monarch from them. There's every bit of chance that she's being held as a captive somewhere; but it's probably just as likely, if not more likely, that the demon wasted no time and killed her on the spot.

Daisy sighed. _We mismanaged everything in Sarasaland. We could have done so much of what we did better than the way we actually did it. This really is all our fault. This is_ my _fault. I had the chance to prevent this and I squandered the opportunity..._

She clutched her bedsheets as she stared at the ceiling. _Everyone, I'm so sorry... I swear, we're gonna fix all this!_

At that moment, a sharp pain rain through her arm and up through her shoulder, radiating down through her torso and into her head. She had already felt several of those sensations upon entering the Rainbow City Suite; and although they didn't seem like anything serious, they were enough for Daisy to realize that her body was barking at her to ease up.

 _But, I need to do it right this time..._ she then said in her mind. _I need to get as much rest as I can. I'm no help to anyone if I'm too worn down to fight. I pray it won't be too long... The way I see it, every day spent up here adds on to our debt to the world..._

Daisy tried coaxing herself to relax enough to at least let her eyes drift to a close. Whatever sleep she didn't get before dinner, she could most certainly get later on in the night. But for now, the best thing to do was sleep.

Eventually, she did manage to drift off into slumber, but not without one particular question buzzing around in her mind that just wouldn't leave her alone. _Where are you, Peach? For some reason, either I can't believe that you're actually dead, or I believe that you're out there somewhere..._

The last thought that crossed her mind before she clocked out was the image of Peach she saw at the Bloodfalls. She had felt so sure that it was her until that beastly demon took Peach's place in the air above the iron-rich rivers. The other Kruna saw the whole thing too, and it seemed just as cryptic and up for interpretation to them as it did to Daisy.

 _Maybe you are really gone..._ Daisy said in her mind as her consciousness faded.

* * *

Darkness fell as the clock ticked several minutes past six. The brightness of Rainbow City contrasted greatly with the nighttime sky as the sun disappeared. The citadel's multicolored lights across its seven islands and the bridges connecting the islands together made the streets and the space around its position in the sky almost as bright as it was during the day.

Inside the Rainbow City Suite, Daisy descended down the staircase en route to the residential dining hall. It seemed like everything hurt that much more, as aching soreness shot through her with each move she made. _Man, I've worked up a recovery debt,_ she thought. _Some good grub here oughta help out a bit!_

When she stepped through the open double-doorway of the dining hall, she saw some koopas and Nokis grouping around one end of the buffet line, some Nimbi and other Nokis by some of the food bar islands, and some Piantas, Kritters, and Hammer Bros among other beings back in the kitchen getting food prepared. Some toads and Monty Moles near the doorway were talking about the kitchen being late with serving the food, making Daisy sulk with disappointment. At the other end of the room by the window walls, the other seven Kruna all stood next to a family-sized table.

"Woah..." Daisy murmured when she saw her teammates gathered together. "Awesome!"

Daisy walked towards the table where the other seven Kruna collectively stood. They all had alterations and even some turnovers to their garb as well. Ramona now had flipped her colors upside down, wearing a collared white shirt worn over a black long-sleeve shirt with black pants and black boots; all with gold trim. Andrew had a bold all-purple look made up of a purple shirt over a black long-sleeve shirt with purple pants and black shoes, all with black and white trim and talon markings. Marut had added sky blue accents to the black and silver highlights of his green tunic, silver pants, and black boots; giving a little contrast to his green-pommed black hat. Bowser's pants were now red and orange instead of crimson and black, and he had on an orange bandana with a fiery black design around its fire symbol. Neva adopted the common ice wielder all-white look with silver boots, cyan thigh-highs, and cyan and silver trim on her long-sleeved white shirt and skirt. Athelstan took on an all-brown appearance with a brown gi and pants and gunmetal gray boots – with same-colored Boot Club Additions also on them – all with tan and yellow accents scattered about. Warra's navy blue jacket over his azure shirt did not carry the same gold armor attachments he had on his old outfit, but gold and azure accents decorated his tops, black pants, and navy blue boots. Everyone had their respective elemental symbols displayed on their shoulders except for Bowser, who had his on his bandana, pants belt, and shoulder strap pockets. Everyone also had the same letter "K" emblem on each side of their hips that Daisy did.

"Nice update to your uniform, you guys," said Daisy.

"Man, so we _did_ all get revamped duds!" exclaimed Marut.

"New uniform, new outlook, right?" said Warra.

"I guess it'll help us integrate with the times here a bit better," said Athelstan.

"Hey, I just like that they're still using the synthetic stretch stuff here in the future," said Andrew. "I always liked the deep vibrant color this material holds."

"Yeah," Waluigi said, walking in with Wario and Koops to join the elemental wielders. "It's like we've got a caramel plum, a walking tree trunk, and that Hylian guy all in one room!"

"Did you hear that, Andrew? He called you sweet," Athelstan said, reaching for the brown cap on his belt to put on his head.

"And he called you boring and dry," Andrew shot back. "How 'bout that – kinda like rocks in general!"

Daisy laughed and shook her head. "Waluigi; always tryna start something..."

"Athelstan, we should go do some javelin toss," said Andrew. "We'll just throw Waluigi."

"I was talking with one of the guys when he handed me my stuff," Bowser said to the Kruna. "He told me that if we ever feel like it, there's an outfitter on one of the eastern islands here that we can go to who can supply different 'specialty garments' with different benefits and traits to them."

"Yeah, I actually manage that store," Toadette replied, having just walked into the room. She skipped over to the Kruna and took a seat at the table. "It's called Elemental Outfitters, and you might see me behind the counter every so often. We collaborate with Toad and Alden and cater to elemental wielders, obviously enough. We have stuff made for special situations that your normal clothes can't handle. I'm pretty sure that you may wanna stop by Elemental Outfitters if you're going somewhere extreme like inside an active volcano or to some geyser fields or a toxic wasteland or something."

"There's a toxic wasteland on the surface?" asked Bowser.

"I swear," Neva muttered. "If we end up going inside an active volcano-"

"I dunno all of what's down there," said Toadette, shrugging. "Hard to tell what's there and what's not. The Nirvana Barrier makes it near impossible to do so without going down there to see for yourself. But it is _really_ scary down there!"

"Sorry, all!" one of the Pianta's hollered. "Food's running a little late! Please bear with us!"

"May as well sit down now," Andrew said, pulling out a chair and laying back in it. "They might take a while with the food up there."

"Yeah," said Ramona, sitting in a chair next to Andrew. Except for Daisy and Marut, the group collectively took a seat at the table. Wario and Koops pulled a second table over to combine the two for extra room, and Daisy and Marut brought the extra chairs over.

"So do you guys have people go down under the Nirvana Barrier?" asked Bowser.

"Actually, we do sometimes," said Koops. "When the Nirvana Barrier first formed over the planet, that was our only means of getting food. Marissa was too focused on conquering nations to notice us at the time. But then things became increasingly dangerous as time went on, and food sources diminished and dwindled. The surface world as a whole is really dealing with an indefinite famine now, and the only way to get food and sustain oneself is to submit to Marissa's rule!"

"Marissa has kept tight control over much of what still grows down there," said Toadette. "We believe she has a large supply of crops and vegetables that she can grow and have thrive in abundance under a special artificial light or by way of some spell. You'd be hard pressed to get any healthy plants outside of her control, so the people there have no choice but to bow to her."

"Even then, you got people down on the surface stealing from each other," said Koops. "It's just madness down there. Everyone is fighting for themselves instead of banding together to try and bring an end to the horror, because no one can see an end to it at all..."

"Everyone is just seen as everyone's enemy," said Waluigi. "Can't trust anyone down there. Nope. Nuh-uh. Every once in a while when we get a chance to rescue and bring someone up here, we've got other people attacking us, trying to steal our stuff, and trying to shoot down our aircraft!"

"Well, we can get to all that when the time comes for it," said Toadette. "Anyways, we've got some seeds, saplings, crops, and other stuff from the surface shortly after the Nirvana Barrier had formed and created a farm up on Rainbow City's Northwestern Island."

"Citadel Farm and Lake, it's called," said Wario. "It takes up about half of that island; about twenty, twenty-five acres, wouldn't you guys say?"

"Yeah, and you can all go fishing there too, if you want!" said Toadette. "You just gotta rent a fishing pole, but then you get to fish for as long as you're there. No stealing though; neither the pole nor the fish!"

"Wow, sounds like there's never a dull moment here!" said Athelstan. "So there's Wario Ware Inc. HQ on Southeastern Island, Elemental Outfitters on Northeastern Island, and the Citadel Farm and Lake on Northwestern Island..."

"There's _a lot_ you can do here," said Wario. "In addition to those three islands and the Central Island we're on here, there's South Island, Western Island, and East island. Besides all the residential neighborhoods on each of them – except Western Island – there's all sorts of unique places to check out! We spent a good deal of effort and resources building Rainbow City up to make it as close to a mock-society on a micro-Earth as we could. But before you can do most of the things here, you gotta go get yourself certified with a Rainbow City ID!"

"It's a security measure to help us 'filter' the newcomers," said Koops. "We once had an issue where we thought we saved a person from the surface world in bringing them up here; but just a couple days later, we found that it was actually a shapeshifting demon in disguise who had tampered with a good portion of the city's generators. We don't know why he wanted to siphon power from them, but it was one tough fight to force him back down to the surface!"

"Since you guys are Kruna, you should only have to update the IDs that the Comet Observatory gave you," said Waluigi.

"But they never gave us any," said Bowser. "I don't think we ever had the chance to get any, nor did it come to any of our minds to ask about them."

"Oh, well..." muttered Waluigi, looking around the room in random directions. "Oh, I got it!" He reached behind him and pulled the handheld receiver off of his belt to speak into it. "Hey, Donkey Kong! Where are you?... Oh, okay; if you can, run by Rainbow City MVA and see if they have a K-ID service... Yeah, well, I don't know, but these guys here don't have their Kruna IDs, so that's what we're trying to get sorted out on right now... Look man, I'm not questioning the admin or their circumstances!... Right well, if they're – just, you know what? See if you can get a special waver or letter from Rosalina and either drop it by the RCMVA or come by the RCS dinning hall and leave it with us, okay?"

"Well, we may as well eat something while we're here," Bowser said, looking over at the food bar. The guys and gals behind the counter had just started filling up the dishes and trays.

Daisy breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally! They're getting stuff out here!"

"You've got entrees to select from, or you can go to the walk-up buffet," Toadette noted. "Lubba said you guys can eat all you need, no expense charged."

"An all you can eat buffet?" Marut screamed. "And we get to eat for free? Wicked!"

"Yeah, well don't rub it in for some of us who gotta pay!" a koopa called out from a nearby table.

"C'mon, Marut!" exclaimed Daisy. "Let's go! We can get a whole giant tray and pile it up with plates!"

With no hesitation whatsoever, the two earth and air wielders split for the buffet line and got the largest tray they could find. After fitting eight plates and four bowls onto the rectangular tray, they got to work loading up the dishes with just about anything that could fit in them. Wario, Toadette, Athelstan, Neva, and Koops all made a move for the food bars and the buffet counter, though with not nearly as much wild enthusiasm.

"Yeah, so I'm gonna be the voice of reason and stay right here," said Andrew. "It makes more sense to wait until the crowd near the food has died down a little."

"Agreed," said Bowser. "We don't need to rush for anything right now. In fact, that's the last thing we should be doing."

"Right! The food ain't going nowhere," said Andrew. "They act like the food's just gonna sprout faces and legs and shuffle out the door."

"I actually was speaking in general," replied Bowser. "As hard as it is to invite the idea, this is our time to rest, relax, recuperate, and take everything really slow. It's probably going to take us a while to get back to full speed."

"Not when it comes to those two," said Ramona, staring at Daisy and Marut. "It seems like once food's involved, they automatically feel better."

"Just long enough to get the food," Andrew added. "And then they crash back to where they were."

"Alright guys," said Waluigi, putting away his handheld receiver. "So after we get done eating and get cleaned up, we're gonna get you guys up to the MVA – that's on Western Island. Donkey Kong is getting a special note from Rosalina and he's gonna leave it with the receptionist there before going back out to finish his shift. After that, we'll take you all on a grand tour of your new home."

One by one, Wario, Toadette, Athelstan, Neva, and Koops all came back with a plate or two each of food and sat down ready to eat. Though they went after Daisy and Marut left, they came back before them. Daisy and Marut were still meandering about the buffet area, loading up their tray.

"Every time," muttered Warra. "Every time we go somewhere with a lot of food or some food bar or buffet, they just stuff down as much as they can stomach!"

"She nearly ate my palace out twice," Bowser mumbled.

"Hey, do we ever have to worry about these islands...I don't know; falling out of the sky or anything?" asked Neva.

"No...we haven't really had any issues with that, have we?" replied Toadette, looking at Wario, Waluigi, and Koops for confirmation. "The only real problems we have to face are any aggressive fauna or monsters flying around up here, or if we have a traitor or other malevolent being sneaking their way onto our aircraft to hitch a ride up here."

"Or if a giant meteor comes crashing through the sky!" added Wario, taking a massive bite of garlic.

"Well, we can just have Rosalina blow it up or deflect it if one gets too close," said Koops.

"And yet Marissa is still more powerful than Rosalina?" asked Bowser.

Koops nodded with a stressed frown, holding off from biting into his sandwich. "Everyone is so scared of Marissa. The moment she finds out that Rainbow City exists, we're done for. Luckily, it seems that the Nirvana Barrier is blocking her Remote Viewing somehow, so it's actually a good thing that the shell of clouds is up over the planet. It's weird and counterintuitive to say, but the same barrier that's trapping the planet is actually helping us out up here."

"It's the one good thing to come of it," said Toadette. "And that just makes the whole situation that much more complicated. Getting rid of the Nirvana Barrier would take a chunk out of Marissa's current power and the power of all her archfiends and rogue ghouls, but it leaves us all wide-open to attack. So that means Marissa would have to be beaten first before we take down the barrier."

"Yeah," replied Bowser. "And from what she had said before, the only way to get rid of the barrier is to break the link between it and her Malocchio Eye anyways. She's practically forcing us to come face her at her strongest if we are to have any hope of freeing the world from her control." He looked at his Kruna teammates. "That means we have to make sure we're as strong and as powerful as we can possibly get, and that means just what we've been saying; it's going to take a while. We have to get used to life up here as we prepare to take our first steps towards liberating the planet, and we have to make sure we're at our very best. We're _not_ going to get another chance this time."

Athelstan, Warra, Ramona, Andrew, and Neva all gave deathly serious looks to one another. Marissa would have little reason not to eliminate any potential threats at this point; especially them.

"You know, I wonder if this is all by design," said Warra. "This was her plan all along, don't you think? I bet she spent a lot of time and effort trying to make sure she learned that spell, and from what we saw before she sent us to this time, it looked very tough to pull off. I'm sure she thought that if she were in any scenario where she'd be beaten, she'd just fling her opposition into the future to a point where she would have gotten powerful enough by that time to eliminate them with minimal issue. And in this case, that opposition was obviously us."

"And in the process of doing so, she would try to take us out the moment we emerged," said Bowser. "That would ensure that we'd have no opportunity to counter or devise any way of making a retaliatory effort. Needless to say, she wasn't just going to sit there and wait for the portal to drop us out, so the Dark Sentinel robot took her place as the guardian to watch for us."

"And there's quite a few things we can pull from that," added Warra. "For one, if we can confirm that the time skip she sent us on was an intentional, scripted plan kept as a kind of read-option decision dependent on the situation, and not just a random trump card she pulled on impulse, then we can expect the possibility that there's all sorts of traps on the surface _explicitly_ waiting for us."

"Sounds like the Dark Sentinel is supposed to act as a chaser," said Koops. "Like, if the robot failed to take you guys out, it would have been able to at least chase you into some very hostile territory where whoever or whatever lying in wait there would destroy you themselves."

"Doesn't Marissa have some sort of foresight ability through her Malocchio Eye, though?" asked Athelstan. "She could have foreseen all of this happening and manipulated everything to play the way she wanted."

"But if she has foresight, then why was she so surprised when we fought her?" asked Ramona. "I mean, between having expected Daisy to be dead, not knowing that we would have confronted her at the Bellbridge Terrace, not expecting the Black Mages to abandon her..."

"And she clearly stated that she did not expect as much power from the Blood Moon as she ended up getting," said Andrew. "Remember what Marut told us about the vision she showed him with Chai City? Look how different things turned out there. So clearly, she can't see every single thing – just like her Remote Viewing. We thought the same of _that_ , but then we come to find out that she can only see one area at a time through her Malocchio and not everywhere at once."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like foresight to me," said Toadette.

Bowser grimaced. "Okay, but what if the very reason for learning that time spell in the first place was because she foresaw her own defeat?"

"And so she would try to come up with any countermeasures she could to ensure that she wouldn't be beaten!" said Warra. "The thing is, I don't think we ever figured out if the Malocchio's foresight gives her and those she shares the information with a snapshot in time of the future event at that point or the event's final result that occurs after all intervention."

"Well then she should've known about Rainbow City before we even got it up and running," said Toadette. "It's much more likely that she's just far more witty and cunning than we're giving her credit for."

"And come to think of it, Marissa also showed me a vision too," said Andrew. "When I got split off from you guys in Chai City. Except the one she showed me was of an altered past."

"Then that changes things," said Warra. "She showed Andrew an altered past, yet showed Marut a supposed definite future that turned out not happening. That, and her not knowing about Rainbow City means that she has no foresight. At least, not exactly. I'd say it seems like she has the ability to look into _possible_ futures and _alternate_ realities or timelines where something in the past happened differently from how it actually happened. That has to be why she always seems one step ahead of everyone."

"Most of the time, at least," Bowser said in correction. "It doesn't sound like a perfect ability, as it seems she has to guess what's most likely to happen and then act accordingly. Faux foresight with no certainty."

"Or she picks her ideal outcome and manipulates everything to play out just like that one," said Warra.

"Gosh, this is so much to have to take into account!" Ramona cried. "I don't even feel like we're figuring out anything!"

"No, but at least we're getting a better idea of what we're possibly dealing with," said Bowser, glancing over at Daisy and Marut. The two had really piled a lot of food onto their tray, filling every square inch of the four-foot-long rectangular platter. "In any case, when the time comes to return to the surface, we will have to be more careful and alert than we've ever been. I think the moment we go down there and meddle around, she'll figure out that we're still alive."

"But of all the things she could've done, she sends us into the future," said Neva. That's what I don't get. That's eight years she has had to wait to get the opportunity to kill us off. I mean I get the whole thing about getting more powerful and all that other stuff, but that's a long time to have to wait."

"If it were me, I wouldn't feel that way," said Andrew. "I mean, she's immortal; what's eight years to her?"

"This is ridiculous though," said Athelstan, putting down his spoon. "If we just train and prepare to fight this more powerful Marissa, but then just bypass her and her archfiends and get a way back to the past, then we can just beat her then and skip having to deal with half the nonsense here, right?"

Toadette sighed and shook her head. "I was talking about that with Rosalina, Solovar, and Naraka earlier on my way here and that's just not gonna work. It doesn't comply with the laws of the Universe. The mere fact that you're here in this time and that everything is still the way it is even now – as early as it technically is – shows why that wouldn't work. From what they said, your very presence here has made it so that if you were to jump backwards at any point in time prior to this very moment – or whatever you would call our present – then this time becomes a finalized world. And by that, they meant that the events that led up to our present become set. Whatever happens in the past won't do anything for this world."

"I'm not sure I understand," Bowser replied.

"You'd have to talk to them," said Toadette. "They can explain it better than I can. I'm just relaying what they told me."

Grabbing opposite ends of the massive tray, Daisy and Marut walked back to the table with plates and bowls filled with all kinds of different selections. Pastas, breads, pizzas, beans, nuts, salads, fish, shrimp, steaks, deviled eggs, and a whole turkey lined the tray, making for a collection of food fit to feed a dozen people. Wario, Neva, Toadette, and Koops looked at Daisy and Marut as if the two Kruna had lost their minds.

"Oh yeah; I've seen this before," mumbled Waluigi.

Daisy and Marut slammed their tray onto the table and sat down, their eyes beaming over the mass amount of food they had gathered. It seemed as if everyone at the table was either staring at them or their array of food. Others from across the room gawked at Daisy and Marut as well, and the two Kruna had already gotten the attention of everyone behind the counter when they had initially loaded their tray up.

A Shy Guy from across the room walked over, sweating all over his head as he handed them several extra sets of utensils. "Here, I-uh...you guys might probably will...certainly need these." He ducked out and ran back to his own table in a hurry.

"Alrighty, Marut!" exclaimed Daisy. "Let's chow down!"

"Time to dig in!" hollered Marut.

Grabbing some spoons and forks, Daisy and Marut got to work carving their way into their collection of food. They ate with breakneck speed, taking gargantuan bites and clanging plates and silverware whether it involved scrapping every last bit of food from a bowl or tearing meat off the bones. Wario, Waluigi, Neva, Athelstan, and Koops all paid no attention to their food and just stared at Daisy and Marut going to town on theirs.

"Oh dear lord," Andrew blurted out in one sigh.

"Please chew..." said Toadette, wide-eyed. "Please...chew..."

"Wah?!" Wario grunted, rapidly blinking. "What's this supposed to be?!"

Bowser just looked at Daisy and Marut with his arms crossed. Ramona stared at the two with her face in her hands as if she were observing an experiment. Everyone else at the table gazed at Daisy and Marut with mounting shock and tried to ignore the fact that the two had attracted the attention of nearly everyone else in the dining hall. The two earth and air wielders had already finished two plates and two bowls in total between them.

"Are you supposed to be shoveling your food like that?" asked Koops.

Daisy ripped away a turkey drumstick and bit into it, then sheared a large portion of meat off the bone. Marut took several slices of pizza and stacked them together to make a thick sandwich. After tearing up the meat from her drumstick, Daisy took some deviled eggs and dropped them into one of the salads for her next target.

"Yeah! This stuff is awesome!" Daisy shouted, mouth still full.

"Please tell me you're not going to eat the bones," muttered Warra.

Daisy swallowed and stopped eating just long enough to respond. "Huh? Why? Did you want them?" She handed the drumstick bone to Warra, then put all the broken joints and cartilage on a plate and slid it over to him. Toadette and Andrew both burst out in laughter.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," mumbled Waluigi, working up a sweat from watching Daisy and Marut.

"It's like watching animals in their natural habitat," said Athelstan.

"The one good thing about all this is that they stay away from junk food," muttered Bowser.

"Watching them is making me tired," mumbled Koops.

"I'm getting full off of _them_ eating," said Neva, putting down her fork.

"I never understood where it all goes," said Ramona. "Or maybe we're just not eating enough?"

"Maybe," said Warra, examining the absolutely clean bone Daisy gave him. "When you think about it, how much energy are we burning off with all that we do?"

"If you think that's excuse enough to eat like those two garbage disposals, you can forget about it!" Bowser snapped.

Wario still couldn't believe what he was watching. As if pressured into doing so, he tried to speed up his rate of eating. He thought he could match Daisy and Marut, but he just couldn't keep up with either of them and had to stop once he finished his bowl of chicken, broccoli, and garlic. Waluigi saw Wario's discomfort from eating too fast and laughed at him.

"You know," Daisy said in between bites. "I only wish they had those beef things on the bone. You know what I'm talking about? Like, they're meatier ribs; like, a cross between kebabs and ribs. They're like meat on a stick or meat popsicles or something."

"You guys ever thought about eating competitions?" Koops asked the two ravenous gourmets.

"What?!" Marut barely managed to get out in between bites.

"Their stomachs have got to be black holes," said Warra. "This just...it defies all logic!"

"I don't know how much longer I can 'stomach' this," Athelstan remarked with a hearty laugh.

"Hey! I don't remember us picking up those!" Marut shouted, reaching for the lone two crab cakes sitting between the plates.

Daisy swallowed her food and looked at Marut. "What's that you picked up?" she asked.

Marut then asked, "Do you want these, Daisy?" Yet before even waiting for her to respond, he folded the crab cakes and stuffed them both in his mouth.

Daisy's face lit up in shocked fury. "YO! YOU MORON! THOSE WERE THE ONLY CRAB CAKES THEY HAD LEFT! I WAS SAVING THOSE FOR LAST!"

"Oh! Woops!" Marut replied, laughing with his mouth full. "Sorry about that!"

"Well then lemme get in on some of that shrimp creole!" snapped Daisy.

Marut tried to say something as he pulled the plate of shrimp creole away, but his speech was too muffled to understand. Daisy had worked up an angry sweat and looked red in the cheeks. She had no idea what the air wielder said.

"What'd you say?!" Daisy asked.

After a large swallow, Marut replied, "Nah, bro! I haven't had a chance to eat any shrimp creole in so long! Take my baked potato and the caesar salad!"

"WHAT?!" Daisy screamed. "You mean you took my ONLY CRAB CAKES and your response is to let me have some leaves and a frickin' potato?!"

"Alright; don't take them," said Marut as he started scarfing down the salad.

Daisy growled and moved to snatch the bowl with the shrimp creole, only for Marut to put a hand on her forehead and lift the bowl away with his other arm. He didn't say anything about it on account of being too busy chewing, and he quite frankly didn't look like he cared. Fed up, Daisy tried lunging at the shrimp creole, but Marut stuck a foot up to hold her back at her waist and then stretched his plate away even further.

"Please, no horseplay in the dining hall!" one of the Piantas behind the bar called out.

Waluigi and Athelstan shot up out of their seats and backed away as Marut stretched the shrimp creole further away from Daisy. Unfortunately, Daisy's force pushed Marut off balance and made him lose control over his bowl. The two flopped over off their chairs and landed on top of one another, while the bowl of the shrimp creole ended up several feet away from their table and upside-down on the floor.

"Hey! Quit wasting food!" snapped a Noki from a couple tables away.

"Yo, bro! I was looking forward to that!" Marut yelled. He wriggled out from underneath Daisy and snapped to his feet. Daisy shot back to her feet as well, fuming.

"You wanna settle this outside?!" Daisy barked.

"What kind of foolishness..." muttered Andrew.

"Well why don't we!" Marut griped. But as soon as he turned around to head for the doors, he stepped on the pile of spilt shrimp creole and flipped hard onto the floor on his back. The audience that they had attracted responded with gasps and muffled, nervous laughter.

"Oh my gosh!" Daisy cried, rushing over to help Marut up. "Are you alright? You almost cracked your head open with that slip!"

"I didn't slip!" Marut responded. "I just...I...aw man, I really slipped, didn't I? Can't sugarcoat it I guess. Can we just go back to eating?"

"Don't you think you two have had enough already?" Bowser snapped.

Daisy and Marut looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously replying, "No."

"Oh boy; we're gonna be here for a while, aren't we?" said Koops.


	6. Chapter VI

The Sky Haven of the Earth:

Shortly after finishing off their meals at the dining hall, the Kruna retired to their rooms for a little while to clean themselves up. Toadette, Waluigi, Wario, and Koops met them outside the Rainbow Suite about a half hour later. From there, they trotted along the asphalt roads, bold cobblestone walkways, and the rainbow streets and sidewalks that made up the blocks and thoroughfare of the Central Island and all the other Rainbow City islands. Main Street, the largest and widest of the roads, ran somewhat diagonally through the center of Central Island from the northeast edge down to a western point just south of the bridge to Western Island.

The dark nighttime sky made no impact on visibility thanks to Rainbow City's colorful brightness. As they walked, Daisy thought about the citadel being the only lively place up in the sky, whereas everywhere else above the Nirvana Barrier was just a lonely, cold, unknown place. She wanted to get to one of the bridges between islands to look down and see how empty the space below Rainbow City was. Likewise, she wanted to get to the edge of one of the circumferential islands and look out into the distance just to see the vast expanse of the rest of the sky.

Just thinking about that made Rainbow City seem that much more zestful and everywhere else in the sky seem that much more desolate. Several people were out and about town, either busy with something or mingling with others; or even playing games. It was the kind of community Daisy remembered Sarasaland and Castle Town being when she was a kid, and it was reminiscent of the Mushroom Kingdom when she had first arrived there.

The group of twelve soon reached the end of Main Street and turned right for a short march down a small hill to get to the bridge to Western Island. Just like the bridge they passed through before, it resembled a rainbow semi-tunnel with high, vented walls and a somewhat open roof made up of many spread arcs. The construction was porous enough to get a clear look around the citadel in all directions and closed off enough to prevent falling. A person would have to jump up to one of the arcs, muscle-up on top of them, and then slide off the side to fall.

"Have you guys ever thought about expanding Rainbow City?" Daisy asked, looking out beyond the other bridges. "I mean, it seems like there's plenty of other floating masses around if you look for them. It just kinda feels a little odd being the lone isolated civilization in the sky."

"There's a lot of wild places out there," said Toadette. "I'm sure we could, but we've been hard pressed to find anything suitable that didn't have too many aggressive animals or monsters lurking about or flying around. We have enough trouble with the random one-offs that venture here every so often."

"We're on Western Island now," said Wario as the group got ready to step off the bridge. "So here, we've got the Rainbow City MVA, Rainbow City Library and Archives, Air Base Center, and the Docking Bay for aircraft and sky vehicles. This is the only island where there are no neighborhoods or homes, so this is strictly a work and business area."

"It doesn't seem as bright or homey as the other islands," said Ramona.

"It's by design," Koops replied. "Except for the Rainbow City Library and Archives just up ahead, the island here is not necessarily a civilian area. Everything else here is pretty much towards the back and behind the L&A. We're really just here for the MVA. We'll get you all situated with the Air Base Center and Docking Bay at a later date."

The industrialized look behind the large and voluminous Rainbow City Library and Archives seemed to act as the convergence, or juncture, between the emptiness of the open sky and the vitality and exuberance of the rest of the citadel in the opposite direction. By the time they got to the MVA just a few minutes later, the rainbow theme and vibe of the area had transitioned into a somewhat muted and spread variant to take on an aesthetic a little more akin to a typical surface city.

"Toadette and Wario will escort you guys inside," Waluigi said to the Kruna. "Koops and I are gonna hang around out here. Donkey Kong told me he might be getting off his shift early, so he might try and meet us when he gets a chance. I'm gonna tell him that if we get done here early, we'll go over to where he is."

Toadette and Wario led the Kruna into the Rainbow City MVA. A compact and rather dark building with low lighting, the MVA did not have a lot of people inside. There was no line for the receptionist, so the Kruna got to the desk right away.

"Kruna, right? Go over to the next station behind me," the receptionist Noki said. "You guys made it just in time. We're closing in about a half an hour."

The group marched into the main portion of the room and to the only active desk. The attendant waved them over and got her computer ready for the eight Kruna. She was a stout, cheery young woman with long hair down and around her shoulders and arms that she had dyed a wavy rainbow of color.

"Alright, so before we proceed, I'll need your hometowns as they were before the Nirvana Barrier formed," the attendant said. "I've already got all your names in the database."

"Sarasaland," said Daisy. "Chai Kingdom and Castle Town, specifically."

"Oh, so you're Daisy then," replied the attendant, her hard northern accent emphasizing the statement. "Don't worry; your names are all on this letter Rosalina wrote, but I must say that it's a pleasure to meet you all!"

Daisy perked up with a bit of surprise from her enthusiasm. "Oh, well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss...uh-"

"Jelena! It's Jelena," the attendant answered. "I'm a huge fan of you guys!"

"Oh, really?" Daisy mumbled, blushing a little.

"Oh yeah!" Jelena exclaimed. "You guys are the best we've got right now! Rosalina said that you would all show up eventually! So while some of the people here have been skeptical – and a little resentful – a lot of us are behind you all the way! We're counting on you! You guys _are_ gonna help us out, right?"

"You bet!" Marut replied, giving a thumbs up and a grin.

"Oh my gosh, you must be Marut, yeah?" asked Jelena. "Oh, I can tell. You're even cuter than I thought you would be."

Marut's grin eroded as his cheeks and forehead turned a beaming red. He tugged on his hat and pulled it down over his eyes as he tilted his head down and kept quiet, at which point Athelstan, Wario, Andrew, and Neva all burst out in laughter.

"Let's get back on track here," said Toadette. "We've got people waiting for us outside."

"Right, well; let's get the rest of you guys in here," said Jelena. "Bowser, right?"

"Yeah," replied Bowser. "Mushroom Kingdom."

"The island of Mekarsari," said Warra. "Just off of Pi'illo Island."

"Nimbus Land!" exclaimed Marut, peeking his eyes out of his hat.

"Kallantown; near the Abnoba Desert," noted Athelstan.

"Christmas Village," Ramona said, wrapping an arm around Andrew's neck. "Both of us."

"Twilight City; near where Sarasaland used to be, I guess," said Neva.

"Oh, all from the western side of the world except for Neva," replied Jelena. "Okay then. If I could just get all of your pictures now..."

One by one, each of the eight Kruna got their pictures taken behind Jelena's desk in front of an individualized, pastel-toned background on the projector. Bowser got his taken in front of a red background, Warra's in front of a royal blue one, Daisy in front of orange, Athelstan in front of a dark tan, Marut in front of a lime green, Neva in front of light blue, Ramona in front of gold, and Andrew in front of purple. The whole process took about fifteen minutes at most to do and got pictures of most of them generally at just above their head to out past their shoulders and down to their upper abdomen. As each of their IDs got printed out, they noticed their portraits take up the left half of their respective cards with their titles underneath them. The right half of the cards held their name and some personal information along with the same stylized "K" the Kruna had on the sides of their pants hips – or in Neva's case, the hips of her skirt.

"Hey, thanks for these," said Daisy. "They're pretty cool!"

"You're more than welcome, sweetie pie!" replied Jelena. "Cool IDs for some very chic people!"

"Awesome," said Andrew. "Well, we need to be on our way, so we'll see you around."

"Come by again if you want to renew your IDs or change your picture!" said Jelena as the Kruna gave her salutes and headed for the doors. "See you guys later! Good luck! _Bye, Marut_!"

With a whole-body flinch, Marut's entire face turned red as his gait became stiff. Again, Athelstan, Wario, Andrew, and Neva broke out in laughter. Their reactions made Marut hurry for the doors and rush outside.

"I like her," said Daisy. "She seems like a bright and happy person."

"It's nice to see that people can still be optimistic in times like these," said Ramona.

The rest of the Kruna walked out the doors to join Marut and saw Waluigi and Koops both standing, talking, and laughing by a light post. The two looked like a couple of high school kids having a nonsensical bull session with their lackadaisical body language and loose tone.

"Everything went well in there?" Waluigi asked when the Kruna trotted over to them.

"Yup," replied Athelstan. "Man, you should've seen it; Marut made a new _friend_ in there."

Marut jerked his body with a quick gasp and started flailing his arms up and down. He was practically screaming with his mouth shut.

"Dude, if you want to fly, just use your pendant," said Athelstan. "You don't gotta flap your wings!"

"I just got a call from Toad," said Koops. "He wants you guys to stop by the armory real quick, so let's go! The bridge south of here can take us directly to South Island. Oh; you each have all your equipment on you, right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we do," said Daisy.

"Alright, good," said Koops. "I don't know what he had in mind, but he wanted to know if you guys had your stuff on you. I guess we'll see when we get down there."

* * *

"Glad you all made it!" Toad said to the Kruna's group. Toad and Alden's Forge looked just like a more stylized, dazzled version of their armories formerly on the surface in Peach's Castle and Bowser's Palace. The two blacksmiths looked to be hard at work on some blueprints when the group of twelve marched into the main room.

"We won't keep you guys for long," said Alden. The gold-shelled koopa gestured to a nearby table. "We just need you to make a couple temporary deposits. Call it, 'recycling,' if you will."

"So we're gonna need that Cyclone Ninjato from Wide 'n' Wiry over there," said Toad. "And we'll need that fancy looking Frost Crossbow from Lil' Glacier, and also those versatile Shadow Blades from Stacked 'n' Jacked Shady."

"Man, someone's in good spirits tonight!" Athelstan commented.

"What the – hey! What happened to your shield, man?!" Toad snapped at the Kruna of Stone. "And your spear!"

"Well, you see, uh; well, they broke," replied Athelstan, rubbing his forehead.

" _And_ there go the good spirits," Andrew whispered to Neva. She covered up her giggling with her hands.

"Both of them broke?!" snapped Toad. "How? What were you doing – trying to stack weight plates on them to do squats?!"

"When you're fighting a demon witch and a crazy predatory robot, well, it's not that hard for stuff to falter," said Ramona. "I can't say anything about you letting a huge bodybuilder walk off with a slender spear – I mean, my Light Broadsword broke too."

"Oh, c'mon! That was one of my favorite pieces, Ramona!" Toad cried with a grimace. "Don't be so careless next time! Man, I'm gonna have to make a special note for all eight of you guys when we get back to work here..."

"In the meantime, Ramona, there's a Glimmering Longsword over on the wall there," said Alden. "And Athelstan, if you want the pair of Grip Pitons on the other side of the room – the long pickax-like rods – then you can hold onto those. In fact, you should probably just keep those anyways. You'll be able to climb walls with those, and I'm sure you've got plenty of strength to be able to pull yourself around on those too. They've both even got chains too!"

"You see how thin Ramona is and you're letting her take that huge thing?" Wario asked, looking at the lengthy and thick longsword Toad had pointed out. "She's almost like Waluigi!"

"Hey man, I keep telling ya – I'm dense!" Waluigi muttered at Wario, who laughed in response.

"Oh, the Light Broadsword didn't feel like a burden," Ramona assured, walking over to get the Glimmering Longsword and its hilt off the wall.

Marut, Neva, and Andrew all dropped the requested elemental tools onto the designated table.

Athelstan went for the Grip Pitons and strapped them to opposite sides of his hips, wrapping the chains of each Grip Piton around their respective hilts and shafts once he got them secured. Ramona placed the Glimmering Longsword on her hip, but the sheath tip almost touched the ground even though she stood perfectly upright. She laughed and blushed at herself as she felt the displacement of weight on her left leg.

"How's that feeling on ya?" Andrew asked.

"Not really comfortable at all, but it's not distracting," said Ramona. "It's only temporary anyways. I'll get used to it."

"So I may have not mentioned this right away or as clear as I should have, but we're working on some new equipment for you guys," said Toad. "Eight years of experience and innovation has gotten Alden and I far, so just give us a week or so and we'll have some stuff ready. We've been planning them out for a while, but we've never got a chance to actually try out these designs, so let's hope this all turns out to be something really awesome!"

"Hey, with you two making them, I doubt it won't be," Bowser replied.

"Yeah – we'll have all eight of you set up," said Toad. "Including _you_ , Daisy."

"What?" Daisy sputtered, surprised. "Oh, that's okay – I'd rather not..."

"Nonsense," said Alden. "An elemental tool can only help!"

"Not in my case!" Daisy insisted. "I can't ever figure out how to use one; for wielding, melee, or otherwise. I'm better off just sticking to my hands and feet and elemental powers all on their own-"

Daisy suddenly felt a hand tug on her shoulder and looked to see Warra staring at her. There was something about his ultra serious expression that spoke to her on a subconscious level. Bowser, Andrew, and Neva then gave her the same look too. She could not deny that they all had the same thing in mind – even though Daisy had poor skill with elemental tools and weapons of any nature, now she had the opportunity to learn and practice in Rainbow City.

"Admittedly, what we have in the works won't be easy to use at all," said Toad. "But the value and utility of them will greatly offset their difficulty, we believe."

"Alright," Daisy said with a sigh. "I'll try..."

"The Elemental Training Grounds are here on South Island," said Toadette. "It's one of the handful of places here you guys can train at when you're ready to, or you can wait until Toad and Alden have the new tools ready. It's a pretty sizable group of fields away from the edges of the island."

"What exactly are you making for us that's so special?" Athelstan asked the two blacksmiths.

"You're just gonna have to wait and see," said Toad. "Top secret. It's a surprise!"

Bowser glanced at Daisy, who now showed some uncharacteristic uncertainty. The prospect of handling something that had been so difficult for her in the past, even though it came naturally and had only helped everyone else, seemed to weigh heavily on her. It was as if handling a true elemental tool was something she had been trying to put off and avoid for as long as possible. She used her ankle and wrist weights to ground herself and emulate the same enhancement of energy use and elemental control from a tool without having to handle any actual weapon or extension like the others. The low-profile weights have not seemed to slow her down or hinder her at all at any point, and they have actually had some defensive capabilities in terms of blocking attacks. Bowser wondered if her usage of the weights could somehow actually help her learn control over an elemental tool.

"It's a big step making that transition, isn't it?" Bowser then asked Daisy.

"I wouldn't say that," replied Daisy. "I've got time to adapt."

"Actually, I don't think she would need any transition," Warra said to Bowser.

"What do you mean, Warra?" Daisy asked.

Warra smiled. "Iaido would be perfect for you. You know; kind of like what Marissa used against us."

"Iaido – what..." murmured Daisy.

Warra nodded, but didn't add anything else. Daisy then thought back to her fight with Marissa and focused on some of the clearest memories of the battle. Although the witch's assortment of moves and attacks were erratic and multifaceted, she noticed looking back that Marissa did not keep her Mystic Broom out all that long. In fact, she only really used the implement in short bursts and kept replacing it after single attacks. Most of her other fighting involved spells or her Malocchio Eye or elemental fire.

Marut went over to get the rugged Aero Slicer blade Alden directed him to, though Neva and Andrew both opted to remain without elemental tools until Toad and Alden got finished with their project. The fact that the three Kruna had to drop off their tools made them all wonder if and how Toad and Alden would integrate them into the special creations the two blacksmiths had in mind. And yet, neither Toad nor Alden wanted to disclose any details on their upcoming creations.

"Don't you guys worry about a thing," Toad declared. "Rosalina didn't appoint Alden and I as the chief blacksmiths here without reason!"

Toad seemed pretty confident with that statement, and Daisy put her trust in that confidence. Surely, Toad wouldn't just give her something he knew she couldn't handle; even though he did flat out say that the tools they planned on making would be more difficult to use than others.

 _I can do it,_ Daisy thought. _It may take some time and extra effort, but...I can do it. Maybe it will turn out to be a real significant aid in battle. I just wonder what Toad and Alden are gonna have us use..._

* * *

After leaving Toad and Alden's Forge, Toadette, Koops, Wario, Waluigi, and the Kruna all crossed over to Southeastern Island and walked past Wario Ware Inc. HQ on their way to what was a staple on the surface world. When they got to the building, the Kruna couldn't believe that a chain that had so many locations on the surface had established itself in Rainbow City.

"No way – this place rocks!" exclaimed Andrew. "Starbeans Café, here? Are you kidding me?"

"Anything to make the world up here feel like the world down there used to," said Toadette.

The group passed through the glass doors into the heavily-lighted interior of Starbeans Cafe. As expected, some Beanish were behind the counter handling their duties for the relatively large amount of customers at the tables and by the bar. Judging by the big sign on the wall, Starbeans Café would be open until midnight.

"Check it out!" said Marut, pointing at the bar stools by the counter. "DK's over there!"

Donkey Kong was handling some sort of creamy beverage with a half-peeled banana sticking face down into the cup when the group trotted over to join him. He seemed just a little disgruntled and fatigued, still with his eyepatch on.

"Man, I just got here like a few minutes ago," said DK. "I thought you were all gonna take a while to get here; at least long enough for me to finish my banana-latte shake."

"Ooh, lemme get one of those!" Marut shouted, waving for one of the baristas.

"Yeah me too, while we're here anyways," Toadette said to the same barista.

"With as much as he ate, he's still asking for more?" Bowser mumbled to Athelstan.

"Ah, I'll take one too for the road!" Daisy called out at another barista.

Wario kept looking back and forth at Daisy, Marut, and then Waluigi in turn a handful of times before looking down and jabbing himself in the unarmored portion of his stomach. Just a moment later, he broke down onto the floor and started cranking out pushups.

"Oh, we doin' pushups now?" asked Andrew. "Alright, let's do this!" And then he got down next to Wario and started busting out reps as well.

"That looks way too easy for you two," said Neva, walking over to sit on Andrew's back.

Wario looked over and saw Andrew doing pushups with Neva on top of him and flinched in surprise. He then sped up his rep rate to try and outdo the Kruna of Shadow.

"Hurry it up, man – you're making yourself look bad!" Waluigi barked at Wario.

Wario turned to scowl at Waluigi, but when he did, he saw Daisy next to him pumping out handstand pushups. Thrown off balance by his own surprise, Wario collapsed onto the ground, grunting in shock at how easy she made the acrobatic movement look.

"You know what; that just gave me an idea," said one of the Beanish baristas. "Every Saturday night should be a fitness night!"

"You can pencil me down for that!" exclaimed Daisy, easing out of her handstand. "It can certainly help out with morale around here!"

When Neva dismounted, Andrew went over to help Wario up. "To be fair, Neva's pretty tiny," the Kruna of Shadow said to Wario.

"I need another gym partner," Wario then grunted out. "I don't get any competition because the pointy stick over there keeps skipping workouts."

"Hey, I'm as consistent as you are, Play-doh Pounds!" snapped Waluigi.

"Yeah – consistently inconsistent!" Wario grumbled. "And consistent with excuses!"

"Wah?! If I'm doing overtime, I'm doing overtime!" Waluigi responded.

"Overtime doesn't include standing around chewing on Mushrooms and spouting off crap with Koops!" replied Wario.

"Hey mang, we're just keeping it stress-free, right Koops?" said Waluigi.

Wario looked at Daisy and Andrew, then at Athelstan and Bowser, and then said to Waluigi, "Yeah, well, now that we've got some strong guys here, we're gonna make it a point to get time in both at the gym and out on the training grounds – and that means no more skimping out on workouts!"

Waluigi did some sort of comical, derogatory gesture with his hands and face at Wario that elicited laughs from most of the group. Wario didn't give a verbal response, instead just waving off Waluigi and dismissing the subject altogether.

* * *

"Yeah, so I had to deal with a giant Albatoss just a little while ago," said DK as the group of now thirteen walked through East Island. "It was not fun at all – the thing just kept diving at us and circling around in the sky. It took a lot of patience to sit there and wait for the opportunity to just whack it out of the air and drive it away."

"Well, at least it was only one that time," said Toadette. "I remember Alden and I had to fend off three of them a while back when they were hovering around the forge. It must have taken, like, a good hour or so to finally beat them all, but we were being really careful and conservative because it seemed like after one attacked, one of the others swooped down to attack right afterwards."

"Those birds are smarter than we're giving them credit for," said Waluigi.

"So what's here on East Island?" asked Athelstan.

"The one and only Rainbow City Academy and College over there," replied Waluigi, pointing to the grouping of well-established buildings and towers towards the outside of the island. "Still a work in progress, but a quality institution nonetheless – just established last year, at that!"

"We're about to go past Rainbow City Hall," said Toadette. "Then as we move towards the inner part of the island, we'll reach Rainbow City Gym and Astral Stadium. They're both linked together, so you can enter the stadium through the gym!"

Wario glanced at Waluigi for a brief moment, at which point Waluigi looked back and gave a snide reply. "What?... What?!"

"So what's the stadium like?" asked Daisy.

"Multipurpose," DK replied. "It can hold baseball games, football, strikers, full-scale soccer, track and field, and lacrosse."

"We just have a few teams made up of the people that live up here in Rainbow City," added Koops. "It's just another one of those things that help pass the time and attempt to recreate what we had down on the surface up here."

"Maybe you guys would want to get in on it sometime," Toadette said to the Kruna. "Every once in a while, there'll be tournament play for prizes and cool stuff!"

"And you can come to the gym at any time," added Wario. "It's open from before sunrise to late after dark. Which means, no excuses for not missing a workout!" He glanced back at Waluigi again.

"What, man?!" Waluigi snapped.

"I know the gym has helped me get stronger, faster, tougher, and nimbler," said Toadette. "It makes being part of the Rainbow City Guard easier, for sure!"

The group of thirteen trotted past Rainbow City Hall. Compared to the other structures built throughout Rainbow City, it looked small and modest. It still had some of the bells and whistles that the other buildings had, conforming with the theme of the floating citadel.

"And this is where I personally stay overnight," Waluigi said. "Consistent with my former mayorship with Maralah, I handle a good deal of administrative duties here. Of course, Rosalina and the officiants and other ruling bodies of the Comet Observatory are in charge of Rainbow City."

"The rest of us have our own places scattered throughout the town," stated DK. "But the City Hall is a nice place to hangout early in the day during break."

"There's not really much going on inside at night though," said Waluigi. "So you'll have to come check it out during the day."

"For now, we've got two more islands to see up towards the north," said Toadette. "So c'mon and let's keep moving!"

* * *

Stepping onto Northeastern Island, the Kruna couldn't help but notice a large, rectangular dome towards the back end of the sector. At the easternmost point on the northern part of the island, the blocky building looked massive compared to the other structures around and in front of it.

"What's that place supposed to be?!" asked Marut.

"Only the Rainbow City Sportsplex!" Waluigi replied. "It's essentially a casual, indoor-version of Astral Stadium. We've got basketball and hockey partitions as part of the building too in addition to everything that Astral Stadium has."

"And Elemental Outfitters is an extension off of the sportsplex," added Toadette. "So it shouldn't be too hard to find it when you need to stop by!"

"Is that a Milk Bar over there?" Neva hollered, pointing into the cobblestone clearing up ahead. A multilevel tavern stood where she pointed at with a large cow head hanging over its front doors. The Milk Bar had outdoor dining set up inside its fenced entrance and on its second-level rooftop.

"One of the newest additions here, actually," said Koops. "Just finished construction a couple weeks ago. I think they're still doing some promotional stuff for their opening."

"Great Beings, thank you," Neva mumbled to the sky.

"Unfortunately, besides the residential homes here, there's not much else to Northeastern Island," said Toadette. "We've got one more island to check out, though, and it may be one of the more key areas depending on how things turn out when we eventually start our liberation campaign on the surface."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Daisy.

* * *

"That is what I mean," said Toadette, gesturing towards the large, decorated teleporter in front of the group of thirteen. They had reached the northernmost point on Northwestern Island, past all the residential housing and past Citadel Farm and Lake to get to the structure before them.

"This is the Comet Observatory Teleporter," said Waluigi. "It will take anyone straight to the Comet Observatory. Most of the time though, it's kept off. It is usually only on if either Rosalina, Polari, or Lubba are here in Rainbow City. For the most part, the people here don't go up to the Comet Observatory and just stay here in the citadel."

"But should Marissa ever find out that we exist up here, then this is an emergency route," murmured DK. "We can get everyone up to the Comet Observatory and out of harm's way if the demon witch were to ever find out that Rainbow City exists. Luckily, we've been able to remain here in secrecy since the citadel's construction. And hopefully, we can keep everyone here."

"That's a scary scenario," mumbled Ramona.

"It is," said Koops. "That's why I try not to think about it too much."

"We all try not to think about it," added Wario. "But we know what to do and everyone knows to come right here to this very spot in the worst case scenario."

Suddenly, a flash appeared through the glass walls of the teleporter, at which point Rosalina appeared and opened its doors by pressing a button on the inside control panel. She did not walk out, instead waving for the group to come in.

"You made great timing," said Rosalina. "I was just coming down to get you all. If you're finished touring Rainbow City, there's something at the Comet Observatory I'd like for you to see."

"Well, let's all step inside then," said Toadette, motioning for the group to follow her in. "There's plenty of space in the teleporter!"

* * *

In an identical structure to the teleporter on Rainbow City's Northwestern Island, the group of fourteen appeared in a colorful blue and pink cosmic flash. Their trip up to the Comet Observatory took a total of mere seconds. To everyone besides Rosalina, going through the teleporter was like a trippy astral-themed flight up above the atmosphere and out into space to get to the Observatory Gate.

"Talk about high-end elevators," commented Marut.

"Whoa! This is the Comet Observatory?!" Ramona asked in wonder.

As the group stepped out of the teleporter and onto the Observatory Gate floor, they got a grandiose view of the whole of the Comet Observatory and its extensions. Beyond the structures of the observatory, the smooth, milky colors of the cosmos lit up the space around them. Launch Stars hovered in abundance over and near the various partitions that made up the Comet Observatory for quick travel between the different sectors.

"I've never actually been up here," said Daisy. "It looks so mystical and otherworldly!"

"...What kind of place is this?!" Neva barely managed to murmur to herself.

"Pretty wondrous, isn't it?" said Rosalina. "I suppose when you're used to seeing something like it, then it becomes commonplace, and you forget what it would be like for fresh eyes."

"It's like Rainbow City part two," said Marut. "Or maybe Rainbow City is the Comet Observatory part two because Rainbow City came afterwards."

"I must say, it's good to see at least one place that hasn't changed in eight years," noted Athelstan. He and Bowser are the only two of the Kruna who had previously been to the Comet Observatory.

"It's been more or less the same for many years," said Rosalina, heading for one of the Launch Stars ahead. "Come."

* * *

Rosalina led Waluigi, Toadette, Koops, Wario, DK, and the eight Kruna through the doors of a section of the Comet Observatory deep within the Observatory Library and past even the Cosmic Archives. Interestingly enough, on either side of the vestibule were the same stylized "K" letters the Kruna had on their hips and IDs. The short hallway ended at a bolted set of double doors made of some sort of unidentifiable material that only opened up when Rosalina waved her hand at them.

On the other side of the doors, a large opening branched off into seven different hallways. The crimson carpets and marble walls highlighted the paintings and photographs of what appeared to be several elemental wielders; again, all with the same "K" letters, whether that be on their hips or on either shoulder. In fact, underneath nearly all of the images were Plexiglas cases containing the uniforms of the individual wielder and their equipment, elemental tools, and Alkemei Pendants.

"Who are all these people?" asked Marut.

The people seen in the images spanned across various walks of life. Humans, koopas, Goombas, Piantas, yoshis, toads, Nokis, Nimbi, Kritters; all on display, and potentially many more races and ethnic groups also had a presence down the several corridors of the vast room. The backgrounds of the images of the elemental wielders appeared to reflect different eras and ages.

"This is the Kruna Hall," said Rosalina. "This section of our archives was added centuries ago to commemorate some of our best teams of Kruna since the inception of the special forces unit."

"These people look exceptionally formidable," said Warra as everyone viewed the various pictures.

"Are we even in their league?" Marut wondered aloud.

"Some of the tools these guys had were pretty wicked!" commented Athelstan.

"And others kind of basic, to be honest," Neva added with nonchalance.

 _They look firm and natural in their roles_ , Bowser thought as he gazed at a fire wielder and an adjacent shadow wielder. _Calm, stout; powerful, but sure of their sense of self, even, to make it so that one couldn't tell if they actually had a gap in their ability..._ Unconsciously, he looked at Daisy for a brief moment, who had a muted awe about what she saw.

"These elemental wielders were steady, valorous stalwarts," said Rosalina. "They were the best that Earth had to give. In their times, their prowess was unmatched. They fought for justice with all their powers and skills to keep the world safe and help maintain balance and order when the world needed it most; oftentimes against enemies that challenged them to their very core."

 _I wonder why Rosalina wanted to take us here,_ Daisy thought, her eyes pacing back and forth between the walls on either side of her.

"These guys look pretty serious," said Andrew, glancing at a picture of what appeared to be an air wielding koopa with a goofy grin and stance.

Ramona tugged at Andrew's arm and gestured to a painting of a brutish water wielding Kritter. "I bet nobody's as serious as this guy here!"

"Ah, he doesn't look so tough," said Waluigi, twiddling his mustache. "I bet I could spout off some water cannons just as good as his were."

Daisy peered at Waluigi, confused but for just a moment. "Oh, that's right – I forgot that you've got a little water skill to ya."

"More than a little now!" Waluigi proclaimed. "Before all is said and done, I could turn out to be _legendary_!" He then snapped his fingers in Warra's direction, sending a quick splash of water his way. Warra saw it and took control over the little mass of water just before it hit him, making it evaporate back into the air.

"Maybe," said Warra. "Don't get your hopes up though. You don't seem like you have the kind of grace and flow needed for pro-level water wielding."

Waluigi's arm bolted up to the Kritter water wielder. "Does _he_ look like he's got grace and flow?"

"You'd be surprised," Warra replied, smiling.

"So the organization of the members here is loose," said Rosalina as she directed everyone down one of the middle hallways. "They are divided into sections and ordered by era; but with each section, there is no real order among the members. There are both whole teams of Kruna represented here and individual Kruna here as well. We've kept whole team inductees together, and the individual inductees have been bunched together in accordance with the years they served. So while we do have some organization here, it's not strict."

The group walked past images of elemental wielders both tall and small, wide and narrow, pale and scaly, and so on. These immortalized Kruna came from all over the world, all of them representative of the eras they lived in and of the elements they controlled. The plaques underneath the images of the wielders detailed their years of service and age during their active status alongside their dates of birth and passing, showing that the vast majority were teenagers and adults.

"Now this would've been an awesome subject to study in school!" Athelstan exclaimed. "I'd take 'Kruna History' if given the option!"

"This is odd," said Warra, examining the dates on several plaques. "When you look at the numbers here, well; yeah, a lot of these guys were very young when they started, but it looks like most are active Kruna for five, ten, maybe fifteen years, and then they're done."

"What usually happens is that a team of Kruna retire altogether," said Rosalina. "We believe that the mantle of Kruna should be fluid and be more readily passed on to others who are ready. It's not too often that a team exceeds ten years of service, and it's very rare for one to exceed fifteen. If for some special occasion, such as in the case of injury, disability, or removal from position – or in your case, the death of a member – then there can be a replacement or two at a time. But if three or more members of a team are gone, then the remainder of the team is automatically discharged and retired."

"So we're not going to be Kruna for a long time at all, are we?" asked Bowser.

"Aw man, that's such a bummer!" Marut cried in a groan. "Being able to get out and explore the world is so much fun!"

"Yeah!" Daisy agreed. "There's got to be so much that we can do as Kruna. Beyond even Marissa – I mean, beating her is not the endpoint, is it?"

"I have to admit, being a Kruna has been a scary, heart-pounding ordeal," said Ramona. "But I've gotten so used to it that it would just feel so strange...not being a part of it!"

"Well, yes; eventually your tenure will end too, just as everyone else's has," said Rosalina as they all rounded a couple corners to go down another hall. "But eventually, everything does reach an endpoint, an endgame, an event horizon – whatever you want to refer to it as. I know you all remember Grekka and how quickly things took a turn and came to an end for him; and that's just how things go sometimes. Should everything turn out fine with our current situation – and we're all hoping for the best case scenario – then the day will come when you eight will have served all of your time as Kruna. When will that be? I don't know. Nobody knows for sure until the moment draws near. And then what? It's not going to be the end of the world. Life goes on. Your yielding of your Kruna responsibilities will give rise to a new team. Then you'll return to your lives as they were before."

"Man, what kind of play is that?" said Marut. "So one day, all of this is just gonna stop?! I don't wanna go back to being average!"

"But we can't keep going at it forever," said Warra. "I think we all should acknowledge that, shouldn't we?"

"Woah, hold on a minute – slow down!" Athelstan said. "Technically, we've only been Kruna for less than two months! We don't need to think about something that's still a ways away!"

"Athelstan's right," said Waluigi. "You all have gotta chill out! It's not like you're on the hot seat for anything! Saying that you're all eventually not gonna be Kruna anymore is like saying Wario's fat."

"Wah?! This is quality weight, PVC Pipe!" Wario snapped at Waluigi, doing a double bicep flex with a grin. "You can't compare! This is pure, unadulterated strength!"

"Oh please!" Waluigi responded. "Why would I want to compare when I can run circles around you and your strength!"

"Yeah, okay," Wario sneered with a hearty laugh. "If dancing around like a lanky Michigan J. Frog singing 'Hello, my baby! Hello, my honey! Hello, my ragtime gal!' is your idea of speed, don't wonder what went wrong when an Aerolfos plants ya flat on your skull, and then you're doing the Michigan Rag with your head in the dirt and your feet up in the air thinking you're actually going somewhere!"

While most of the group laughed at Wario and Waluigi's back-and-forth jeering, Daisy tailed behind everyone and kept her focus on the pictures of the Kruna on the walls they passed. Though they all were so different and unique in just about every way imaginable, they all shared the one constant of having stepped up to fulfill their roles and so much more beyond those. These were the best of the best before her eyes, their collective feats and accomplishments in their lifetimes countless. _Where will I stand in comparison to everyone here before all is said and done?_ Daisy thought.

The Sarasaland-born Kruna of Earth shifted her gaze to the next image on the wall and immediately stopped in her tracks. She tuned out everything else and gave the person in the photograph her full attention. The young woman pictured with brown hair in a layered bob cut, a white jacket, red shirt, red pants, and black belt and boots looked strikingly familiar. She held a two-handed hammer that had a bladed attachment on the other side in the shape of a flame wisp. The tool looked even more impressive in person through the Plexiglas case underneath the photo, as its size and girth made for a weighted weapon. Despite the impressiveness of the elemental tool, Daisy's focus went back up to the woman in the photo before long. Besides the nose, she had no doubt in her mind that the female fire wielder's complexion looked all too recognizable.

"Mario?" Daisy murmured in surprise.


	7. Chapter VII

Fallen Heroes:

The other Kruna and the members of the Rainbow City Guard all turned around and walked over to see what Daisy saw; a photograph of what appeared to be a female fire wielder with a surprising resemblance to Mario. Judging by the modern background, the lovely and delightful woman looked like she had only just recently been in service.

"Woah," Koops murmured. "That really does look like Mario!"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence?" asked Toadette.

"Rosalina?" Bowser said, turning to the cosmic being.

"Marietta," Rosalina said. "Kruna Chitan of Fire. Deputy – and eventually leader – of the Kruna Chitan, the last team of Kruna before you all."

"If they're so recent, how come we never heard of them?" asked Daisy.

"It's been over thirty years – well, in this time anyways – since the Kruna Chitan's final mission," said Rosalina. "You all were either in infancy or early childhood when they finished their service. In that time since, Kruna started to fall out of favor, as people began to believe that they would never see or hear of another team again. Before you eight and the Kruna Chitan, Kruna teams have never had a gap of longer than a couple years, and this made people worry. Under the impression we'd never have an equal representation of the eight elements again, society moved on to more mass, widespread forms of order management and defense against malevolent entities; and special forces units went to the wayside. It didn't help that the Chitan all had a very tragic end of service."

"What happened to them?" asked Daisy.

"It was a horrible mission that should've never been taken," said Rosalina. "An army of rebels had raided and gained hold of this one city, Crescent Moon Village. They had taken the city and its residents as hostage and planted chemical bombs all throughout, over, and underneath the town. We sent the Kruna Chitan in to try and defuse the bombs and free the hostages, but upon entering the city, the timers on the bombs went off and started counting down. In probably one of the most rash and impulsive decisions I've known, the Chitan tried to track down the rebels in hopes of getting a hold of their equipment to deactivate the bombs altogether. They tried to do that rather than rescue everyone and get them out of the city before the bombs exploded. The Chitan chased the rebels around the city, but they failed to stop them and got caught in a trap in the process. Sadly, the rebels got away, and the bombs went off. The toxic fumes killed all the residents and all the Chitan. Marietta left behind two children – Mario and Luigi. The father, Luciano, had died shortly before Marietta's death through heart illness."

Daisy gazed once more at the photo of Marietta, who had only been about thirty years old at the time of her death. _Mario and Luigi never talked about their parents_ , the earth wielder thought. _No one ever did. Mario and Luigi must've been too young to actually know either them..._

"Is Crescent Moon Village still around?" asked Warra.

"The buildings stood for years – and probably still stand – aging and corroding into decay," said Rosalina. "Some rumors say that ghosts and zombies of the inhabitants still listlessly roam the streets, stalking and attacking anyone – particularly anyone who even resembles a Kruna in appearance and power."

"It's said that they'll attack anyone who they believe will try to steal from their city," Wario added. "I went exploring through there once and managed to avoid trouble, but it always felt like there was somebody watching me and tugging at my collar."

"Woah, that sounds really creepy," Ramona mumbled with a shudder. "But then again, I guess that's just the M.O. of the surface world now."

"I bet Kruna came under a lot of scrutiny and criticism for what happened, huh?" said Toadette.

Rosalina made an anxious swivel with her head and exhaled with enough force to momentarily push up her bangs. "The first few years after the incident, dubbed 'Operation: Waning Crescent,' were nothing but that! We were in no position to try and put a new team together, and by the time everything settled down, we had no wielders good enough. The advent of all the advances in technology have made people more reliant on science to bend the world around them rather than sticking to the true roots of elemental wielding. And unfortunately, such a move has only increased the amount of aggression and conflict in the world in the years following Operation: Waning Crescent."

"I think this is why I find Toad and Alden's work has been so exceptional," said Warra. "Though their creations embrace the advances in technology, their end products are traditional and customary in their use and stay true to their roots as modernized classics."

"Yeah," said Ramona. "Their elemental tools are at one end of the spectrum as opposed to elemental weapons like the ones King Sarasa used. True elemental wielding is a wholesome art that requires power and focus from the user rather than a sufficient energy source and a push of a button or trigger."

"Precisely," said Rosalina. "You don't know how important it is that you eight understand that. And this adds on to why you eight are of special significance. The Kruna are the guardians of the elements and represent them in their truest, most natural forms; and in effect, Kruna represent what manipulation of the elements is supposed to be – an aid to the world rather than a hindrance or detriment. Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Marut, Neva, Ramona, Andrew; through your actions, our hope is that you can revive the Kruna name and, proverbially speaking, bring it back from the graveyard."

"But how are we supposed to do that?" asked Marut. "It's not like we've had an audience or anything to witness us when we've done our work."

"You all have not acted much in the public eye, and that is actually a good thing," said Rosalina. "People have lost faith in the Kruna name, so much so that the term stopped being mentioned. This started well before you eight even got sent through Marissa's time portal. People were hesitant to believe that a team of Kruna would even so much as be helpful anymore, and that has gotten worse in this time given what has happened. We all have done our best to keep hope alive up here in Rainbow City, but those trapped down below underneath the Nirvana Barrier believe that that is their ultimate fate. They don't believe anyone or anything can save them from the everlasting purgatory that Earth has become."

"Because we didn't stop it from happening in the first place," Daisy said. "And with Mario and Luigi most likely dead, and with Geno missing, I'm not surprised that they feel that way."

"Treat it as more incentive," said Rosalina. "You need not make any changes to the way you work. It's a very admirable and noble thing that you all have not tried to draw attention. No doubt that when this is all over, should you succeed, your actions will have spoken for themselves."

"Man, it's like there's just more and more piling up on our plate the longer we're here!" exclaimed Athelstan.

"This is just so much," said Ramona, easing into a nervous ramble. "I mean, with Elkon, and then Marissa and King Boo, and now this Nirvana Barrier and all this that you're asking of us – gosh this is so, so much! I don't even know how to describe it! It's like Athelstan just said; our mission gets more difficult the more we find out! Is there a ceiling for any of this, or is it just going to keep getting harder?"

"It could; we don't know," Rosalina replied. "But we're banking on your ability to handle the pressure and pull through. It helps knowing your ascension to Kruna was no doubt unorthodox."

"What do you mean?" asked Bowser.

"Truth be told, the Kruna of the past were, for the most part, hand-selected by us at the Comet Observatory," said Rosalina. "Your roles as Kruna were entirely up to destiny and fate, nothing more, and with no other influence. We read through the stars to figure out who to round up and recruit; and while there was some dissension about whether or not we should go along with you, here you are. Though while you are Kruna, we never had the opportunity to give you your team designation. In case you're wondering, that's the thing that separates you from other Kruna. It acts as a secondary identifier."

"It was essentially the 'Chitan' in 'Kruna Chitan,' right?" asked Toadette.

"Correct," the Elder of the Cosmos said. "So I leave that choice with you, Kruna."

"Ooh, let's make it something really cool!" Marut hollered. "Like the Kruna Crush! Or the Kruna Slicers?"

"What about calling yourselves the Kruna Strikers?" said Waluigi.

"The Kruna Raiders!" Wario bellowed.

"No! What's noble about being a raider?" asked Toadette. "I say they should be the Kruna Pride!"

"What about Kruna West?" said Warra. "We all came from the western part of the world, right?"

"Not Neva," said Andrew. "And I don't think Nimbus Land is necessarily in the West either."

"Nimbus Land's like right in the center, or maybe a little bit more west," Marut added.

"And technically, if I count Sarasaland instead of the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm from the East too," said Daisy.

"Kruna Thunder sounds awesome," noted DK. "Or Kruna Wham! With the exclamation point, too!"

"I like the Kruna Archivists," said Athelstan.

"No, bro!" Marut snapped. "Who's gonna take us seriously being called that? That's boring! We'll put people to sleep if they heard nerd stuff like that!"

"We're gonna be here all night trying to decide this, huh?" Neva whispered to Andrew.

"Why don't we use something that's not so...generic?" Bowser suggested, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, we started off as the Moirai," said Daisy. "So why not have our team be the Kruna Moirai? That's a good middle ground that keeps it simple enough, I think, because everyone's pretty much just all over the place right now."

"Fated Guardians of the Elements," Warra added. "That would be what it would mean, right?"

"That would work," said Rosalina. "Although, I would suggest one tweak; 'Kruna Yura,' Cosmic Dialect meaning, 'Destined _Heroes_ of the Elements.' You are not solely taking on the roles of guardians anymore. Let's just say, for the sake of records, that you were Kruna Moirai at first, but now, you're Kruna Yura. You've ascended to take on a new meaning."

"Is that even allowed?" asked Waluigi.

"Sure," Rosalina replied. "Plenty of past teams have started out as one unit, but have ascended through one reason or another to a sort of, 'higher ranking' name. They go in the Cosmic Archives and Kruna Hall as being both names, with the tenure split between when they were under the first designation as opposed to the second one."

"But...if we fail, then we will have failed our Yura name," murmured Ramona.

"Then don't fail," Rosalina said.

"Kruna Yura it is, then," asserted Daisy.

"Yes, that's sounds professional," said Bowser.

"Yeah, it sounds real nice and clean," said Warra.

"And it rolls off the tongue easily," added Athelstan.

"Excellent," said Rosalina, smiling. "Your team designation will help to differentiate you from the other Kruna throughout history and, hopefully, from those of the future. Just as there has only been one Kruna Genesis team, you all will be the only Kruna Yura team. Between here in the Kruna Hall and the regions of the Cosmic Archives that are not quite as deep, we have on record each and every team of Kruna. There's only a few individuals whose records we have lost for otherwise extraneous reasons."

"Wait, so does that mean we're going to find Marissa in here?" asked Marut.

Rosalina showed a blank expression as a quick moment of silence ensued. "Follow me," she then said, her voice low as she turned to walk. The others in the group all noticed the abrupt change in the tone of the atmosphere.

Rosalina led the group down the hallway and turned to come to the center of the back corridor that curved to act as the intersection that the other hallways fanned out to. There, they came to a painting of whom they all had come to know as Marissa Arkana, the demon witch of the Malocchio Eye. Interestingly enough, she did not look nearly as menacing and dark as her most recent self. She stood in the photo wearing a red and black blouse, red pants, and orange boots and wristbands. Her left arm rested on her perched up knee and her right arm loosely held a sword with a blade in the shape of a thick, raging flame. Her long, low pigtails and charming smile were a far cry from her messy waves of hair and tormented, unstable expression as of late. She had no Mark of the Witch anywhere on her being or garb, and she had no pointy witch hat either. The sun shone in the volcanic background behind her, a common home environment for fire wielders.

Neva gasped with agitation. "It is her! It's Marissa! Without a doubt!"

"Are you sure that's Marissa?" asked Athelstan. "She doesn't look any bit as freaky as she does now!"

"Yes, that's her," Rosalina affirmed, gesturing to the painting. "Former Kruna Genesis of Fire, Marissa. This was her before 'Arkana' became a part of her name and history. As the former leader of the Kruna Genesis, the first team of Kruna, she led them on a campaign against the Demon God, Osiris, and sealed him away inside the Master Pendant; therein preventing him from both carrying on the Shadow Queen's work and from potentially freeing her from the seal inside the old Palace of Shadows that the legendary Four Heroes had placed on her. As you can see, not just Marissa, but all of the Kruna Genesis are here."

To either side of Marissa's painting were the Kruna Genesis of each other element; water, earth, stone, air, ice, light, and shadow. As expected, Geno, the former Kruna Genesis of Light, was among the group, pictured in an archaic version of the uniform Daisy and the others had grown accustomed to seeing him in. His elemental tools of that age, a golden recurve bow and a golden scepter, appeared cutting edge and legendary. Daisy walked over to look at Geno's painting and the display case with his equipment and iconic garments, her eyes wide but her face blank.

"Was there ever a replacement for Marissa?" asked Ramona. "You know, after she abandoned the Genesis and before she turned hostile to kill them..."

"Actually, no," Rosalina replied. "At the time, we did not mandate replacement members to be assigned to a team, for we did not fully understand the importance of the unity of the elements."

Waluigi looked at Rosalina with a face stranger than normal. "Just _how_ old are you, again?"

"Old enough," answered Rosalina. She offered a small smile, but added nothing to her response, making Waluigi stare at her as if he were hallucinating.

"But in any case, that rule could've prevented a lot of trouble if we had it from the start," said Rosalina. "The replacement Kruna Genesis of Fire could've teamed up with the other seven of the team and sealed away Marissa, preventing any of this from transpiring."

"So why couldn't any fire wielder have had created an Elemental Seal with the seven Kruna Genesis?" asked Athelstan.

"Elemental Seals are tough enough for Kruna to attempt," said Rosalina. "Their proper execution necessitates that the members of the team all be powerful and proficient enough in their wielding to stabilize and meld their elements in such a manner. Otherwise, if a seal does form, it will be imbalanced and will give way; so all wielders performing the seal must have Kruna-level power, and there's not a lot of leeway in that regard."

"Look, that's all good to note; but what I don't understand is why Marissa is still in here!" Bowser snapped. "She has removed herself from grace with her actions against the world! You all up here have got a villain in the Kruna Hall!"

"To keep someone as nefarious as her in the Kruna Hall is absurd!" Warra added with passion. "We all know what harm she has caused even before she took control of the Earth!"

"We have pondered it multiple times, but it was always a difficult decision to make," Rosalina answered. "Despite all that she has done so far, she was such an inspirational role model back then. And if not for her and the other Genesis, then the world would've succumbed to Osiris and potentially the Shadow Queen too."

"So what?" Warra sputtered out in disbelief. "What has she done for the world lately? Not anything good, I'm certain!"

"Did she not kill six of her old Genesis teammates?" added Athelstan. "I thought there was a fairly strict no-kill policy among Kruna."

"I thought _she_ was the reason there was a no-kill policy in the first place," said Andrew.

"This should not be a difficult decision!" exclaimed Bowser. "You guys up here don't get that what she has done after her corruption outweighs whatever good she did before it? If we judged everyone for what they did in the past, then why haven't you locked me up?"

"Bowser, what do you mean..." Rosalina started to say.

"All the trouble I caused before I came together with my fellow wielders here," Bowser said. "And now, I'm standing in the Kruna Hall on the Comet Observatory of all places? All is well because I had a relatively good two month or so stretch? What if something happened then or later, where I become a menace, whether under my own will or under the influence of something other? Then what?"

"You were never inherently evil," said Rosalina. "You only had a vendetta against Peach and Mario-"

"Then how is Marissa not?" asked Bowser, face strained and stressed.

"I never said she wasn't..." Rosalina replied. "No one did. But then again, no one said she was. We don't really understand what led to such an extreme turn. There's a difference between pure wickedness and purposeful vices or evils necessary to one's goals. That's why Elkon was in a different league from someone like the Shadow Queen. That's why you, Bowser, are an entirely different case from someone like Kokoro. That's also why Marissa and King Sarasa may be one in the same. But we don't know enough as of now. We may be a bit too forgiving, but it's not like we're just forfeiting the fight against her – no, far from it. She's a part of history. Namely, she's a part of Kruna history. We can't just erase her from history. That's not how reality works."

"Rosalina..." Daisy murmured. "...Why does this plaque say Geno lived until 2010...?"

All eyes turned to Rosalina, who stared at Daisy with no expression whatsoever. The Elder of the Cosmos gave no immediate response, but Daisy looked determined to wait in silence until she got one. The increasingly tense atmosphere loomed heavy on the group of fourteen as Rosalina and Daisy stared each other down.

"I believe we deserve an answer, Grand Elder," said Bowser.

"Is that plaque a typo? Is it a mistake that no one caught?" asked Ramona.

"...It's no typo..." Rosalina responded. "He only lived until 2010."

"So you all knew he was dead when I _clearly asked_ what had happened to him?" asked Daisy, a cross between a growl and a hiss creeping into her voice. She looked at DK, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, and Koops with rising anger. "All of you just decided to lie?"

"No, they didn't decide to," said Rosalina. "I told them to... So don't vent in their direction..."

"Why did you feel the need to lie?" Daisy yelled. "What makes you think that dishonesty was okay for something like this?"

"I don't know," Rosalina mumbled. "There was so much going on, and so much that had happened... I just didn't think you all should've been bombarded with even more than what we already informed you of."

"Poor excuse," Daisy said.

"If it's any consolation, we honestly don't know what happened to Peach," said DK. "But Geno is definitely gone. He's been gone for eight years."

Daisy didn't calm down, but she didn't shout when she spoke. "Just...at least tell us what happened..."

"Did he just die of old age?" asked Warra. "I mean, he had lived for a very long time..."

DK sighed, then flipped up his eye patch. His right eye had gone blind; the pupil and iris scarred over as a cloudy, silky gray through which no light could enter. A thick, scarred gash ran in a diagonal from underneath his eyelid to up over his brow line.

"I was there," DK said. "It was shortly after you eight had disappeared. I ran over to find you all but found Geno instead, so I went with him to chase down King Boo. I wasn't prepared to see both a powered up Marissa andUmbraKing Boo flying down from Bellbridge."

"I spoke through telepathy to Geno to get him and DK out of there," said Rosalina. "My associates here and I started rounding up some of the Comet Observatory's best reserves to pull together masses from the cosmos and suspend them in the mid-atmosphere down below, forming the base and foundation of Rainbow City. I had no time to argue with Geno when he decided not to retreat or flee."

"He told me to getaway instead, but he wanted to stay behind and fight Marissa and King Boo both," DK said. "He insisted, to the point where he was gonna blast me away, so I had to turn and go. But Umbra King Boo got a swipe at me with his shadow claws. Geno fended them off and gave me the chance to get away before they took more from me than the vision in my right eye."

"Eventually, I couldn't contact Geno at all," Rosalina said.

"I remember constantly looking back at the scene behind me," DK said under his breath. "I kept glancing back and kept seeing explosions and light shows; but soon... I stopped seeing the lights... Soon, it was all just explosions. I'm lucky I got away. I got away thanks to Geno. I wish I could've stayed behind, but I was outmatched, and he knew I was outmatched...but I also wonder if he knew that he himself was outmatched..."

"Rosalina..." Daisy murmured. "Why didn't you send him any help?"

"I panicked a bit," Rosalina said. "He insisted on facing those two alone. I just...I knew we had to get Rainbow City to evacuate people to before the Nirvana Barrier finished. That was the number one need-"

"But you should know him better than any one of us!" Daisy yelled. "And you let him fight those two alone and get killed?!"

"Back off, Daisy," Waluigi said. "Just cool your gasket and get over yourself! You getting riled up isn't going to help anything. We don't need drama this late at night."

Daisy opened her mouth to bark at Waluigi, but she stopped herself from saying anything. Enraged, but deflated, she looked around at everyone in the room before whipping around to storm down the hall. She said nothing further as she went in the direction of the Kruna Hall exit.

"Excuse me," Warra said, turning to go after Daisy. Toadette, Neva, and DK turned to follow Warra.

"Don't expect me to go after her too," said Waluigi. "She's a tough girl. She doesn't need no apology from nobody."

"Actually, in this instance, she does," said Bowser, tone sharp. "Geno was a big help to us all and to her especially. Maybe they didn't always get along well, but he was still a teacher to her, and the second elemental master of hers to get killed."

"So what?" Waluigi asked.

"She hasn't had any decent father figures in her life except for those two," Bowser snarled. "Her old master, Terran, and Geno; both of them dead. I get what it's like to experience such loss, but if you don't want to be considerate, too bad! You better go and correct yourself before you have to answer to me."

Waluigi grimaced for a quick moment, but then sighed and looked away. He tromped down the corridors to leave the Kruna Hall. He could be heard mumbling as he stalked out through the halls, "No need to get so defensive..."

"I apologize for the deceitfulness in covering up Geno's passing," said Rosalina.

"It's alright," said Ramona. "You meant no harm. Better to find out now than much later on when we really can't afford to handle such unsettling news. I feel like now would be a good time to head back down to Rainbow City, you guys."

"I agree," said Athelstan. "It has probably gotten pretty late. Maybe tomorrow night when everyone's feeling better, we'll be able to have some fun!"

Marut perked up and raised his arms. "Yeeeaaaaah! Alrighhhht!"

"I don't know – a Monday night sounds kinda mundane if ya ask me," said Koops. "Thursday night's jumping though, 'cause we've got Thursday Night Strikers at Astral Stadium."

"Well we know who'll be there then," Andrew said. "I mean, if she'll be up for checking it out."

"Daisy'll be fine, I'm sure," said Athelstan. "Right now, I'm more concerned about Bowser! You've been pretty flustered for a little while there, buddy!"

"I guess I am," Bowser replied. "But don't pay me any second mind. I'm ready to go when you all are."

"Alright then, Kruna Yura," Rosalina said. "I thank you all for accompanying me here, as well as you who are part of the Rainbow City Guard. Kruna, remember what you represent and why you have the titles you do now. You carry a strong, deep legacy that you must restore vigor to." She gestured to the paintings of the Kruna Genesis as she recited a familiar sequence. "Let stone be the world's mold. Let earth be the harbinger of life. Let fire bring heat to the land. Let water nourish the surroundings. Let air inspire motivation and freedom. Let ice instill cold and preservation. Let light be the energy and guidance for all. Let shadow bring relaxation and rest. All eight shape the world. All eight are reality... That is the Elemental Psalm; a psalm that has stood the test of time and that will now test you eight, Kruna Yura. Goodnight, and you are dismissed."

Wario, Koops, and the remaining Kruna Yura said their goodbyes and started to head in the direction of the Kruna Hall entrance. None of them expected the Elder of the Cosmos to suddenly call out at them again just seconds later.

"Oh...but Bowser, you wait," said Rosalina. "I would like to have a word with you, if you're not in a rush."

Bowser stopped and turned, giving Rosalina an odd look that mixed with his somewhat anguished expression. "No...I'm in no rush..."

The others of the group stopped as well, but Bowser waved them off. Without any meandering around, they left; leaving Bowser and Rosalina by themselves.

"Let's go out to the garden," said Rosalina. "Something's clearly bothering you. That much, I can tell."

"Yes," Bowser replied. "But if you want me to say anything about it, just don't mention it to the others."

"Well, it depends on what it is," Rosalina replied. "I can't make any guarantees. What's so disconcerting that you can't let your teammates know what's going on?"

Bowser scowled but made a slight smile. "I don't know – you just admitted to trying to hide Geno's death, so you tell me."

"Fair enough," Rosalina said, walking towards the entryway. "Follow me."


	8. Chapter VIII

Volatile Moments:

"Damn it all," Daisy muttered, stomping through Northwestern Island. "He was a pain in the ass at times, but he got us all to where we were before we – before _I_ messed up. If I just beat Marissa when I had the chance, he'd still be alive. Geno would still be here, and so would everyone else... They're all dead and it's my fault..."

She stopped her movement, at a crossroads of where to go in Rainbow City. Going left would lead to Northeastern Island through one of the joining rainbow bridges, and going right would take her to the rainbow bridge connecting to Western Island. Or, she could go left and take what appeared to be a scenic bridge up in the air that went directly to East Island. Or, she could just call it a night, go straight ahead for the bridge to Central Island, and head back to the Rainbow Suite to restlessly lay in bed.

Not wanting to have an early end to a rough night that would have her reeling about in an attempt to fall asleep, she ended up going to Northeastern Island and marched all the way over to the Rainbow City Sportsplex. She stepped onto the indoor soccer field with a standard size five ball and dropped it behind midfield, trapping it under her foot as she leaned on it and surveyed the field ahead of her. With quickness, she charged down field with the ball, decisive footwork and all, purpose in each powerful step, eyes on the goal. A swift Maradona to the left, then the same move again in the opposite direction; she wound up her leg and took a rocket of a shot from forty meters out. The ball ripped through the air, leaving Daisy all but certain that her shot was going in.

It missed. Hit the top crossbar and bounced to a stop just a few inches outside the goal. The loud clang from the impact and subsequent bounces echoed through the room and froze Daisy to her core. If it had sailed just a tiny bit lower, just by an inch or maybe even less than that, it would've went in. But it didn't. She had nothing getting in her way. Nothing and nobody to blame for the miss but herself.

Daisy dropped the hundred pound dumbbells on the floor in the Rainbow City Gym on East Island after finishing a set of overhead presses. A couple koopas and Hammer Bros who had spectated her gave her a round of applause and cheered her on, pointing her to the 120s. She picked them up, cleaned them to her shoulders, and pushed them overhead with ease; but the reps felt too light. Daisy eased the dumbbells back down and grabbed the 150s, much to the increasing astonishment of the koopas and Hammer Bros. A quick clean to her shoulders, and she began repping out with those. No matter how much strength she had though, she knew Athelstan was stronger, and Bowser – even though he had been in a kind of slump for a while – would be as strong as her, if not more.

 _If I'm not as strong as I can be, then what's the point?_ Daisy thought, switching out her 150s and heading straight down the rack for the 250s.

"What?! Only DK and Wario have ever picked _those_ up!" one of the koopas cried in shock. The others almost lost it when they saw Daisy pressing the 250s overhead without much issue.

"How is she doing that?!" one of the Hammer Bros hollered. "I'll bet she's not even a buck-fifty herself!"

 _I have to be the very best that I can be, so that I can finish next time!_ Daisy yelled in her mind, gritting her teeth and forcing out even more reps. _If every enemy I'll come across will be leagues above where I am now, then_ I _gotta be leagues above where I am now too!_

That thought ran through her mind as she raced along the 400m track in Astral Stadium. She dashed across the straightaways like a jet and drifted around the turns as if she were riding in a kart, smoke coming off her boots and skid marks accumulating on the track. She ran down a straightaway one final time and went around a corner as fast as she could before breaking to a stop, head down and hands on her thighs, out of breath. She grunted, dissatisfied with her speed around the track. She had done four fast laps, but in her mind, she could have done them a lot better. Now that she had stopped running, the silence of the area jarred her.

"I had a chance and I let it slip through my hands," Daisy grumbled. "Everyone on the planet is suffering for it now. Mario, Peach, Luigi, Geno, my dad; they're all dead now because I didn't finish what I was supposed to do..."

She clenched her fists, still standing there alone. Though Rainbow City's illumination beamed bright all around her, the pitch-black sky overhead was consuming, suffocating, overwhelming; amplifying all the tension weighing heavy on her spirit. She bowed her head to cover her eyes in shadow as intermittent trembles rattled her.

 _Who's to say I won't commit another critical mistake_ , Daisy thought, grimacing. _Then my whole team has to suffer the same fate..._

She felt a hand brush up against her shoulder then, prompting her to turn and see Warra, Neva, Toadette, DK, and Waluigi standing right behind her. Except for a disgruntled Waluigi, they all looked deeply concerned when they saw the quivering frown on her face.

"The least I could've done was show them a little more respect before they all went away," Daisy murmured, eyes overflowing. Nobody could tell whether she was more enraged or woefully despondent. The very next instant, she collapsed onto her knees and wept, unable to hold back any more trapped, confused emotion.

* * *

The view out over the Earth and the cosmos from the Comet Observatory's garden had a special mystique to it as Bowser and Rosalina stood observing it all. Even though the planet below looked like a massive, wispy ball of red, purple, and black as a result of the Nirvana Barrier's encasing, nothing about the situation seemed as hopeless that moment as it had before. If not for the effects and implications the barrier had on the planet, its presence by itself would have seemed enchanting and quaint.

"Would it be out of turn to say that you look deflated?" asked Rosalina.

"I'm tired," replied Bowser. "I'm really a lot more tired than I thought. I didn't think much of it at first, but I had been a little more worn down than usual leading up to the fight with Marissa just a couple days ago – which, I guess in real time, is really _eight years_ ago, obviously. But then when we came out of that time portal to this time, I felt even worse. Granted, the whole group felt awful, so I just attributed my own pain and wear with everyone else's, and I did my best to keep up."

Rosalina stuffed her hands in the pockets built into her hip armor. "Well, sounds like the Giga Soul you've got harbored in you is starting to act up."

Bowser cringed at Rosalina's mention of the fiendish spirit. Its presence inside of him had been something he had kept under wraps since before the missions at the elemental shrines, but Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba all knew of his situation. Not once had he brought it up to any of the Kruna. He never felt a need to, nor did he want to. It was a part of him he did not want to acknowledge.

"I'm not trying to call you out on anything," said Rosalina. "You've kept it locked away and have done great keeping it down, but it wasn't going to stay down forever. And it seems as though the Nirvana Barrier has aggravated it, making it more hostile and unstable. That, and the stress from the past couple months for you may be opening the door for it to elicit more of an impact on your body."

"A team of Kruna is not complete without all eight members present," said Bowser, staring at the tainted Earth. "So I have to go down there with them when the time comes."

"I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't. Just, be careful down there and don't over exert yourself. Be careful _up here_ and don't over exert yourself, while you're at it. You're going to need to focus on recovery more than the others just to make sure you keep the Giga Soul in check. And we need to work on getting it out of you before any confrontation with Marissa. It's only going to continue to hamper your abilities and sap your power trying to sustain itself."

"I have no idea how I'm supposed to get it out of me."

"Well, how did it initially get in you?"

"Kamek put it in me, originally – he forced it in me, actually. I didn't have any desire to harbor that spirit, but him and his ridiculous spells and experiments brought that thing into the castle we were in at the time, and the only way to stop it from destroying the place and everyone in it was to seal it away in somebody. I was the only one with enough power to hold it back, so it's been a part of me since."

"Then why didn't you have him remove it from your being? At some point afterwards, I'm sure you could have come up with some kind of way to exorcise it."

Bowser didn't respond. He stared at Rosalina blankly for a minute, then sulked, suddenly looking saddened and helpless.

"If you didn't want it in you, then why didn't you have it taken out?" Rosalina asked.

"Look, I had a need for it!" Bowser responded. "Or at least I thought I did – when Mario and Peach and everyone were my enemies... It sickens me that I even once considered using something like that in such a manner. It should have never been a part of me in the first place. Nothing good can come of it. I just want to be rid of it. I haven't mentioned it to any of the other Kruna. I just need it gone. I feel like this is the last step I need to take...to truly...be different..."

* * *

"I wanted to show them all what I could really do," Daisy mumbled, trying without any success to stop her eyes from expelling tears. Warra and Toadette had knelt beside her, but had kept quiet to let the Kruna of Earth get out what she needed to.

"I can be important too," murmured Daisy. "I can make a difference too. I can do good... I'm not useless!"

"As you are now, you seem pretty useless," Waluigi muttered. "You're the last person I'd expect to be draining your eyeballs like that."

"Hey, why can't you just be a little sensitive for once?!" snapped Toadette.

"For what?" Waluigi snapped back. "The more she loses her temper and throws a fit, the less reliable she is to our cause. Sure she's tough on the outside, but she's soft on the inside. You go down there under the barrier like that and you'll get creamed alive, figuratively and literally."

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Daisy screamed. In a flash, she cracked to her feet and lashed at Waluigi. Almost just as fast, Warra got up and caught the punch that Daisy threw in Waluigi's direction.

"Hey, the both of you!" said Warra. "We're not getting chippy here! We don't need a back and forth between you two!"

The moment Warra finished his statement, Waluigi smacked his face with a backhand to knock the Kruna of Water out of the way. Warra stopped himself after a couple spins and planted his foot to spring back at Daisy and Waluigi, but Neva and DK both stepped in front of Warra and put an arm up each to cut him off.

"Who's the Kruna here?!" Daisy barked at Waluigi. "We are, not you! You're no closer to beating Marissa than we are, so don't try armchair quarterbacking us like you'd do any better!"

"Well maybe I would!" Waluigi yelled back, getting up in Daisy's face. "The only reason we're all even here in this situation is because _you_ Kruna failed!"

"What's it take for you to shut your trap?!" hollered Daisy. "Am I gonna have to beat your mouth through your throat just to get you to stop spouting off your bull?!"

"You might have to – if you think you can!" Waluigi responded, giving Daisy a forceful shove. The Kruna of Earth stumbled backwards off-balance, but quickly regained stability. She flared her eyes and teeth as if she had reverted back to her Betedaimon form and someone had canceled a striker match.

"That's enough, you two!" shouted Warra. Neva and DK said nothing and made no extra moves. Toadette kept quiet, intense in the face as if anticipating any and every bad scenario moments away from coming to fruition.

"Alright, fine," Daisy grunted. "If you wanna try and challenge me, then go ahead. But I warn you – this'll be the last time you'll be able to use your legs. And yes; I'm in that kind of mood."

"I don't care what kind of mood you're in!" Waluigi hollered. "Don't think I'm intimidated by your temper tantrum!"

"Bring it on, ya OVERGROWN TWIG!" Daisy yelled, dashing forward. She swung out a kick that tore through the air, though Waluigi leapt back to dodge. He conjured a water whip and cracked it at Daisy, smacking her and leaving a thick bleeding mark running along her cheek and neck as she stumbled back again. Another swipe from Waluigi at her left leg made her buckle at her knee and ankle, and a quick third crack of the whip caught her in the chin before the watery weapon finally broke apart.

"Woah! Waluigi! That's too much!" Toadette screamed.

Waluigi snickered and materialized two more water whips in his hands. "Why don't you tell that to her?"

Daisy had already regained her bearings and charged at Waluigi again. He cracked both whips at her, but Daisy didn't do anything other than put her arms up and grit her teeth. Taking two vicious lashes across her arms in the process, she broke through the whips to get up to a surprised Waluigi and sent him flying several yards away with the abdomen-crushing Smash Punch.

Skidding to a stop, Waluigi chuckled again and snapped his fingers. Unaware, Daisy did not notice the puddle of water Waluigi had left behind from his broken water whips. The split-second after he snapped his fingers, the water exploded from underneath Daisy and blasted her up in a wicked tumble. Waluigi jumped up and met her high in the air with another, thicker water whip he used to strike her straight back down to the rainbow-lined track.

"He's taking advantage of her fatigue," mumbled DK.

"Aren't any of you going to step in?" Warra asked. Neva and DK, still standing in front of Warra, said nothing. Toadette stayed quiet too, a nervous sweat building on her forehead.

Bouncing out of the recoil from her hard landing, Daisy popped to her feet and pulled back one of her fists, using her free hand as a guide to "aim" at her descending opponent. The moment he landed, Waluigi sidearmed a strike with his ready water whip.

"SHOTGUN!" Daisy roared, thrusting her fist in front of her. The wide-spraying seismic energy clashed with the incoming water whip and shook it apart before it struck her. With the opening, now there, she dashed at Waluigi once again and met him in a hand-to-hand frenzy. The two threw out punches and kicks each other, dodging and blocking each of their strikes at first before soon exchanging blows with one another on the way to mutual brutality. Neva and DK had no intention of intervening and seemed complacent with letting the violent development play out. Warra and Toadette both looked on, hoping for the skirmish to be over soon.

* * *

"It was a huge mistake," said Bowser. "I should've tried to get it out of me before. I could've had so much more extra power to use that wouldn't've been spent sustaining and holding the Giga Soul back. Seeing Daisy in that beastly Betedaimon body made me realize how much the Giga Soul in me is slowing me down. And seeing her break free of her transformation makes me want to get rid of this vile essence once and for all!"

"And that's why your past is not being held against you," said Rosalina. "We both know you've moved beyond that period of your life."

"But even so, this is the very last thing that I need to get rid of," Bowser said. "It's the very last thing that's holding me back from truly maturing into someone far removed from who I was in the past. Sure, maybe I could just live with it forever somehow, but then I'll always be in wonder... I'll always be worried about if it'll break loose one day; or if something goes wrong and it ends up changing me, reverting me back to a place where I don't want to be at. But the thing is, it's not like I can just get it out of me now whenever I'd like; I cut Kamek loose a long time ago because of his cheap, dishonorable tactics. He could be anywhere now. Or he could be dead. Or he could be a rogue pariah or outlaw. Tracking him down would probably be a lot more trouble than necessary."

"Perhaps the Black Mages could help in some way?" suggested Rosalina.

"Perhaps...I hope..." the Kruna of Fire replied. "It would be a large weight off my back and a breath of fresh air. Really."

"I'll have to look for them in Rainbow City tomorrow," said Rosalina. "Or better yet, I can send out a request for them to be summoned to Central Island Town Center, and maybe you'll be able to put something together then. In the meantime, go on back down to Rainbow City and get some sleep."

"You think I'm going to be okay?"

Rosalina smiled and turned to walk away. "I'm not worried, so why are you?"

* * *

Daisy took a nasty punch to the jaw, then recoiled immediately with a blow of greater strength to Waluigi, who then snapped out of the hitstun and kneed her in the gut. Absorbing the hit, Daisy jammed her elbow into Waluigi's chest. For every hit one scored, the other countered with another one. The exchange went on for some time until Daisy finally deflected a Waluigi punch and twisted around in a spin to throw out her most powerful strict melee attack. As she swung her overhead punch, Waluigi pulled back to fling up a kick. The two ended up hitting each other at the exact same time and knocked one another in opposite directions across the track and turf. Daisy put her hands down to skid to a stop on all-fours, and Waluigi flailed his stringy legs around trying to backtrack and decelerate his momentum. Toadette and Warra exhaled their held breath when the conflict reached a halt.

Daisy stood up and wiped at her mouth, calm but serious. "Well, you look like you're finished."

"You're really good..." Waluigi grumbled in between breaths, wincing as he held his face. He paused for a moment and then grinned. "But you know, there's only one real way to settle this."

Waluigi dashed to the bleachers to retrieve a stray soccer ball. He snapped his leg back and lobbed the ball high into the air, then leapt up with a water whip forming in his hands to slam it down in meteor strike fashion straight at Daisy. The ball came in fast, and Daisy had time for just a single move; so she bent down and then swung her torso upward to strike the incoming ball as if she were doing a forearm dig in volleyball. The hit sent the ball way up into the air with a ton of hang time; enough for Waluigi to land back on the ground and dispel his whip as the others watched for the ball that seemed like a floating satellite.

"That's a handball," Waluigi muttered.

Daisy cracked a smirk. "Oh, and you're one to worry about rules?"

"Whatever," Waluigi replied, putting his fists on his hips. "At least now you're not sulking and moping about. You oughta thank me for waking ya up a bit."

Interestingly enough, Daisy broke out in hysterical laughter. Warra and Toadette stared at Daisy and Waluigi in shock, as did Neva and DK to a lesser extent. The Kruna of Ice and the great ape seemed more surprised about the suddenly friendly banter between the two who had been locked in combat just moments ago.

"I'm not thanking you for a damn thing!" Daisy replied, laughing as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Except for maybe punching me in the face. I didn't think you would hold your own as well as you did! I must be more tired than I thought – that's the only thing that would make sense!"

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Warra, confused. "What just...what?!"

"I thought it would've been obvious by now," muttered Neva, arms crossed as the soccer ball finally touched down with a massive bounce. "Couldn't you tell by their attacks? They were practically sandbagging the whole time. They never meant to deliberately maim each other; they were just roughhousing to let off some steam."

"I've seen those two get at each other a lot before," said DK. "Don't take any of it at face value. They've been rivals with one another for some time now. I'm sure Waluigi was just trying to get Daisy's mind off of everything for a little bit. And it looks like it worked."

Warra slumped into a sulk. "If that's their idea of catharsis, then maybe I need some new friends..."

"Or maybe you should just not be so soft," Neva said. Her remark drew laughs from DK and Toadette and made Warra slump even more as Daisy and Waluigi walked over to join the group.


	9. Chapter IX

Ultima Staffs:

The next several days for the Kruna Yura passed in a smooth and quiet manner. However awkward it was to relax and rest considering the situation down on the planet underneath the great barrier of red and purple, the Kruna did it and kept in mind that it was the right thing to do in the long run. A lot of their time on the great sky citadel of Rainbow City went towards recovery and making sure they stayed in the right mindset. Though homesickness and remorse posed recurring issues from time to time, they did their best to take things easy and stay optimistic.

The eight Kruna adjusted to life in Rainbow City fairly quick. The chain of seven floating islands had a lot to offer and prevented things from getting stale. Athelstan spent a lot of time at the Rainbow City Academy and College and the Rainbow City L&A, satisfying his need for knowledge gains; though he often spent time at Toad and Alden's Forge too, helping them tinker with their works in progress. He along with Daisy, Andrew, Wario, and Waluigi had started making a routine of training sessions at the Rainbow City Gym; though for the sake of recovery, the sessions were more leisurely than they were taxing. And if Daisy wasn't there at the gym, she'd be out at the Elemental Training Grounds, Astral Stadium, or the Rainbow City Sportsplex skilling up on either combat or athletics. Sometimes Neva would join her, though she liked to spend her evenings at the Milk Bar. In fact, if she wasn't with either Daisy or Andrew at any point, increasingly the latter, Neva was usually wandering about by herself. Ramona, Marut, and Warra tended to group with at least one of the other Kruna if they did not go anywhere else.

Bowser did a lot of meditation at the Elemental Training Grounds by instruction of the five Black Mages to try and regain strength and power from the Giga Soul and essentially starve it, a method of which showed noticeable promise after a couple days of use. Much of the excessive fatigue vanished, though Naraka warned that Bowser had to stay consistent with his meditations; for if he were to go too long without those meditation periods, he would risk giving up a rebound effect to the Giga Soul that would possibly allow it to break free at the first sign of weakness.

"That is the best way to keep it at bay for now and not make it as debilitating," Naraka had said. "Though we believe that given enough time, the Giga Soul will eventually give out and either expel itself from your spirit or die, it's not a certainty. We'll still do our best to try and see what we can come up with to get it gone for good in a more timely manner. Until then, it is of utmost importance that you keep at least somewhat consistent meditations going – or otherwise risk the Giga Soul snapping back with merciless recoil. Ideally, the more meditation each day, the better, but a minimum of twenty minutes a day is the bare essential amount we recommend. Essential, but far from optimal."

On one particular dawn just as Bowser was about to begin an early morning bout of meditation at the training grounds, Ramona trotted up behind him. Her footsteps made him turn to see who was coming, for he did not expect anyone to come by. Though Bowser had told the others about his meditations, he had not told anyone of the reasoning behind it.

"Is it alright if I join you?" Ramona asked with a smile.

Surprised, Bowser replied, "Uh...yeah... Sure!..."

After that response, Ramona took a seat next to him on the grass, and the two went into a deep, meditative state for nearly two hours. Birds and Waddlewings flew in and grazed around them in the rising sun as time elapsed.

It was almost a week since the Kruna's initial arrival at Rainbow City when Toad and Alden released a call for the eight elemental wielders to come by the forge for a special unveiling. Bowser, Warra, Ramona, and Neva had made their way to the forge after sunset and met with DK, Wario, and Toadette inside the main room. Ramona had returned the Glimmering Longsword Toad had gave her, and Neva had just walked in as Toad and Alden started getting out several lengthy and thin elemental-colored, case-like chests from bolted, locked storage units towards the back.

"So where's everybody else?" Alden asked the group.

"Oh, those fools're just outside," said Neva. "You know; ribbing, horsin' around, chewing the fat. That nonsense."

"That's great chemistry they're working on there," said DK. "If they want to cut loose, then why not?"

"They're just spewing BS out there!" Wario exclaimed. "I've heard Waluigi and Koops go at it before – it's ridiculous! And now they've practically got a whole routine ensemble to add to it!"

"Didn't think bull sessions could be so 'infamous,' if that's the right way to put it," said Bowser.

"It's nice to just be able to shoot the breeze," said Toadette. "And those two are good at it."

"Oh, I'll shoot a breeze for 'em..." muttered Wario.

" _Whaaaa-_ tever," said Toad. "As long as they're in here when we've got everything ready for the big reveal, they can make a bonfire out there and barbecue for all I care. It's all in good fun. Stress reliever and stuff."

"Except that Waluigi has a tendency to make things crude," said Toadette.

Hanging around outside the forge, Waluigi, Koops, Daisy, Andrew, Athelstan, and Marut all stood by the street near the fence and some lampposts. The cool air made their breathing easily visible in the figurative and literal chill of the dimming night sky. Other residents were out and about throughout South Island as well on what had been a peaceful day and evening and what was shaping up to be just as quaint of a night. Not wanting to wait inside Toad and Alden's Forge, the group of six had been out there for close to a half hour.

"I've been getting so steamed up about the canteen at the Rainbow Suite," said Athelstan. "They didn't have the buffalo sauce I liked because they didn't have enough time to make it, and yet they have like eighteen thousand packets of ketchup overflowing off the condiment tables and onto the floor."

"That kinda reminds me of my dad and sister back home," said Andrew. "Because apparently, it was a house where for some odd reason, it was okay for two-thirds of the refrigerator to be filled with sauces and condiments and dressings and _vinaigrettes_ – how ya like THAT vernacular, Waluigi – as opposed to actual food. And then when they get food to put in the fridge, they like to think it lasts forever, or just forget about it, then get snappy when somebody else eats into it; but then they end up throwing away whatever's left over because they let it sit in the fridge for over two weeks so it could grow it's own Santa Claus beard."

In the midst of everyone else laughing, Athelstan added, "Well, you are from Christmas Village, aren't you?"

"Why I most certainly am," Andrew replied. "But that doesn't mean I want my food climbing down the chimney leaving gifts around the tree and the Yule Log! When you've got someone who constantly asks for berries and peaches, and then lets them sit in the fridge until they fuzz up and mold over and you have to get rid of them anyways, there's some shenanigans going on there, to put it lightly!"

"And that's how you get sick and spend half the day in the bathroom," said Koops.

"You know what would be really awesome..." Waluigi then said. "There should be, like – or we should make if nobody else will – a toilet that goes 'Om nom nom nom nom!' every time you flush."

Koops threw himself off balance as he haphazardly stalked away several steps, bursting out laughing as he did so and gasping for air as he came back around. "Dude, do you know how many people would freak out if they did their business and then flushed the toilet to hear that?!"

"That's if they flush the toilet," added Daisy. "I know plenty of times I walked into a stall and somebody didn't even bother to flush."

"Well, it might help them remember to flush," Koops replied. "You know, you gotta feed the toilets, man. They get hungry too."

"They need their nutrition, too," Marut added, barely holding his laughs down.

"Raise awareness for starving toilets all across the world," Koops quickly mumbled, drawing more laughter.

"Just traumatize all the little kids while we're at it," Waluigi added with a snicker. "It's the magical toilet that eats what we _don't need_."

"No wait-" Koops quickly said. "What about making it so that the faucets sound like they're throwing up when you turn the knob?"

"Then nobody'd wash their hands!" Marut exclaimed. "They'd pull back as soon as they heard the faucet throw up and then think that they would be getting barf on their hands!"

"You'll have the toilet eating on one side of the room and then the faucets throwing up on the other," said Daisy.

"See, it's ideas like these that we come up with on a daily basis," said Waluigi. "We should save these for next Halloween."

"Let's do it for Christmas instead," said Koops. "Let's just get some plumbers and technicians and make this a bit!"

"Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum!" added Athelstan.

"Geez, you guys," Daisy muttered, stifling laughs as she put a hand over her eyes and shook her head.

"On the subject of bathrooms, why are fire alarms right above the urinals?" said Waluigi. "Can somebody please explain that? Because if I'm doing my business and the alarm goes off, then that means I'm going to either go deaf, or my bodily fluids are gonna go flying all over the urinal, and onto my pants, and on the floor, and at the guy right next to me; and I'm not going to be able to do a thing about it because we all gotta get out the building! If the place doesn't burn down, then the janitors are all gonna be pissed, that's for sure – no pun intended!"

"They're gonna wish the whole place got burnt down anyways!" Koops added. "Then they're gonna put up a sign that says, 'Please don't urinate on the walls, floor, yourself, or the person next to you,' and people are gonna see it and look at it like, 'The hell – what kind of jacked-up place did I meander my way into?!' Like, I get there needs to be safety, but can we not have the alarm on full blast in a heavily reverberating, compact room where people'll be defecating and expelling wastes and then have to rush outside with their pants down, unclean and exposed because they had to protect their ears from getting ruthlessly murdered?"

No one could give a legitimate response on account of laughing too hard. At that moment, Neva came out of the front doors of the forge to call them in. She paused just long enough to take note of the group's laughter and almost went over to join them, but she shook herself out of it and dismissed such a notion.

"Hey!" Neva shouted. "Are y'all gonna get in here or you wanna stand out there spouting off for the rest of the night?"

* * *

The elemental-colored chests lined the open area of the main room of Toad and Alden's Forge in two rows of four. They all appeared to be roughly the same size – not thick or tall, but long and stretched out. At Toad's beckoning, the eight Kruna marched up to the chest that matched their individual element. The others watched as the Kruna opened the chests and pulled out glossy, metallic, long-handled implements. The decorative and accented weapons looked unwieldy, but of superior quality than any other elemental tools they had seen before. Though not exactly of the same length and girth, each staff, whether single-bladed or with a blade on each end, stretched about five feet.

"What's with the giant toothpicks?" asked Wario.

"These are our greatest creations to date!" Toad barked back, crossing his arms and smirking. "Ultima Staffs."

The eight Kruna inspected each of their individual bladed staffs, all of which had a special elemental design respective of their controlled element. Although Ramona's, Athelstan's, Bowser's and Warra's staffs had a blade at only one end, theirs were substantially larger and bulkier than the double-sided attachments of the others. Because of this, Toad referred to their tools as "swordstaffs," while he deemed Daisy's, Marut's, Andrew's, and Neva's as "bladestaffs." The swordstaffs as a whole had the benefit of the blade nearly taking up half the length of the whole tool, while the two blades of the bladestaffs seemed to take up a quarter of the staff length individually at each end; making the two styles roughly equal in terms of the surface area of available staff for holding and gripping.

Warra's Tidal Swordstaff's wavy, scaly contours on the staff and blade face made it one of a kind and invoked feelings of nautical pride. Athelstan's Obelisk Swordstaff easily had the thickest, densest, and probably even widest blade of the bunch. Bowser's Pryo Scimitar was a swordstaff with a wickedly curved blade that somehow still managed to take up half of the tool's length. He found that the staff fit nicely in his grip even though he still had his Blazer Claws on. Ramona's Luster Swordstaff had a blade broad, straight, and symmetrical to contrast with most of the other Kruna's Ultima Staffs.

Marut had already gotten to work twirling around his Dragon Bladestaff with its two blades partially resembling a combination of dragon heads and his old Cyclone Ninjato. The staff even had slots and latches at each end to attach and detach his Gust Boomerangs; likely to aid in aerial maneuvers and acrobatics or flight. For Andrew, Toad and Alden had taken his Shadow Blades and conjoined them together to a dense, melded black and purple rod to make his detachable Umbra Bladestaff, therein still allowing him to use the blades as skates. The two blacksmith-engineers had taken Neva's Frost Crossbow and Frost Bayonet and converted it into a staff with the crossbow running parallel near the middle and a normal-sized blade on both opposite ends. Technically tri-bladed considering the standard two blades at the ends and the bayonet in the middle, the Blizzard Bladestaff was therefore both a melee and projectile weapon; a fact that made Neva feel particularly smug despite her short and small stature making the tool seem cumbersome on her.

Daisy looked at her Terra Bladestaff with confusion, almost unsure of what to do with it. The sleek, clean-look of the matte black handle and the shiny silver blade at each end of the staff made the tool seem both easy to handle and only suitable for an elite earth wielder. _Toad actually thinks I can use something like this when I could never get a grasp on a basic elemental tool?_ Daisy thought as she looked his way.

Toad noticed Daisy looking at him and spoke to ease any concern from her and the other Kruna. "Although somewhat awkward at first, these two-handed tools make up for their lack of mobility through their most primary function: when you focus your elemental powers through them, the energy cost is greatly reduced compared to when used through normal tools. Compared to using your elements freehand, you expend merely a fraction of your power. These tools also offer unmatched – so far, that is – elemental control."

"Dude, get out of the way!" Marut screamed, pushing past Andrew and heading for the door. The others in the room followed the air wielder to see what he was going to do.

Once back outside, Marut took out his Gust Boomerangs, attached them to their slots on the Dragon Bladestaff, then held up his combined tool. The others came outside and scattered to get a good view as Marut brought down a swift gust to hit him from behind. With the added lift of his Dragon Bladestaff and Gust Boomerang combo, he swept up off the ground like a feather. His tool sliced through the air around him as he moved through the sky, at which point he activated his Pendant of Flight to add to his control and momentum. With his Alkemei Furaito and Dragon Bladestaff working for him, Marut flew about through the air with the agility of an eagle and the speed and precision of a fighter jet. He dove towards the ground and cut back up, bringing a downdraft just on the displacement of air from his movement alone.

"Wow! I feel like I just got the most awesome Christmas Present ever!" hollered Marut as he looped around and gently hovered down to make a soft landing.

"And we've got special slings for you all to use so they'll stay put across your back when you're not using them," said Alden.

"You don't have to worry about these breaking either," said Toad. "We've done extensive testing on them. They're practically as indestructible as you can imagine. In fact, if you find any materials you want us to use to upgrade the stats of your stuff and beef them up any more, stop by at any time and we'll see what we can do!"

"You just gotta bring enough raw material is all," added Alden. "So if you guys find anything useful on the surface, bring it back with you."

"I don't feel like we can say enough how grateful we are for these Ultima Staffs," said Ramona.

Toad cocked a sly smile. "I'll know how grateful you guys are based off of how much tail you all kick with those staffs."

* * *

Later on that same night, late enough for the city to go dim and turn off most of its lights, Daisy, DK, Ramona, Warra, Marut, Athelstan, Waluigi, and Koops sauntered about on Central Island before coming around to the Courtyard Square. Daisy had pulled Warra aside and led him to the grand water fountain while the others stood around the benches. Barely anyone stalked the streets other than a few Rainbow City guards.

"Warra, you still have my mother's bracelets with you, right?" asked Daisy.

Warra took out the case from his inner jacket pocket and opened it up to reveal the two flower bracelets. "I haven't touched them since you gave them to me."

"Just checking," Daisy replied. "I wanted to make sure. Are we going to start with this Idaho thing tomorrow?"

" _Iaido_ , Daisy," Warra said with a chuckle.

"Whatever!" Daisy said, giving the water wielder a shove as they turned to return to the group.

"You shoulda saw her at the track the other night," DK said, pointing at Daisy. "She was going around corners like some rally car on loose dirt – and she did it on her feet! I wish I could drift while running."

"You kidding? You should see Marut," Daisy said. "He kicks up dust clouds running sharp corners; it's ridiculous."

"Yeah, but he's an air wielder," said DK. "He's supposed to be at least somewhat fast."

"You're strong _and_ fast," Koops said to Daisy. "And tough. And durable."

"Yeah?" Waluigi snapped. "Well I'm strong- _er_ , and fast- _er_ , and tough- _er_ , and durabl- _er_!"

"Oh, you wanna test that out?" asked Daisy.

"Please, not at two in the morning," muttered Warra.

"Yes at two in the morning!" shouted Marut. "We're all out here, we're all wide awake, so we need to hit the streets of Rainbow City! Let's rumble and make some noise! Let's make this night legendary! What happens on Northeastern Island stays on Northeastern Island – am I right, Bro Beans?" He then gave a swift, wicked high-five to Waluigi.

"No, c'mon," Daisy said, giggling. "We've already really stayed out longer than we should've. It's been real fun, but we need to call it a night now so we can get ready for tomorrow."

"And the days to come," added Ramona. "We're going to train for our return to the surface, right?"

"We're all gonna get started tomorrow," said Daisy. "We've got roughly two months. Let's not take any longer than that. Two is already long enough for Marissa's rule to continue, so we need to make the most of our time; training and recovery-wise."


	10. Chapter X

Momentum:

"Here's hoping you're really a quick learner," Warra said to Daisy. "The sooner we can get the basics done, the better."

The next day had started in the late morning at South Island's Elemental Training Grounds with Warra and Daisy standing across from one another. Both of them had their Ultima Staffs put away across their backs in accordance with the fighting techniques Warra planned to demonstrate and pass on. Daisy's laser-like focus told Warra that she was ready.

"With Iaido, you'll stick to hand-to-hand as your default combat method, saving your elemental tool for use with select attacks," Warra said. "This will work with you to your advantage, because you'll get to stick to your strengths while also incorporating the effectiveness of your elemental tool."

Warra crouched into stance and put up his hands. He gave a couple quick palm strikes, followed by a spin kick; and then, in one swift motion, he grabbed the staff shaft of his Tidal Swordstaff and pulled it out for a spinning upward slash. His lone attack with the staff flowed back into a replacement of the tool back into its holster, leaving his hands empty once more. He did not have the staff in his grasp for more than three seconds.

For another demonstration, Warra took three lateral leaps to his right, then another hop forward. As he set his feet down, he pulled out his swordstaff again, letting elemental energy flow through to its blade to create a sweep of water that flew out as he made a horizontal slash. With a quick twirl of the staff to reset its position in his hands, he again put the tool back in its place and left his hands free.

Warra marched back close to Daisy. "Whether it be as part of a chain of attacks, or just as an attack on its own, you only have to have the tool in your hands long enough to execute the maneuvers you want to do; after which, you put it away and go back to hand-to-hand combat. Any Iaido attack you have starts and ends with your staff in its holster across your back. That means you have to be quick on the draw, but you'll likely catch your opponents off guard with the sudden change. This is actually an advanced style for those experienced with melee weapon play, but you're the exception. Every attack or technique of yours involving your bladestaff will be of an Iaido nature, so your hand-to-hand moves will always be accessible."

"Alright, that sounds pretty awesome!" Daisy exclaimed. "It's a draw, a quick strike, and a sheathe."

Warra nodded. "All at the same time."

"All at the same time," Daisy repeated. "One flowing into the next."

"One flowing into the next," Warra replied. "Try going slow this first time with a basic horizontal slash."

Daisy turned and stepped away, then crouched into position. She waited for a few seconds, then grabbed her Terra Bladestaff to pull out and strike through the air with a horizontal slash. The nature of slashing with the staff felt awkward, especially since she had to be careful about slashing herself with the blade end nearest to her due to the bladestaff's double-sided build. After a somewhat jerky swing, she spun the blade back around to replace it in its original position.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Not great, but okay," said Warra. "If I were Toad, though, I would've made your elemental tool a swordstaff instead of a bladestaff. It's trickier using a double-bladed implement as opposed to a single-bladed one, even though the two blades are smaller. Watch what I do."

Warra set his swordstaff down and walked over to Daisy to take her bladestaff. He set up in a position where Daisy could easily see his grip on the tool, and then he proceeded to demonstrate the best way to hold it as he made some slashes through the air.

"Like this," Warra said, demonstrating the swings again. "Remember where I am gripping in relation to both blades, and also remember how my elbows and shoulders are bending in relation to the where the blades are too."

Daisy paid close attention to Warra's positioning as he showed each swipe with a pause before and after to check for form. Before she knew it, Warra handed the bladestaff back to Daisy for her to try. Keeping in mind Warra's cues, her slashes with her bladestaff looked smoother and swifter than before.

"That's right," said Warra. "Great use of the shoulders there! Now that looks a lot better. That's exactly how you should strike when pulling the staff out from its holster."

Daisy blushed and grinned as she kept making slashes. _Yeah, that's right!_ _Uh-huh! I'm 'bouta dice 'em up down there on the surface! I'm dangerous! With an a-r-u-s-s! Dane-garuss Daisy! Slashin' Sarasa! Ooh! Watch out for the Mass-Slashin' Sarasa!_

 _She really is picking this up quick..._ Warra thought.

Unfortunately, Daisy got a little too comfortable and lost focus on the blade path. She ended up putting a cut in her left upper arm with the blade closest to her. Though shallow, it still bled quick. Warra pulled out a bandage wrap from his belt and went over to patch Daisy's arm up.

"You gotta be careful!" Warra snapped. "Being loose is good, but if you're too loose, you won't have control of the staff! Not to mention, the blades of a new tool are always at their sharpest! "

"As long as I don't mess up my mug, I'm good!" replied Daisy. "But...thanks."

Warra sighed and shook his head as he finished tying the knot on the bandage. "Just be more careful, okay? I know it seems like I always say that, but seriously, I mean it."

"And how about elemental attacks?" Daisy asked, re-sheathing her staff. "You know, like that water slash you did?"

Warra stepped back and pulled out his Tidal Swordstaff, holding it skyward as it glowed blue. "In the same way you channel elemental power through those wrist and ankle weights of yours, channel that energy through to your bladestaff."

Daisy took her Terra Bladestaff in hand and tried forcing her elemental power through to it. Several moments passed before anything happened, but what did transpire was not at all what she intended to have happen. Instead of her tool glowing, it shot out of her hands several yards in front of her.

"Don't push and jam it in there!" said Warra. "Just let it flow. You don't have to force anything out until the elemental power has flowed into your tool. Your power flows through your body, so let it flow through to the staff. Use the staff as an extension of your body. Then, when the energy flows through both your body and your staff, you force out the power."

* * *

"Get down from there, ya flying stick!" Wario screamed.

On the other side of the Elemental Training grounds, Wario, DK, Athelstan, Neva, and Koops watched as Marut twirled around his Dragon Bladestaff like a helicopter propeller to hover in the air.

Bowser sat in deep meditation, with Ramona and Andrew sitting back-to-back, following his lead nearby. Though Bowser never mentioned the reasoning for his sudden use of frequent meditation, Ramona and Andrew both wanted to show their support for him and his apparent new habit.

Marut descended to set his feet down on the ground as he brought his propeller motion to a stop. "What – so you don't think there would be any situation where this would be useful?"

"No," Neva flatly said. "If you're gonna use the staff to fly, just hook your boomerangs up to it like you did before and activate your Alkemei. Why are you gonna try and be an attack copter?"

"I don't know! Options!" hollered Marut, throwing his hands up.

Suddenly, a rumble rocked through the Elemental Training Grounds in tandem with a hard, deep cracking sound. Everyone looked over to where Daisy and Warra had been working and saw the Kruna Yura of Earth knelt down with one end of her bladestaff jammed into the ground. From her staff, a lane of ripped-up earth had formed a little more than ten yards ahead of her. Daisy backflipped a great distance behind the strike point and charged energy through the staff once more. Her tool now glowing silver, she released a seismic rumble in front of her as she made the diagonal slash. And just as quickly as she dealt out the swipe, she returned the staff to its place across her back.

Andrew momentarily cracked open an eye and took a glance over at Daisy's handiwork. _Fast learner,_ he thought.

"Wow!" exclaimed Athelstan. "She's gonna be ready to dice 'em up down there on the surface real soon!"

"She is dan-ge-rous!" Marut cheered. "With an a-r-u-s-s! Dane-garuss Daisy! Slashin' Sarasa! Ooh! Watch out for the Mass-Slashin' Sarasa! That's what Marissa and her goons'll be saying!"

* * *

From that point on, the Kruna Yura's training for their return to the hostile surface of the Earth took off. And they never looked back.

From honing and perfecting basic and intermediate skills, to improving their physicality and conditioning, to escalating their elemental capabilities, the Kruna made every day count towards something; even if that meant just taking a day off here and there to facilitate the recovery needed to continue progressing. Tests of strength, bursts of power, speed runs, agility drills, ranged challenges, and endurance trials – all stressing aerial, defensive, and elemental skills and fluency – filled their days, increasing in intensity, complexity, and difficulty as time went on.

The weeks flew by on the heavenly island citadel of Rainbow City, the skies around it rocked by the increasing intensity of the Kruna Yura's training. They trained each day driven to put an end to the Nirvana Barrier and Marissa's reign on the planet below. The blood, sweat, tears, and pain made the eight Kruna faster, stronger, tougher, nimbler, swifter, steadier, and far more powerful than they had ever been. With their good friends of the Rainbow City Guard – Wario, Waluigi, Toadette, Koops, and DK – and the five Black Mages helping out here and there, the Kruna broke through barriers in their powers never thought imaginable before.

Four weeks in, Rosalina praised the eight Kruna Yura for their work ethic and progression. The Kruna saw getting some focused, unhurried time for dedicated training as a godsend, for their time with Geno had been too short to really expand on their capabilities. Now, they had the opportunity to enhance their powers and ascend to new plateaus; something that Polari continued to be skeptical of. It seemed as if every opportunity the elder Luma got, he told Rosalina of any and every reason why the Kruna Yura would not be able to stand against the dangers of the surface world. But each time, Rosalina either laughed, gave a subtle retort, or just ignored him. Polari's at times harsh criticisms only gave Daisy, Neva, and Andrew added incentive to bolster their elemental might. Yet despite the team's overall steady development, Polari refused still to acknowledge them as worthy allies and continued to expect no better than disappointing results.

"It doesn't make any sense!" Andrew growled, hurling a ranged shadow bolt at Daisy as the two dueled one night at the training grounds. "That damned Luma keeps wishing for super idealized versions of us!"

Daisy held out her hands to catch the shadow energy and snap it up into the air, equally as agitated as her dark counterpart. "I know! What's his deal?! It's like he's mad at us for failing in the first place and is urging Rosalina to find new Kruna!" Daisy then stomped a foot in the ground to knock free a mass of earth. She rushed at the earth and jammed her shoulder in it to send it in the Kruna of Shadow's direction.

Andrew pulled back a fist and charged concentrated dark energy around it as he brought it forward to rip through the incoming mass. "We can show him we're just as good as any other Kruna that came before us, right?"

"Of course we can!" Daisy shouted. In unison, they both prepared and charged their most powerful ranged attacks; Daisy's Seismic Wave and Andrew's Gemivado. As they unleashed the techniques upon one another, the sounds of their powers echoed through the quiet night and thundered at the moment of their clash. The two siphoned their energies into their continuous attacks, both on equal ground with one another fighting for supremacy of the field.

"HEY!" Neva called out from the entrance to the training grounds, standing beside Warra. "It's getting late! Not that I care about what you guys do, but cut that crap out and get to bed already! Big training day tomorrow!"

Daisy and Andrew both ceased their attacks and lowered their energy levels. The rumble and humming from the disturbances of their conflicting continuous blasts went away almost as quick. Though Daisy and Andrew calmed their powers, they failed to calm themselves.

"We were _just_ in the middle of something!" Daisy yelled.

"We didn't need you to come all the way out here just to yell at us!" Andrew screamed.

"Apparently YA DID!" Neva snapped back. "Otherwise, Warra wouldn't've dragged me out here to come get you guys!"

"We can take care of ourselves, Warra!" Daisy barked.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Warra cried, waving his hands. "Don't drag me into this! All I did was ask where you two were! I swear!"

Daisy smirked. "Well as you can see, we were working! It's great to stay as adept at night as in the day, especially since the world under the Nirvana Barrier is pretty much always dark. So why wouldn't a little extra time at night go a long way?"

"Better than slacking off at the Milk Bar!" Andrew added.

"You think I'm slacking, Shady?!" Neva screamed, clutching her Blizzard Bladestaff. "I need my milk! It gives me the energy to do cool stuff like this-"

"Please don't," said Warra, putting up an arm in front of the fiery Kruna of Ice.

"No, please do!" Daisy demanded, sticking her arms out and puffing up her chest. "Take a free shot from right there!"

"All three of you are a bunch of volatile hotheads," Warra muttered with a sigh. "Past midnight and you're all still wound up..."

* * *

Several more weeks passed, through which every one of the Kruna Yura made great improvements. Daisy's skill with Iaido combat grew thanks to Warra's help, and her offensive capacities skyrocketed. She trained both in her normal state and in Nova Form to further maintain the synchronization between them that had formed through Geno's work and influence. Her growth in her abilities made her even more of the fast, agile, hard-hitting, powerful fighter that she had already been.

Marut's speed shot up and exploded, at times appearing like a green whirlwind of gusting fury. Athelstan's muscular magnitude ramped up to titanic forces, and the potential that came through the Alkemei Odina's ability to double the user's strength made for possibilities beyond what the world had deemed logical – or even sane. Warra's skill and control ascended to that of a tactical genius and a true water master as he demonstrated sage-like control of every puddle and droplet nearby; not to mention the ease he had with summoning or even creating water. Ramona's light energy and scope of power took a great leap, and Andrew's combative aggression stepped-up to magnify all of his offensive capabilities. Neva improved substantially in all areas, though she still remained dominant with fast, agile techniques and ranged attacks to take advantage of her extensive power.

Bowser managed to regain a large portion of the ability and might that the Giga Soul within had been hording from him, and he finally looked to be the formidable force he knew he could be. On several occasions, he stunned the others with his fast pace of improvements all-around. In fact, increasing his reviving powers with his training meant that he was experiencing a much greater boost and ascension than the other Kruna. Rosalina and Polari both kept close attention on Bowser, noting his accelerated growth and keeping an eye out for any possible unpleasant disturbances his Giga Soul could cause.

Polari, though still reluctant to accept the eight Kruna Yura as real elemental guardians, spectated the eight of them one night deep into their training at the Astral Stadium with surprise. Rosalina stood beside him, watching the upscale in intensity and ferocity the eight displayed compared to their battle against Marissa in the Sarasaland Castle Town.

"Only now are they starting to look like legitimate Kruna, Grand Elder," Polari said. "Still, not necessarily impressive by the standards set by those that came before them; but I will admit, their determination and will power has got to be unmatched to have progressed this far from where they were."

"You still doubt they'll be effective down on the surface, hmm?" Rosalina replied. "Give them some more time. Then we'll see how apprehensive you really should be."

"I came just in time!" Lubba said as he floated to Rosalina's side. Bowser had hunched over and erected a swirling torrent of golden-crimson flames reaching high over the stadium floor. Marut stood across from him, ready to react to the prepared move. All the other Kruna stopped and watched Bowser's magnificent display. And as the Kruna of Fire unleashed one of the most powerful Tavado blasts the others had ever seen from any fire wielder, Marut formed a rotational orb of air in his hands that spun with fierce revolution speed. Bowser's seven flaming torpedoes arced and angled at Marut as the Kruna of Air slammed his orb down into the ground and spun around to flare up his defensive Dome Rotation technique. Interestingly enough, the torpedoes bounced off of the rotational shield and went on a new course; each one heading in the direction of another Kruna and prompting a unique response from every wielder to either dodge, block, or deflect away.

The final stray Tavado torpedo went for Polari and nearly knocked him out of the stadium in a vicious fireball; and it would have done so had Rosalina not stepped in to defend him. With a mere flick of her left arm, she swatted the flames up into the sky, sending the Tavado torpedo rocketing away at a speed nearly twice as fast as the pace it flew at Polari. Its brightness and increasing height in the atmosphere brought brilliant illumination through the Rainbow City night sky until it faded and dissipated.

"Talk about cross _fire_ , am I right?" said Lubba.

"Watch where you're slinging those! Hey!" Polari screamed at the Kruna.

"I take it you're still not impressed yet," said Rosalina. "If I had not stepped in when I did, you would have had some serious burns to deal with."

"I doubt they would have been that severe, coming from them," Polari grumbled.

At that instant, Rosalina stared Polari dead in the eyes and held up her blocking arm. On the unarmored portion of her forearm, her skin had darkened to a charcoal, ashy shade. Smoke and steam flowed from the impact point of the blast. Though only a moderate burn, the sight alarmed Polari.

"Grand Elder," Polari mumbled, stuttering. "No one has been able to burn you like that since..."

"Marissa," Rosalina finished. "And though her fires are still far worse, keep in mind that this damage on my arm just now came from a deflected hit and not a direct one." She put her scorched arm down, taking care not to straighten it all the way. "If I didn't have my defenses up, that would've done a lot more than just some nuisance scorch."

"This is the reminder I needed to know not to mess with you!" Lubba said to Rosalina. "Or any of _them_ , for that matter!"

Rosalina chuckled a little. "Polari, I'll admit – when they first started out, they _were_ weak by Kruna standards. But something happens when these eight train. They respond exceptionally quick; it's unlike anything I've ever seen. They can make a week of training seem like four. And with their work ethic, it makes for a truly remarkable effect."

"Is that why you let that ice wielder stay?" asked Lubba.

"Not the only reason, but it is one," Rosalina replied with a shrug.

Polari stared at each of the Kruna Yura in turn. All of them stood on the arena floor, ready to continue their training. It was only then that Polari had some revelation as to why Rosalina had such high confidence in them.

* * *

"It's been thirteen weeks now and still no word on when we're going to go down to the surface," Warra said to Bowser as the two watched Daisy and Marut's battle at the Elemental Training Grounds. "We're already into the new year. The only reason they would've delayed our descent is if we're not showing that we're powerful enough to handle the world below. I'm not sure if that bodes well for us..."

Daisy's proficiency in Iaido went on full display as she rolled away from Marut's Gust Boomerangs and whipped out her Terra Bladestaff to shake the ground under the Kruna of Air's feet, knocking him off balance. Replacing her tool across her back, she dashed at him and unleashed a Crystal Kick. Marut's quick reflexes and agility were the only things that got him out of the way of the speedy attack.

"I don't know about you, but I feel ready to take on two Marissas at once!" said Bowser. "I'm surprised they gave us this extra time to work with!"

"What kind of meditation is it that you've been doing?" asked Warra, raising an eyebrow.

"...Nothing special, really," a suddenly quieted Kruna of Fire replied. He added nothing else and just watched Daisy and Marut enter a furious exchange and blocking of rapid fists and kicks.

 _Huh..._ Warra thought. _He's done the least training out of all of us, and yet it seems as if he has made just as much progress – if not more._

"You know, brother, you don't have to be secretive about anything with us," said Warra.

"Brother?" repeated Bowser.

"Yes; what you and Marut and Athelstan say," replied Warra. "I also understand Mario and Luigi used that term a lot, although probably in a more literal sense. I'm personally not too keen on slang language."

"I get ya, bro," Bowser said, chuckling. "And thanks."

Following a reverberating connection between Daisy's outstretched arm and Marut's raised leg, the two ceased their sparring and leapt back and away from each other to catch their breath. They smiled at each other, keeping their intense stares locked on one another.

"Alright, you two," said Warra. "I'd hate to break up your fun, but it's time to call it for the evening."

"Cool! Rad moves, Daisy!" Marut said as they came together to dap.

"Right back at ya, bruh-man!" said Daisy.

"I'm gonna duck out to the Rainbow Suite real quick – I'm starving!" said Marut, running for the entrance of the training grounds.

"I'll race ya there!" replied Daisy, tailing him.

"Look who's in a hurry!" said Bowser. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think the food's running away from you guys!"

"If it is, I don't know if that's something we should be eating!" Marut shouted back.

"The food's got valid reason for running from you two!" Bowser hollered. "And don't go messing around at that Wario Ware Inc. place for too long because I know that's where you're going when you finish!"

"Not me!" yelled Daisy. "The gym's the only play-station I need!"

"Well, one thing's apparent," Warra said to Bowser. "We've definitely got some momentum going for us whenever it's our time to go under the cloud barrier."

"We should probably follow them before they eat out the diner," Bowser said. "...Again..."

* * *

The sunset in the golden sky cast a brilliant sheen throughout Rainbow City as Neva and Andrew walked from Astral Stadium to Central Island. The two had spent the afternoon training session for the day with Athelstan until he had left early to go see Toad and Alden, leaving the ice and shadow wielders by themselves.

"You definitely showed up today, for real!" Andrew said. "You had me on the run quite a few times. I'm fairly impressed."

"Thanks," Neva said, blushing. "I mean, I wasn't trying to impress you or anything – it's just that it'll be real satisfying to show Polari what happens when he underestimates us!"

"Oh yeah, that's for sure," the Kruna of Shadow replied. "He's been getting under my skin ever since we got here. It'll be nice if he'll shut up for once and accept us for who we are..."

"Definitely," said Neva. She turned her head up and away as she asked him a question. "So, uh, what's the deal with you and Ramona? Like, what are you two? Just curious, is all."

"That's my best friend," said Andrew. "We knew each other since elementary school."

Neva looked at him, waiting for him to say more, but he didn't. "So, that's it? Nothing else?"

"Well, I mean, we're just really close. I don't know – when you have someone special in your life, you just know what they mean to you and you can't really explain it, nor do you need to."

"What does _that_ mean?!"

"She's just a really important person in my life is all," the Kruna of Shadow said. Somewhat annoyed, he added, "Why are you looking into this so much? _I_ don't even look into it that much!"

"I'm just curious! Inquiring, feminine eighteen-year-old minds want to know why you guys always seem kinda...I guess, well...um... Oh! Bowser and Ramona seem to be spending a lot of extra time together!"

"Your point?"

"Well, doesn't that make you uncomfortable?"

"Uh, in what way?"

"Come on, man!" Neva snapped. "Why are you so oblivious?! I wanna know if you're jealous that she's hanging out a lot with some other guy!"

Andrew laughed. "First of all, he's like a giant dragon-dinosaur-turtle, so there ain't nothing going on there right off the bat. Not to mention that they're spending most of that time meditating. Bowser still hasn't told us why he's been doing so much of that lately, but it certainly seems to be making him quite a lot more powerful! Remember that huge burst of fire he made the other day?"

Neva blinked rapidly with a dumbfounded look on her face. "Okay, new question – say Ramona meets some guy tomorrow and they like each other. Would that bother you?"

"I don't know – I haven't thought about it, really."

"Wait, so you mean you never saw her as being more than just a friend?"

"Hmm...well...I guess not. Maybe. I don't know.

"You don't know?! How do you not know when you two are so close?!"

"We just never really talked about anything like that. I tend to avoid that kind of stuff anyways."

Neva made a sly smile. "Alright, another question; let's just say you meet some really super hot girl tomorrow who's totally into you and starts flirting with you. What would you do? You wouldn't just avoid her, would you?"

Andrew blushed. "Uh, I don't know... I'm not really into that kind of a person-"

"What's your type then?!" Neva said in record time. "Do you even have a type? Have you even met your type? Do you even know what your type is?" She gasped. "You met her already! It's Daisy, isn't it?! You have _got_ to be kidding me-"

"What?! No way!" replied Andrew, shocked. "Where did that come from? She's the last person I'd be thinking about in that manner! You've been at that Milk Bar too much!"

"Uh – I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking! I'm sorry!"

"Ah, you're fine! Don't get me wrong though, she's an awesome person, and she's the core of our group. She's the main reason we all made it here to begin with. And as far as I know, the only thing she's attracted to is elemental wielding! Well, that and sports...and food."

"Heh, right, eh-heh," Neva replied. She smiled and rubbed her head, though the pale skin of her face turned red.

"You know what; you've been acting awfully weird lately," said Andrew. "Are you sure you're able enough to come to the gym tonight?"

"I'm not acting weird!" Neva yelled. "I'm just making conversation with you! Sheesh! I ask you what your type is and you can't even give a response to that! It's not my fault you can't answer simple questions!" She turned her head away and gritted her teeth.

Andrew made a similar expression as he stared at her. _And I thought_ I _was temperamental._

* * *

Ramona sat alone at a table in the Rainbow City Library and Archives on Western Island. Though she had a book opened in front of her, she had long since stopped reading. Too lost in thought, she lost track of the words every time she tried to start reading again.

 _What's taking so long?_ Ramona wondered. _We should've been down on Earth by now. It's not that I want to fight. It's just...we've been stuck in this time for so long. I just want us to get things settled here and fixed and then go back to our own time. This is such a lonely world. I miss our world. Rainbow City's great for what it is, but, I feel like being in this time is a just a big, huge trap._

The light from the windows had all but disappeared as the sun ceased shining, prompting the library lights to turn on. A couple koopas and some Nokis were meandering about in the halls, but other than that, the area had a quaint stillness about it.

 _I wish we didn't have to do any fighting,_ said Ramona. _Why does there have to be so much fighting? Is that all history is? It seems like with each book I pick up, I find more historical documents and accounts of battles and wars. It's like life's purpose and existence only thrives through violence. All it's been for months now since becoming a Kruna is fighting and training. Are we really heroes in all this? If we weren't around, would there be more fighting or less fighting?..._

The Kruna of Light reached into the inside of her pants pocket and pulled her wallet out to look at a picture of her and Andrew as kids. They both looked happy and cheery throwing shells at item blocks outside on a cloudy day. Sullen, she stared at the photo in silence, her chunky hair shadowing parts of her face.

At that moment, all Ramona could do was dwell on a single thought. _Things were so much simpler back then..._

Just as Ramona closed her book and got up to leave, she sensed Rosalina's presence coming from behind her. She turned around to see the Elder of the Cosmos walking towards her with a locked case in her hands.

"Grand Elder..." Ramona murmured.

"It's time, Ramona," said Rosalina.

* * *

Athelstan barged through the doors of the Wario Ware Inc. HQ, "Guess who's back to rock the night tonight! There's a song in there somewhere – rock the night tonight!"

"Aw yeah! I hear it!" Marut hollered, running up to slap fives with the stone wielder. "Just got here myself a few minutes ago, bro!"

"Ah, there's my favorite gamers!" Wario said, walking over to the two Kruna from the rows and rows of widescreens set up. "You guys ready to make some noise?"

"You bet!" replied Marut. "What do we got on tap tonight?"

"New game!" Wario exclaimed, gesturing to the screen and gold gamepad in the back corner. "You fly around in a fast 2.5D rail-type game, and you go through as many consecutive rings as you can to try and boost your score!"

"OOOOOOH! Give me first crack!" Marut screamed.

"Hold on, you get to fly all the time in real life!" noted Athelstan. "I say I go first!"

"How about Rock-Paper-Scissors?" said Wario.

Athelstan and Marut nodded at each other. They both shook their right hands as they shouted in unison to make their throws. "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS – SHOOT!... I WIN!"

Wario looked at the two in confusion just as Athelstan and Marut stood staring at each other with equal befuddlement. Athelstan had shown "paper" with his hand. Marut had thrown out a "rock."

"Dude, what do you mean _you_ win?" Athelstan said. "Paper covers rock – that means I win!"

"Uh, no, bro," said Marut. "You clearly lost. Rock crushes paper."

"No it doesn't!"

"Uh, yes it does. If you didn't want to lose, you shouldn't've thrown down paper."

"What? It's called 'Rock, Paper, Scissors,' Marut! You throw down either one of the three!"

"And that's stupid when you think about it. Really, rock is OP. Rock crushes scissors _and_ paper. I don't know why anyone would chose anything other than rock."

"I say you two just pick someone and go!" said Wario. "You'll only have a chance at having the high score for a little while before _The Chimp_ swoops in later on and steals it from yas."

"...I don't like that chimp..." Marut mumbled.

"Should've known I'd find you two here!" Bowser said as he entered the building. "C'mon! Lubba told me that Rosalina's got an important announcement for us!"

"Aw, right now?!" Marut said, groaning. "Can't you just tell us what it is later?"

"She wants us all there," said Bowser. He added nothing else, only showing a stern face. Judging by the seriousness that developed in Athelstan, Marut, and Wario, Bowser did not need to say anything more.


	11. Chapter XI

No Worries Here:

The eight Kruna Yura, DK, Wario, Toadette, Toadsworth, Waluigi, and Koops all gathered at the water fountain of Central Island's Courtyard Square. It was still early in the night, as evidenced by the fair amount of public activity throughout the neighborhood. They had not been waiting for long when Lubba and Polari flew over to them.

"Great, you're all here," said Lubba. "Rosalina should be joining us any moment now..."

"I was just about to tell these guys about my idea," Marut said. "When I get a house, I'm gonna get a door frame, and I'ma just randomly place it somewhere in the living room. Perpendicular to the wall, of course, but standing alone."

"That's a terrible idea, first of all," said Bowser. "And second, why?"

"Eh-why not?" replied Marut. "Can't I be innovative? Can't I be different? Who's to say that I can't use a door frame for purposes other than holding a door?"

"Okay, yeah," muttered Bowser. "But what purpose would it serve-"

"It would be awesome!" said Marut. "Wouldn't that look sick to just walk in and see a conspicuous door frame? Maybe I can put it over a chair."

Andrew shrugged. "I like that idea."

"But that just makes no sense!" said Bowser. "Why just have a door frame standing around?"

"Because reasons, that's why!" said Marut. "And if I want to have a door frame randomly placed and taking up space in my living room unattached to anything, then I'm gonna have a door frame randomly placed and taking up space in my living room unattached to anything!"

The five Black Mages marched into view from the northwest and joined the group. The former Sweeps had been seen sporadically throughout Rainbow City every now and then, sometimes even partaking in some of the Kruna's training. Though, they had mostly kept busy with Rosalina and those at the Comet Observatory.

"Nice to see all of you here," said Naraka, the Black Mage in black and silver. "And you are all a great deal more powerful than you were when you first arrived."

"Makes us glad we're no longer fighting against you," added Tamara, the green and silver-clothed Black Mage.

"Well this is quite the rendezvous, am I right?" said Lubba. "You'd'a thought we were getting an army put together or something!"

At that instant, Rosalina appeared in front of the group by the water fountain. She still had the case in her hands that she had earlier when she spoke with Ramona. The cosmic being's expression seemed particularly serious.

"Up 'til now, you Kruna have been training hard for your fated return to the dungeon of suffering below," said Rosalina. "And the rest of you have done well in helping the Kruna in their efforts. Though to be brutally honest, you all have been training longer than we would have liked."

"The idea was for you all to have gone under the Nirvana Barrier nearly five weeks ago," said Naraka. "We must be upfront; we Black Mages have not come up with any clues as to the whereabouts of the Gate of Time that can take you Kruna back to your original world."

"Not only that, but Toad and Alden had hit some roadblocks in terms of getting equipment ready for you," said Rosalina.

"And the origins of the Crystal Tears and their true functions still elude us," added Solovar, the Black Mage in white and black.

"Things have been delayed, though we thought best that you just focus on your training," said Rosalina. "And it seems as though you all have benefited from the extra training time, so this is not all that much of a setback. Nonetheless, we apologize greatly for keeping you all in the dark on this matter."

"That's okay, Grand Elder," said Daisy. "But what does this mean for us and our campaign?"

"Well, Toad and Alden will need another five or six days to finish with Project: Liberation," said Lubba. "That's the secret code name for their secret work!"

"Except the code name's not a secret!" said Polari. "Why can't you get that right?"

"Maki and I will assist Toad and Alden to make sure the project gets completed on time," said Machula, the Black Mage in gold and black.

"We're pretty good technicians and engineers ourselves!" said Maki, the white and silver-clothed Black Mage.

"You Kruna have made excellent progress in your training," said Rosalina. "More progress than we expected, even though you had more time to work with than originally thought. So I recommend you take these next handful of days to relax and rejuvenate; for once Toad and Alden finish, you'll then be able to make your descent to the surface and search for the Crystal Tears."

"Wow, really?!" Daisy asked. "Alright! That's awesome!"

Rosalina's announcement drew applause from the group, as well as cheers from some of the townspeople walking by that overheard their conversation. Some of the passersby even came over to join in on the meeting and showed an equal amount of enthusiasm. One of the Hammer Bros that came by even shed a tear, prompting his friend to snicker at him before hugging him anyways.

 _Finally, we can liberate the world from Marissa's reign!_ Daisy thought with a smile.

 _All this hard work is about to pay off, big time!_ Athelstan thought.

 _Soon, we'll see if your faith in these misfits was truly warranted, Grand Elder,_ thought Polari.

"Everyone, hold your applause!" yelled Warra. "Do we even have any idea as to where to find the Crystal Tears?"

"We don't," said Rosalina, holding up the case in her hands. "But thanks to the Black Mages, we have something that will lead us to them."

"We traveled through dimensions to find it," said Naraka. "What was once thought to be long-lost, we found!"

"Ramona," Rosalina said. "Step forth, dear Kruna Yura of Light."

Surprised, Ramona stepped out from the group and came to within an arms length of Rosalina. At the behest of the Grand Elder, she knelt down in front of her and bowed her head. Rosalina waved her hand to undo the lock on the case and pulled out what appeared to be an ancient Alkemei Pendant of Power.

"Act as the beacon of light to your fellow teammates, Kruna Ramona," said Rosalina, bending over to clip the pendant to Ramona's neck.

Ramona's face flushed as the gem of the Alkemei flared and turned gold. _Wow, she's giving this to me,_ she thought. _And...to act as a beacon?_

"Stand now, Ramona," Rosalina said, helping her up. "You now have in your possession the Alkemei Motomeru – Pendant of Detection. It is an automatic Alkemei that draws on very little power."

"Originally, this pendant's ability allowed the user to detect other nearby, _unclaimed_ Alkemei," said Tamara. "But it's detection abilities can be tuned to anything with the help of a little magic! I bet you know what that means!"

Daisy trotted up to Ramona and put an arm around her. "It means you're gonna lead us to those Crystal Tears, buddy!"

"Oh, this is such an honor!" Ramona replied, grinning. "Thank you all for putting your trust in me!"

"At this point, it is likely that most of the Crystal Tears are in the grasp of Marissa's archfiends," said Rosalina. "Your objective will be to find and seize them. Sixty-four Crystal Tears, the Oracle of Fates had shed."

"We have yet to discover what Marissa wants with them," said Polari. "But we believe that she either hopes to extract power from them, or she hopes that collecting all of them will draw the Oracle of Fates out so that she may exterminate him!"

"Or she knows of the purpose of the Crystal Tears and is therefore trying to keep them secure," said Rosalina. "That may be why she has them in the possession of her archfiends rather than collected and under her immediate control."

"Or, all three," said Daisy. "And she's just waiting until her fiends find all sixty-four of them so that she can gather them together all at once and avoid giving up her location in case someone's tracking the Crystal Tears."

"Someone like Kokoro," added Bowser. "He's looking for the Crystal Tears too, and since he's got the Master Pendant, Marissa would probably want to avoid direct confrontation with him; for the time being at least."

"Do not underestimate her knowledge, however eccentric she is," said Rosalina. "She has had centuries of life to grow evermore cunning and treacherous. It is what earned her the alias 'Marissa the Hunter' early in her turn down the path of the wicked. And her insanity has only made her that much worse."

"Rosalina, I asked this earlier, when we were at the library," said Ramona. "But you didn't give me an answer, so I'll ask again; if you had fought Marissa before, how could you have not beaten her? Your power is magnificent! We all can sense it!"

"And Marissa's is beyond absurd at this point," Rosalina replied. "You can not take her lightly. She will cut down anyone who stands against her, no holds barred – unless she is in a sadistic, torturous mood." Her expression darkened as she continued. "Listen well, Kruna Yura; whatever you do, whatever happens, if any of you come face to face with Marissa, do _not_ face her alone. You will have no chance against her one-on-one. She is a completely different animal from the Marissa you faced eight years ago. That's a large part of why I lost to her, but I at least got away in time before she could turn our battle lethal. She has gotten much worse since then. Do keep that in mind, and we will take our campaign against Marissa on a case-by-case basis. You're all dismissed."

"But how did that battle go down between you and her?" asked Athelstan. "You never told us exactly what happened."

"Will you ever tell us what happened?" asked Warra.

"Maybe," said Rosalina, turning to walk away. "Someday...maybe. Bowser, Black Mages; follow me."

As the others talked among themselves and disbanded, Bowser and the Black Mages trailed Rosalina until they were a good distance away from anyone who could hear. The mighty koopa already had an idea as to why Rosalina called them out from the rest.

"How go the meditations, comrade?" asked Solovar.

"They're going wonderfully," said Bowser. "But are you sure I can starve the Giga Soul and eradicate it from my being just through these meditations?"

"Hopefully, that's all you'll have to do," said Naraka. "Otherwise, it looks like we'll have to delve in the books to find a forbidden spell: Soul Extraction Ritual."

"Be cautious with your descent to the surface, Bowser," said Rosalina. "Remember; your meditations are that much more important now that you'll be under the Nirvana Barrier once more. Don't be afraid to cut away from the group and recuperate if you feel yourself losing touch on your consciousness."

* * *

"Finally, some action on the horizon!" Daisy cheered as her, Warra, DK, Waluigi, and Koops marched in the direction of the Rainbow City Gym. "I've been so tired of being cooped-up on this sky world! My fists thirst for justice and hunger for adventure!"

"Keep in mind, Daisy, we're not going after Marissa just yet," said Warra. "We're focusing on the Crystal Tears when we get down there. And seriously, after we finish in the gym tonight, let's give our bodies some rest in the coming days so we're fresh when it's time to go."

"Yes, mother – GOSH!" Daisy snapped, laughing. Waluigi and Koops both snickered some as well.

Warra grimaced and muttered in his mind, _Overconfident, sassy little..._ With a sigh, he decided not to finish that thought.

* * *

"It's sooo beautiful!" Toadette remarked, staring into Ramona's pendant. They, Andrew, and Neva sat on the broad stone rings of the Courtyard Square's water fountain. Wario, Athelstan, and Marut had just left to return to the Wario Ware Inc. HQ.

"That leaves Daisy, Warra, and me without an Alkemei," said Andrew, gazing up into the night sky. "You think we're all supposed to have one?"

"Well, we might come across some down there," replied Ramona. "Tamara had said that it can detect unclaimed Alkemei, so that must mean pendants that have no wearer, because it didn't do anything when I put it on, and Bowser, Athelstan, Marut, and Neva all have Alkemei."

Neva perked up when Ramona mentioned her name, but she said nothing. She just stared into the vibrating water in the fountain.

"So you're saying that that jewelry grants you special powers?" said Toadette. "That's amazing! You guys have the coolest jobs!"

"Huh? You think so?" asked Ramona, a little stunned. "I mean, I guess it was pretty cool at first; but it has proven to be fairly violent and tiring..."

"But you're fighting for a good cause!" replied Toadette. "In my time here as a guard for Rainbow City, I gotta say that it's exhilarating to defend this citadel against rogue sky beasts. And this armor feels neat too! I'm not too keen on the fighting itself, but protecting people is fun and rewarding; and it really says something about you that Rosalina appointed you guys as Kruna, wouldn't you think?"

Ramona looked down into her lap as Toadette kept talking. "Mario and Luigi always talked about how grand their adventures were. I know that if I had some elemental skill, I'd love to be a Kruna. It would be such a privilege to go around fighting against the world's evils!"

* * *

Four days later on a cloudy morning, Daisy awoke in her Rainbow Suite room. She had been tossing and turning for a while; that much she discerned from the messy, bunched up sheets and ruffled pillows around her. It had been a relatively peaceful stretch of days until her disturbing dream. A little flustered, she got up, cleaned herself up a bit, put on a fresh set of her elemental garb and gear, and left the room.

Down in the dining hall, Daisy found DK and Athelstan at a table and took a seat with them. They both looked like they had just been locked in combat, making Daisy wonder how much she had slept in. _I don't really pay attention to the clock, do I..._ she thought to herself, remembering that she hadn't checked the time since she woke up.

"Look who finally decided to roll out of bed!" Athelstan bellowed. "You missed it!"

"Missed what?" asked Daisy.

"Silver Sky Lobster," said DK. "Those things are fierce. Athelstan, Warra, and I just drove one away. Waluigi and Koops had to fend one off early yesterday too. I wonder if the one this morning is the same as the one from yesterday."

"If it is, it's definitely not smart wanting to come back here," Daisy replied with a smile.

"Oh, you gotta hear this," said Athelstan. "I was over by Toad and Alden's last night with Machula and Maki, and they're saying that they'll be finished with Project: Liberation by late tonight. So that means we'll be ready to head down to Earth tomorrow. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course!" Daisy replied. "The sooner the better! I feel like we all can agree on that! What have they been working on for us?"

"Because of their confidentiality on the matter, I can't say," said Athelstan. "But you'll be surprised, for sure!"

* * *

The demon witch, Marissa Arkana, sat alone; strewn out with her feet up on the right arm of a fiendish throne in the eerily familiar castle she had made her home. She spent most of her days there in the throne room on the castle's third and highest floor. With her archfiends imposing her will over the many areas of the world, she had little reason to emerge from the once proud and noble castle that formerly belonged to Princess Peach. As such, she did not often leave the boundaries of the Arkana Force Field's dark red hum around the Mushroom Kingdom.

Marissa had succeeded in turning Princess Peach's Castle into her own personal haunt and dungeon of wicked sorcery. The third floor had whole sections of wall removed, allowing the corrupted glow of the Nirvana Barrier to shine into the castle's highest level during the day. Not a single soul lurked in the darkened crimson and black halls of the castle, much like the silent streets of Mushroom City. She kept most of her sentries and guards centered around the Arkana Force Field and not too many much further in.

Just as Marissa let her mind drift off into a daydream, King Boo appeared before her from underneath the floor. His eyes were large and surrounded with thick dark circles. Marissa's Mark of the Witch had been emblazoned on his forehead, its sharp bottom extending down between his drained, tormented gaze. For a ghost, King Boo appeared deathly sick.

When King Boo spoke, his voice sounded delusional and empty. "We've succeeded in extracting all the remaining documents, data, and records of the last of the conquered civilizations and societies across the globe. They have been disposed of just as the remnants of the Mushroom Kingdom have long since been swept away. The purge is complete, and the last of the old Earth has been dissolved. The New World Order that you have instilled on the planet is now 100% in effect. _Everything_ from the old world has either been destroyed, renovated, or replaced, no traces left behind. Those who find this world will find nothing of its past and will only know of your dominion over all that resides under our great Nirvana."

Looking somewhat disinterested, Marissa spoke with malicious contempt in her voice as her Malocchio Eye scanned King Boo up and down. "I understand that my generals have all cemented direct control over their assigned territories?"

"Yes, they have, Lord Arkana," King Boo replied, made uneasy by Marissa's tone. "Though they have yet to find all of the Crystal Tears. I urge that I join in the search to try and-"

"They will find them in time," Marissa said, a sudden closed-mouth grin creeping on her face. "There's no rush. The Dark Sentinel had destroyed those Kruna months ago. The only thing we need to keep an eye out for is that demon with the Master Pendant." She narrowed her eyes and giggled. "Do you feel uncomfortable, King Boo?"

King Boo flinched. "Unc- uncomfortable about what?"

Marissa got up from her throne and hovered in front of King Boo. She then began to circle around him, slow and smooth, her feet just inches off the ground. She kept her arms behind her, obscured from King Boo's view as she stared at him with her hazy gaze.

"Oh, I don't know," Marissa said. "Uncomfortable knowing that there's still one small little threat to _my_ rule out there... Maybe you're uncomfortable with your role in _my_ world...I'd say that's likely given your _past slip-ups..._ "

King Boo kept looking back and forth at the three long, thick, slit-like scars on her shoulders and where her navel formerly was. The other two scars of the same nature in the palms of her hands, he winced and trembled upon remembering the purpose of the five total cicatrices. King Boo knew Marissa rarely ever had qualms about doing sudden and extreme things. Little did he know, however, that as she circled around him, she had been making discreet hand signs behind her back.

Marissa flared her fanged teeth. "Or maybe you're uncomfortable knowing that the very thing you tried to take me out with ended up back in the possession of the very being you stole it from...hmm? You didn't seem to like it when I mentioned him, did you? Are you _still_ angry about that? I admit – I still am. But boy, did I laugh when he snatched it right back from you. Trying to oppose me certainly must seem that much more difficult without it, huh?"

"Oh no no no, master!" King Boo hollered. "I've learned my mistake!"

"Did you, now?"

"Of course, master! I remember that day all too well!"

"Good, and don't forget it. Because I haven't."

 _Wha-_ King Boo grunted in thought. Marissa came to a still hover directly in front of him and just stared at him with a menacing grin; a grin trying hard to turn into a frown.

King Boo's eyes stretched even wider than before. On impulse, King Boo raised an arm and fired off a powerful, piercing burst of shadow. But just an instant after the energy left him, Marissa's Malocchio Eye flashed and disbanded the attack.

 _No! She's not even ten feet away from me!_ King Boo screamed in his mind.

Marissa had finished her chain of hand signs and brought her arms forward, aimed at King Boo. With one final hand sign, she imposed her influence on King Boo's form. Paralyzed, the ghostly monarch found himself able to only quiver in terror.

"...Why, master?!" he grunted.

"You turned on me," said Marissa. "It seems fitting that I repay you in an appropriate way, you traitorous wretch."

King Boo felt his consciousness waver and go fuzzy. The world around him blurred and dimmed. He lost all sensation in seconds.

"I shouldn't expect any less from you," said Marissa. "I can not have you around any longer. You've already shown treason against me once."

The demon witch kept her left palm open at King Boo while she clenched her right hand into a tight fist. King Boo's eyes went blank the moment her fist closed. The ghost fell to the ground and slumped into a droopy, white glob.

"You want to look for Crystal Tears?" said Marissa. "To the Monsoon Jungle with you. You will join The Suffering and its souls of the damned, and you will lurk through the infinite rain for eternity in your miserable new existence."

She took off her large, pointy hat and waved her free hand in a swirling motion, directing King Boo's limp and unconscious body into the space inside. Once all of him got in the hat, she waved her hand again and tapped her brim three times. She then turned her hat over right-side up and shook it to make sure nothing fell out of it before replacing it back on her head.

"I'll make this delivery to the soul eater myself," she hissed. "I want to hear you scream as The Suffering assimilates you into its sentience."

Marissa looked down and saw King Boo's crown on the floor. With no hesitation, she crushed the golden metal in one stomp, then snapped her fingers to flick a spark onto the metal pieces. The spark grew into a small, white fire upon contact far hotter than the average flame. Marissa watched as the fire burned and disintegrated the crown into smoldering ashes that gave light to the otherwise dim room.

With a sigh, she murmured to herself, "I'm better off alone here anyways..."

The fire burned out on its own, leaving the ashes on the ground. With a swift swipe of her arm, she scattered the ashes into the air. The immediate, following arm sweep disbanded the disintegrated, burnt up metal into the ether.

Marissa turned and grabbed the double-sided, claw-bladed black staff known as her Dominion Scepter off the holster on her throne. She then hopped on its shaft in the same manner she used to mount her Mystic Broom. With a strong grasp on the scepter, the demon witch flew out one of the vast openings in the castle walls and soared into the sky, heading southeast.

* * *

Daisy entered the doorway to the soccer arena of the Rainbow City Sportsplex. Surprise hit her when she saw Warra with a whole bag of balls spilled out at midfield. The Kruna of Water looked like he was trying to practice some sort of kick that involved twisting his legs, but he couldn't seem to do anything other than either trip or mishit the ball.

"I didn't think I'd walk into you here!" Daisy shouted. She couldn't contain the huge grin on her face.

Warra shrugged. "I got curious about that kicking trick you were doing the other day. You know, the one where you like, switch your feet-"

"You mean the Rabona Kick?" Daisy asked, running for a ball. She made contact with it and started dribbling sideways in front of Warra to demonstrate the technique as she spoke to him. "You just gotta cross your feet by wrapping the leg you're moving away from around the leg you're going into in, like, a 180-degree swiveling motion. So since I'm going to my right, then I get a little behind the ball, step up a bit, take my left leg, twist it around behind me-"

Daisy's left foot struck the ball on the right side of her right leg. Her trajectory sent it just outside of the goal, though with formidable force behind its flight. Warra noticed how simply she both crossed her legs and then came out of it without any abrupt break in her speed.

"Hooked it that time," mumbled Daisy. "Ah well... Not gonna make every shot!"

"See, you make it look so seamless," Warra said. "Do you even think about what you're doing when you're doing it?"

Daisy paused for a moment of self-reflection, then gave an innocent, cheery, "Nope!"

Taken a bit aback by the statement, Warra didn't know how to respond. Daisy ran for another ball to perform the maneuver again, this time mirroring it from the left, saying, "I find that the less you think about things, the more you can just let them flow, and the less of a chance you have of stalling or getting confused!" She took the shot, wrapping her right leg behind and around her left. This time, she snuck the ball in the goal at the low opposite corner.

"Is that how you got down Iaido so quickly?" said Warra. "I thought it was because I was doing a good job teaching you."

"Yeah, maybe you were doing an alright job," said Daisy, giving him a goofy face before running off to dribble another ball.

"So what brought you here this early in the evening?" Warra asked.

"I couldn't find anybody who wasn't busy, and I just needed to blow off some steam," Daisy replied, unleashing another Rabona. Her shot, coming from the right, went in on the right. She kept going for balls to dribble and take shots with as she continued speaking. "I had a dream this morning. It was so strange, and I've been dwelling on it for most of the day. I can only remember vague details. But one of our teammates went climbing up a high, steep cliff to grab something dangling off the edge, and I urged him on, guaranteeing that I'd catch him if he fell. But I didn't think he would fall... So when he did, I kind of just...froze, and he fell flat on his back from that great height. All I had managed to do was stick my right arm out by the time I realized he was falling, but his momentum batted my arm away and he hit the ground anyways. I looked at him and he looked at me, and I knew I had lost his trust. I remember being so dispirited and in despair for the rest of the dream..."

"You don't know who it is that you saw fall?" asked Warra.

Daisy dribbled the last ball and then took her shot, shaking her head. "Could've been you."

Warra jogged over to help Daisy collect all the balls. "Do you remember if he had suffered any injury?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied. "But I couldn't tell what was wrong. He was definitely in pain though. And he bled a lot, come to think of it..."

"Do you think this dream means something in the waking world? Like it's trying to tell you something?"

Daisy paused for a moment before responding. "Well...I don't think... Actually, I don't know. I often feel like I have some sort of extrasensory stuff going on in a lot of my dreams, so I can't really tell for sure. I'd like to say it didn't mean anything, but...I don't know... I guess maybe I've just been a little disturbed by how real and vivid it felt, even though I couldn't tell who it was..." She then smiled, albeit a little uneasily. "No worries here, right?"

* * *

Neva and Andrew walked out of Northeastern Island's Milk Bar. They had been in there for a while, for they had entered when the gray skies were still bright. Now, light of the afternoon was winding down on a very cloudy day.

"Thanks for coming here with me, Shady," said Neva, a chocolate milkshake in her hands. "It gets kinda drab going by myself. Usually I get Athelstan to come along, but he and Marut just wanted to laze around at the Rainbow Suite when I had left."

"Well, Ramona and Bowser were doing their meditations again," Andrew replied. "So I figured I'd hang out with you for a little while."

"Yeah, on our final day up here before we venture down, at that," said Neva, beaming as she drank more of her milkshake. She then began bobbing her head in rhythm, twice to the left and twice to the right.

Andrew laughed. "You sure seem _really_ happy."

"Well, yeah! This milkshake's _really_ awesome, that's why!" replied Neva. "Here, you want some?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks," he said.

Neva pushed her cup in front of his face and shook it as they walked. Andrew's eyes tracked the dancing straw before he looked at her simpering expression. "Are you surrrrre?!" Neva asked.

"I'm sure," the Kruna of Shadow replied, stifling a giggle.

"I kept it coooo-ooooooooold!"

With that remark, and the extra wiggle of the milkshake, Andrew cracked up in laughter. Neva laughed too, finally pulling back the milkshake to herself. She looked away and touched her free hand to her face, smiling and giggling.

"Your call," Neva then coyly said.

The two had reached the bridge leading to Central Island and had got halfway across it when Neva stopped walking. She turned around and noticed Andrew looking off the side of the colorful bridge. The Kruna of Ice walked back and stood next to her shadow teammate, noticing him peering into the red and purple darkness of the Nirvana Barrier way down below.

"What's wrong?" asked Neva.

"You ever wonder what it must be like down there on the surface when the night falls?" asked Andrew. "I bet it's bad enough during the day; but I'd say that even for a shadow wielder like me, the darkness underneath that cloud barrier in the night must be the most depressing thing they know. The little bit of time we were down there, it felt so suffocating and restricting. It was like a labyrinth in a cave; you know, searching for a way out in darkness, not knowing where to go or where the exit is or even how to get out when you find the exit...or if the ceiling would even hold up long enough for you to even get to the exit."

"I hear ya," said Neva. "All this training and waiting and training and waiting...it's hard to think about what's been going on down there while we've been up here."

Andrew turned and looked directly at her. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm good enough to be effective in missions like these. I'm...sometimes I'm just waiting on the day when I come up short and let people down because I'm not a good enough elemental wielder. I feel like when that day comes, I'm going to fail, and then I'm just going to fall; but I'm not going to crash onto anything... I'm just going to keep falling and falling, and I'll keep falling until I don't even know that I'm falling anymore... One day, it's going to happen. I don't mean it in a literal sense, but I rather wish that it'd be literal, you know? I'm going to slip from existence and fall for eternity, and, and...that'll be it for me... There won't be anybody else there but me in my...void of falling..."

"No, don't say things like that!" exclaimed Neva. "What brought that out?"

Andrew stared into the clouds below before shaking his head and throwing an arm up. "I guess...just, stuff I've kept repressed...making me feel uneasy... Maybe I'm just getting anxious about this all – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

When his voice trailed off, Neva leaned into him and grabbed his hand. She gave him a light tug to get him to keep walking across the bridge and made sure he stayed close. Again, she offered him some of her milkshake.

* * *

"Why'd you fall, bro?" asked Marut.

"Because some idiot left a banana peel on the ground!" Bowser growled, rolling back to his feet. Marut, Waluigi, Koops, Ramona, and Athelstan had just watched the Kruna of Fire slip and fall on the hard floors of one of Central Island's item shops that evening. The said banana peel had flown some several feet away after contact.

"Sorry about that!" the Shy Guy clerk exclaimed. "That was supposed to stay in the display case! We really should've looked out for you there – that was entirely preventable!"

"It's fine," Bowser replied, rubbing his left hip. "I'm surprised it was even that slippery."

"That's because they're Super-Slip Bananas!" the Shy Guy replied. "Portable, non-lethal throwing weapons that never lose their slickness!"

"We'll just take a few dozen Ultra Mushrooms, thanks," Bowser said to the clerk.

"Actually, I kinda like these souped-up bananas," said Marut, picking it up and squeezing the peel.

"Goofy, yet effective," Athelstan said. "Marissa and her goons wouldn't see it coming!"

"Yeah, just picture it!" said Marut. "They'd be all like 'We'll destroy you!' And we'll be all like, 'Have a snack, suckas!' And they'd be all like, 'Why do we keep falling down, even though we're trying to stand up?' "

Bowser blinked several times, wide-eyed, before repeating to the clerk. "We'll just take a few dozen Ultra Mushrooms, thanks."

* * *

Later on that night, the Kruna, DK, Wario, Toadette, Toadsworth, Waluigi, Koops, and the Black Mages all had pulled a bunch of tables together in the Rainbow Suite dining hall and sat as a group to eat dinner. Only Daisy wasn't sitting down. She stood near them by the room-height windows, leaning up against the wall on her back and one of her feet, holding her crossed arms. She smiled at everyone's merriment and happiness, their boisterous behavior and laughter leaving a lasting impression on her.

Daisy turned her head and gazed out the window wall, looking at the brightness of Rainbow City and the shining stars and full moon in the clearing sky. Her mind focused on the moon and its round shape for a while before she looked back at all her friends. If anyone was nervous about tomorrow, she couldn't tell. No one showed a hint of worry, sadness, or grief; the first time that has happened in a very long while.

Besides her bizarre dream that she had all but put away in the back of her mind, Daisy knew she wasn't nervous herself; but she had definitely been restless. In her eyes, the next day couldn't come soon enough. And yet, a large part of her wanted that moment in the dining hall to never end. It was a perfect moment; a snapshot in time she decided then and there she would commit to memory, knowing tomorrow would bring with it a whole new tone alongside the start of what may very well prove to be the hardest and most difficult adventure yet.

Tomorrow, the Kruna would be stepping into enemy territory with little margin for error and unknown dangers awaiting in a crippled and helpless world. Though a grim prospect to most, Daisy didn't see it as such. She felt as ready as she would ever be. Peering back at the full moon, a sense of empowerment and optimism filled her. Its glow reminded her that a new moon always rises.


	12. Chapter XII

First Descent:

"How-de-ho! Good mornin', bro!" Marut said with a salute to Athelstan. Most of the Kruna had already made it to Toad and Alden's Forge, as did Donkey Kong, Wario, Waluigi, Koops, and Toadette.

"Check this out!" Athelstan said, pulling off his elemental tool from a nearby table.

"Woah! Your Ultima Staff!" Marut hollered. "It got a lot more-"

"Stacked!" Koops finished. "How heavy is that thing?"

"I wouldn't use something like this if I were you!" Athelstan replied, holding up his Obelisk Swordstaff. The blade appeared much more bulky than when he had initially received it. "I took those Grip Pitons I had and attached both to opposite faces of the blunt side of the blade. And since I kept the chains on the pitons, I can detach one from the swordstaff, connect the chains and use them to rock climb with a piton in one hand and my swordstaff and other piton attached to it in the other hand."

"He did that by himself," said Toad. "Alden and I gave him no help on that one."

"A good morning to you all," Rosalina said as she, Polari, Lubba, Toadsworth, and the Black Mages walked through the forge's front doors. "Machula and Maki tell me that things went well here last night?"

"Oh yeah – better than expected!" Toad replied, rolling a covered table out into the main opening in the armory. "We're just waiting on the others to get here!"

"Looks like it's Daisy, Ramona, and Andrew that have yet to arrive," said Toadette. "They're awake, right?"

"They're grown people – why ya gotta be an alarm clock for them?" said Waluigi.

"And your Kruna Yura are late by a whole half hour – glorious job, Grand Elder!" Polari whispered to Rosalina. She ignored him.

 _Where you at, Shady?_ Neva thought, getting anxious as she stared at the doors.

Athelstan slammed a mallet down a few more times on the other piece of equipment he had been working on for much of the morning. Marut looked at the metal amalgamation, unable to make out what it was supposed to be. After a few extra manual tweaks and some blow torch applications, Athelstan seemed satisfied with the end product. It resembled some sort of cannon with a short robotic limb. When Athestan strapped it on, the cannon sat folded up behind his back in line with the sheath for his swordstaff.

"Watch this," Athelstan said, flicking a switch on the thick cannon strap. The cannon unlimbered itself and propped up just a couple inches over his shoulder, ready to fire.

"Radical..." Marut said in awe. "What is it?"

"It's a shoulder-mounted Stone Launcher!" Athelstan exclaimed. "I can have a projectile weapon without sacrificing my swordstaff! All I gotta do is focus my elemental energy through it and make sure it's loaded and – BAM-BAM! A pepper storm of stones that'll reduce obstacles to rubble!"

"And you still got those Boot Club Additions on your feet?" said Waluigi. "You think you got enough on ya there, Mr. Tank?!"

"He's a tech junkie like Alden and I are," said Toad. "But who can blame him? There's a special feeling that comes from polishing off a new creation!"

Ramona and Andrew entered through the doors of the forge. Close behind them, Daisy followed. The Kruna leader looked as determined as ever, her strut equally as decisive.

"Y'all ready or what?!" Daisy boomed.

"What took you guys so long?" snapped Toadette. "We were getting worried!"

"We don't really pay much attention to clocks, it seems," said Ramona with a laugh.

"Well you're here now, so gather around, everyone!" Toad called out, gesturing to the table with the cover on it. "Presenting – for you eight Kruna Yura – the introduction of Project: Liberation!"

Alden, Machula, and Maki all grabbed on to the table covering and pulled it off. Underneath lay eight separate kits of armor, brand new and customized to suit each individual Kruna. The team of eight walked up to the table at the behest of Toad's beckoning.

"Out now; new Yura Armor!" Toad exclaimed. "Patent pending. Batteries not included – or needed."

The suits of armor Toad designed had a durable yet very compact build of some of the most practical metals and metalloids from Earth. The design allowed for protective properties to be had with minimal added bulk. The sleek, form-fitting pieces of each kit served to attach onto and protect the upper torso, shoulders, thighs, shins, and knees of the Kruna. Bowser's, Warra's, and Ramona's sets of armor all came predominantly in gold, Athelstan's in gunmetal, Daisy's and Andrew's in black, Marut's in silver, and Neva's in light blue. Each of their sets of armor had individualized highlights, designs, and markings of their respective elemental accent colors as well.

"This looks really advanced!" said Warra.

"This actually resembles striker armor, in a way," Waluigi mumbled, leaning in to get a closer look on Marut's set.

"But definitely much more effective!" Toad said.

"How do we put these on?" asked Ramona. "There's very few fasteners or buckles anywhere."

"Just slip them on over your current clothes," said Toad. "They're expandable. They have a slim fit without hindering mobility or sacrificing comfort!"

"And the best part?" said Alden. "The Yura Armor is indestructible just like your Ultima Staffs! They will not wear down or break!"

"We've tried," Toad added. "Believe us. We really tried."

To their surprise, the Kruna got their armor on and secured with relative ease. Although Athelstan, Ramona, and Warra displayed an asymmetrical design and build to their suits of armor, the Kruna as a whole were aesthetically cohesive in their additions. Their armor all had personalized, minute differences that made them easy to differentiate from in addition to the obvious in their elemental coloration. Bowser's and Athelstan's sets accommodated their larger size, and likewise, Neva's had a smaller build. Athelstan's and Marut's thigh pads were inverted, whereas Neva, Warra, and Marut as well all had higher-raised shoulder pads. Daisy's matte black armor contrasted starkly against the glossy, reflective black of Andrew's. The variations worked to add and display subtle characterization to each of the Kruna to avoid the carbon copy look without taking away from their unified build and dynamic, and the armor variances served to show how each member brought something different to the group.

As the Kruna stood there and refastened their Ultima Staffs across their backs, Rosalina couldn't help but notice the new impression the elemental wielders gave off. No longer were they the novice rookies they were when they came together for the first time. They looked like seasoned veterans meant to be a team that possessed a hardened, gritty mystique to them they themselves did not even have an awareness of. Whether that was just because of their new armor and equipment or not, Rosalina was not sure.

"So as you can see, you all now have extra protection," said Toad. "This armor will not only help in providing melee defense, but will also add a bit to the resistance of your clothing against attacks of your respective elements."

"And check these out!" said Alden. He held up eight belts, each possessing two rectangular pouches and a distinct elemental symbol buckle coinciding with their coloring. He handed each of the Kruna their respective belt. "Toad and I spent a _long_ time hammering out these ultimate Hammerspace Belts!"

"You can thank Machula and Maki for getting these working," said Toad. "All those times you had to leave something behind? Forget about it! You've got limitless storage now! You'll need it!"

"No way this goes that deep-" Marut started to say as he reached into one of the pouches on his belt. He found himself digging elbow deep into the pouch no bigger than his hand. His eyes shot wide-open once he realized he could wriggle his arm around freely about inside the pouch. "Oh!..."

"These are fantastic!" Ramona said to Toad. "Thank you guys so much!"

"You really outdid yourselves with these, for sure!" Warra said, readjusting his pieces. "They're so sleek and lightweight – it's like I'm not even wearing them!"

"Not that I'm not grateful or anything," Neva said, uneasy. "But it really took you guys this long to come up with these armor kits and belts?"

Toad, Alden, Machula, and Maki all chuckled at Neva's remark. They then turned to head for the doors and gestured at everyone else to follow them.

"C'mon!" shouted Toad. "Time for the _true_ end result of Project: Liberation!"

"And, your ticket down to the surface!" added Alden. "Make sure you got everything of yours with you!"

* * *

The blacksmiths led the large group to Western Island's Docking Bay. The hanger bay they walked up to had been restricted to just Toad, Alden, Machula, Maki, and Rosalina and the Lumas until now. When they got to the doors of Hanger Bay A-7, the four Hammer Bros and two other toads standing guard stopped them for security measures.

"It's alright, you guys," said Rosalina. "We are ready to deploy. Your services will no longer be needed. You may return to your usual posts."

"Yes, Grand Elder," one of the Hammer Bros said. And with that, the six guards left.

The moment the group stepped inside the open, drafty hangar, they saw the elephant in the room – or rather, they saw the koopa in the room. A really big koopa. A mechanized, metal koopa with broad wings, rockets, jet engines, propellers, and a gull-wing door entrance hatch at the very base of the lustrous, dark teal koopa shell.

"Welcome to the grand unveiling of Project: Liberation!" Alden declared, leading everyone up close to the vehicle. "The K-C-EX! Shorthand for the Koopa Cruiser EX!"

"It is an upgraded, innovated replica of the original Koopa Cruiser!" Toad announced. "This ship will scythe through the sky and penetrate through the Nirvana Barrier with ease and great speed!" His voice became haughty and dramatized as he continued talking. "Notice the specs – sleek, streamlined contours! An armored, reflective finish! Realistic, lifelike proportions – with an enlarged shell to serve as the top portion of the ship's main body! Four retractable landing skids for stable landing and parking! Extendable ramp for quick and easy entry and exit through the entrance hatch! Maximum capacity...twelve."

"Well, you could easily fit a lot more people in there," said Maki. "But then you start running out of breathing room."

Bowser stared at the ship, arms crossed with a hand on his face. "While I do appreciate the design, I would've liked something a little bit more...inconspicuous."

"You didn't think about that for the first Koopa Cruiser, did you?" said Toad. "It's fine – you can go from hovering in the air to blasting off in seconds, so who cares who notices?"

"Wait a minute – what if Marissa sees the ship and starts tracking it with her Malocchio Eye?" asked Warra. "She'll follow us wherever we go then! And, yeah, she can't see past the Nirvana Barrier; but don't you think it would raise a red flag to just see a ship disappear above the clouds?"

"Well, thank Machula and Maki again – this time for their help with installing a cloaking device," said Toad. "You'll be able to get back above the Nirvana Barrier in secrecy, but you only have about a ten-minute time limit on the cloaking device. Then you must wait at least an equal amount of time for the device to recharge."

"Because of this, your pilots will have to follow a strict set of guidelines," said Rosalina.

"Waluigi, Toadette; you guys get a promotion!" Toad exclaimed, tossing a set of keys to the both of them.

"Waluigi's driving?" Bowser mumbled. "Great, we're gonna crash and die without even reaching the surface."

"Wah! What's that supposed to mean?!" snapped Waluigi.

"From what I remember, you were one of the most reckless drivers around!" said Bowser.

"Oh don't you worry – I've got plenty of experience with other airships since coming here," said Waluigi. "Just sit back and relax. What am I gonna crash into – air?"

"You'd find a way," Bowser grumbled.

"Hey, we both got a set of keys, Waluigi," said Toadette. "That makes us co-pilots! And I've never crashed any airship or fighter."

"Bowser, Warra; you guys take these," said Alden. He handed them little electronic tablets no larger than the average fist. "They're radio transmitters that you'll need to take really good care of!"

"To minimize the occurrences of detection, each descent to the surface will go as follows," said Rosalina. "Waluigi and Toadette will fly you Kruna above the Nirvana Barrier to where you need to go. Only when you get near to your destination will you descend through the barrier. Then, when the ship is fully underneath the cloud wall, the Kruna will jump out from the diving hatch near the cockpit, and the Koopa Cruiser will go back above the Nirvana Barrier."

"In each of your Hammerspace Belts is a portable Sail Glider you can use," said Toad. "You just take it out and hold the handles above your head, and you'll glide!"

"When ready for extraction, either Bowser or Warra should activate the radio transmitters," said Alden. "This will send a signal up into the sky, and when the Koopa Cruiser picks it up, Waluigi and Toadette should know where you are. The Nirvana Barrier shouldn't interfere with the radio rays. I'd be surprised if it did since we get TV and radio up here from down there."

"And wi-fi!" added Marut. "You know, for as bad as things are down there, Marissa actually made the wi-fi a lot better than it was before."

Toad got animated with his hands and arms when he explained the next set of procedures. "When Waluigi and Toadette fly under the barrier again, they'll land the ship, you guys will get in, and you'll go straight back into the sky and up through the barrier. Use the cloaking device when necessary at your own discretion; preferably just a few minutes before getting near the barrier. Then when you're back up on this side of the barrier, deactivate the cloaking device, and you're home free!"

"Piece of cake," said Andrew. "This sounds about as foolproof as it can get."

"Alright! Let's get in and go, you guys!" hollered Daisy.

"Huh?!" Ramona asked, startled. "Right now?! You mean right this second?!"

"Yeah, right now!" Daisy replied, slapping Ramona on the back. The force from her hit sent the unsteady Kruna of Light stumbling forward towards the Koopa Cruiser.

"Aren't we gonna wait a little while?" asked Ramona.

"For what?" Daisy said. "We've _been_ waiting! You heard them! We know what we're doing! Let's shove out for those Crystal Tears already!"

"I mean, you know – what about a few moments to get our nerves set and stuff?!" replied Ramona.

"Get your nerves set inside the ship!" Daisy called back, already walking towards the Koopa Cruiser entryway. "We're going now!"

"So with Waluigi and Toadette piloting the Koopa Cruiser, the rest of you will stay here in Rainbow City," said Rosalina. "You'll be continuing your guard duties."

"Best of luck to you guys," Donkey Kong said to the Kruna.

"This goes without saying, but we're all counting on you!" exclaimed Toadsworth.

"Everyone up here, and down there," added Koops.

"Don't bring back any hostile souvenirs, am I right?" said Lubba.

Daisy looked back behind her at her teammates. "You know, if I had a watch on instead of weights, I'd be giving my wrist a _real_ hard death stare right about now!"

"Head southwest of here," said Rosalina. "You'll find the Donut Plains nearby. That may be a good place to start. Use the Pendant of Detection, Ramona, and you'll find your way. Godspeed, and may the stars shine down on all of you."

Everyone gave a salute and bowed before disbanding and going their separate ways. Daisy stood to the side as Waluigi, Toadette, and the other Kruna got on the ramp leading into the ship. The Kruna of Earth entered last, watching Andrew push a still hesitant Ramona up the ramp. As soon as Daisy got inside, Athelstan flipped a switch that retracted the ramp and closed the door shut.

The well-lit interior of the Koopa Cruiser had ample walking room in the halls. Passing by a cargo unit, a large medical room, and a few intersecting hallways, the group of ten came to an elevator, that just barely fit all of them. Waluigi pressed the top of two level buttons, and the elevator took them to the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, they stepped out into a grand, spacious room complete with several chairs, numerous windows, and a large, central table-like structure that appeared to be some sort of screen.

"Where's the cockpit?" Waluigi wondered aloud.

"This main room is the cockpit," said Toadette. "Look; there's the windshields and the control sticks!"

"And the cool spinning chairs!" Marut said as he ran over and sat on one of them. His momentum made the chair spin around a handful of times, almost to the point of him slipping right out of it.

"Alright, well let's punch this up and go!" said Waluigi.

Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba had backed away from the Koopa Cruiser but stayed in the hangar. They saw the rockets ignite and heard the engines rev as the airship powered up. A Shy Guy and a Hammer Bro up in the air transmissions tower for the hanger bay sent word to the rest of the hangar and to Western Island's Air Base Center of the Koopa Cruiser's imminent departure. As they talked through their headsets and meddled with their computers, the airship began to hover off its landing spot. The Koopa Cruiser's landing skids folded and retracted into their hatches under the ship. With a little extra propulsion, the airship made a slow forward flight out of the hangar.

"Raise altitude and accelerate – _slowly_ ," Toadette said to Waluigi, their ship clearing into the open air.

"Got it – _slowwwly,_ " replied Waluigi.

"I repeat – slowly!" said Toadette. "Remember that stunt you pulled last summer in the W-Wing?"

"I only remember it because you guys won't shut up about it!" Waluigi yelled. Toadette cracked up immediately after his ornery response.

Rosalina watched the Koopa Cruiser soar off into the distance. The airship had a quiet start up and a quiet takeoff, generating little uproar. Its five rear rocket exhausts hummed a bright blue hue that dimmed the further the ship flew away.

"There they they go..." murmured Lubba. Silence in Hangar Bay A-7 followed, all eyes locked on the now faint, sparkling blue orbs in the sky.

The Koopa Cruiser flew steady and smooth, soaring at a high altitude. With airborne animals and wildlife and several small, scattered sky islands, flying would prove not to be a simple task of just going straight through the air. Even so, the compact airship had more than enough room to maneuver in the vast, open field that was the sky.

"Altitude now reaching 19,000 feet," said Waluigi. "This altimeter looks like it maxes out at 35,000."

Toadette flipped a triad of switches and looked at an overhead screen. "Checking G-Diffuser system."

"This cockpit feels like it can hold about fifteen people in here alone," said Warra.

"This is taking up the vast majority of the cruiser's shell," said Athelstan. "Maybe the top two-thirds of it, actually."

"Speaking of which, wasn't Marut just in here?" asked Andrew.

"Must've gone to the bathroom," said Athelstan. "Anybody else notice the fridge by the rear windows?"

Toadette pressed a couple buttons on the dashboard, trying to keep her yoke steady as she moved in her seat. "So used to flying a solo fighter..." she mumbled to herself with a sigh. She addressed her co-pilot when she spoke again. "Did you get a good look at this dashboard? Built-in minimap and radar, compass, fuel gauge, engine diagrams-"

"Awesome!" Waluigi screamed, pulling out a drawer underneath the dashboard. "They put cup holders in here!"

"Did you guys know there's a deck outside?" yelled Marut as he came down the stairs in the back. "The top of the ship's koopa shell is flat and railed-off! You can feel the wind pushing all up into your face!"

"But to safely pass through the Nirvana Barrier, you need to be inside the ship itself," said Toadette. "So when we get close, stay in here and keep the doors closed so that you're not exposed to the Nirvana clouds. They'll suck the energy and life from you if you come into contact with them. Literally."

"We once saw a huge Albatoss fly too low to the barrier," said Waluigi. "It fainted and fell through it. We didn't see the thing fly back up at all."

"So...do we have any idea where we're going?" asked Warra. "Aside from Rainbow City being in the rear view, everything looks the same in all directions."

"Kind of like looking out from a ship in the middle of the sea," said Athelstan. He gestured for the group to join him in the center of the cockpit. "This main table in the center here lit up when the airship turned on and is now showing us a world map. We can see our position in relation to the rest of the world." He toggled the layout from the basic setting to the physical-topographic setting, a setting that made the map show a pseudo-3-D hologram of the elevations and physical features of each area of land. "Just down here and a little to the left; the flatlands between the two mountain ranges."

As soon as Athelstan tapped the location on the main map, a signal got sent to the minimap at the dashboard. An arrow popped up in the radar on the icon for the ship itself.

"That might've just activated the GPS," said Toadette.

"Ramona, what's your pendant doing?" asked Bowser. "Is it detecting any Crystal Tears in the direction of the Donut Plains?"

"I'm not sure," said Ramona. "It's gleaming, but it's not lighting up or anything. It's supposed to be automatic..."

"Then how are we supposed to know if where we're going has Crystal Tears?" asked Bowser.

"She didn't really give me any directions or instructions on how to use this," Ramona said, nervously giggling. "All she had mentioned was that it'd let me know of nearby Crystal Tears. So it'll glow when we get close."

"But that doesn't do us any good all the way up here!" Waluigi snapped.

"Ramona, see if you can focus your energy through from your Alkemei out to your swordstaff," said Daisy. "Maybe you can combine the two and treat your tool like a radar."

Ramona took out her Luster Swordstaff. "I'll try..."

The Kruna of Light focused on both her energies flowing through the tool and the energies flowing through her pendant to try and synchronize them. Given that an elemental wielder uses their tools as extensions of their bodies, Ramona essentially had to bridge two extensions together – something not many elemental wielders in general try to do on a regular basis. At first, the task took some effort and stiff concentration to pull off. But when she got it down, her swordstaff glowed a faint gold as it gave off a soft pulsating sound reminiscent of a form of sonar.

"We're heading straight for the Donut Plains now," said Toadette.

"So if I just point this ahead towards the front..." murmured Ramona. The glow from her swordstaff became a little brighter, matching an increased glow from her Alkemei. A soft, high-pitched, rhythmic rumble accompanied her Alkemei as well.

"I think it's working," Ramona then said. She pointed her swordstaff off to the right a little, and her pendant and tool both lost some of their glow and vibration. Curious, she then pointed her swordstaff in various other directions and got several instances of the same reactions from her swordstaff and Alkemei.

"Alright; it's definitely working," Ramona said. "Keep on course for the Donut Plains!"

"Reducing altitude," said Waluigi with a thumbs up.

* * *

Marissa lay in her throne, arms out over one side of the great chair and legs out over the other. There she stayed without noticeable movement, her main eyes and Malocchio eye closed. The early morning darkness over Mushroom Kingdom did not hide the dark patches that now existed around and under her eyes in her pale skin. She lay there as time passed, still and silent in a room of equal stillness and silence. The minutes passed, though they seemed like hours, and those hours seemed like days, and those days seemed like years, and those years seemed like centuries, and those centuries like millenia, and those millenia like an everlasting state of timelessness akin to an endless labyrinth with no escape or a suffocating trap with no exit.

All three of Marissa's eyes then shot open. Air from the outside flowed in freely where she had the walls removed, but the building still felt enclosed and constricting. For a moment, she questioned whether or not she had actually felt the Earth itself rotating.

 _When was the last time I actually slept?_ Marissa wondered with a groan of malaise, her mouth quivering.

* * *

Marut pushed a button on his chair to recline it, almost smacking Neva in the process. "Watch it, flutter-feet!" the Kruna of Ice barked.

"My bad!" Marut said. When Neva walked away, he tried spinning around in his chair again, but the chair locked up in its spot. "Hey Athelstan! Check it; if this chair spins when it's upright, but it can recline, how do you spin around in it when it's reclined?"

"Why do you wanna spin around in it when it's reclined?" asked Athelstan.

Marut shrugged. "...Because I like to party?"

"We're coming up on the Donut Plains," said Waluigi. "Descending now."

"Everyone, let's get those Sail Gliders out," said Bowser.

The Koopa Cruiser drifted closer and closer to the dark, murky red and purple wall of opaque clouds below. Even with the sun shining on it, the Nirvana Barrier still appeared excessively, all-consumingly dark.

"Under 8,000 feet," said Waluigi.

"The Nirvana Barrier encases the Earth at just under 6,500 feet in altitude," said Toadette. "That's two thousand meters for you metric headcases."

"We're not getting into this argument again," muttered Athelstan.

"When we get down to the surface, we need to be sure to avoid confrontation with the Dark Sentinel," said Warra. "If it detects us and finds out that we're still alive, it could lock on to our energy signatures once more to track us down, _and_ it will probably alert Marissa to our presence."

"So will engaging any of Marissa's henchmen," said Bowser. "We don't really have much of a choice. Either way, Marissa's going to find out we're here, and that robot will be back on our tails. All we can do is try and delay either instance for as long as we can."

"Down under 7,000 feet," said Waluigi. "Here it comes..."

"Everyone's inside," Bowser said. "We're clear to go."

"We're entering the Nirvana Barrier now," said Toadette.

Once the Koopa Cruiser fazed through the Nirvana Barrier, their line of sight out both the front and the rear windows vanished. The deep, dark clouds blocked even the ship's headlights. Only flickers of jet black lightning could be made out through the clouds.

"I always hate going through here," mumbled Toadette.

Though not immediate by any means, the trip through the barrier was short, lasting no longer than two minutes. When the Koopa Cruiser cleared the last of the Nirvana clouds, the surface world and all its decay and devastation became visible. The overhead view of the landscape from just underneath the Nirvana Barrier looked as enchanting and mesmerizing as it did depressing and tragic.

"Yep, we're definitely back on Earth again," murmured Andrew.

"It should be mid-morning in this region," said Toadette. "So you've got daylight – or what passes for daylight down here – to work with. If you see down there to the flatland area at the start of the first mountain range, that's the south edge of the Donut Plains. Try and glide down there and work your way up north. We'll try to pick you up there."

"Opening the diving hatch," Waluigi said, pushing a lever. The wide side door on the left side of the cockpit opened. All the Kruna headed for the doors as the Koopa Cruiser slowed down to a hover.

"You know how to call for us," said Toadette. Her and Waluigi both gave a salute as she added, "Good luck, you guys. May the stars shine down on you."

"Right!" Ramona, Marut, and Neva all said. The other Kruna gave nods and salutes of their own before turning their attention to the open door.

Marut dashed for the entrance and jumped out, descending through the air in free fall. Andrew followed directly after him. They dropped for a while and dove almost to a point roughly halfway to the ground. From there, they opened up their Sail Gliders to slow their fall and drift down to their designated drop off point. Bowser and Athelstan both followed and did the same. Then Neva and Ramona went. Warra leapt after them. And finally, Daisy made the jump. With all the Kruna out, the Koopa Cruiser flew off and climbed back up through the Nirvana Barrier.


	13. Chapter XIII

The Donut Plains:

Andrew felt the air brush against him as he soared down through the sky with his Sail Glider. _This thing has excellent maneuverability for being something you can just roll up like a scroll_ , he thought. The Sail Glider's wings weren't much wider than the width of his shoulders either. He looked up ahead and saw Marut testing out the abilities of his with sweeping turns and aerial tricks.

Further up, Bowser gripped onto the handles of his Sail Glider just fine, but he looked as uncomfortable as anyone could be as his legs dangled like noodles underneath him. Athelstan looked over at him and said, "You can't run on the air, buddy!"

"I'm trying to figure out how to steer this thing!" Bowser snapped, blushing. "Don't you see Marut down there showing off?!"

"Air wielders, right?" Athelstan replied.

Above them, Ramona, Warra, and Neva split off and diverged to spread their descent. Daisy looked at all her teammates below her to make sure they all went in the same general direction. The last thing they needed was to get separated right at the start of their mission.

Near the ground, Marut looped and touched down in the open clearing. He looked around, taking note of the mountains on the left, the wooded area on the right, and a faint dirt path running up ahead. Most everything was some shade of dark brown or murky gray; a lesser amount of green mostly coming from the grass nearby. The Kruna of Air sensed no other immediate beings in the area other than his teammates behind him.

Andrew glided in and got his feet on the ground, though his momentum pushed him into a run that he had to skid out of. His breaking slide kicked up a great amount of dirt and dust behind him. Athelstan and Bowser dropped down next, seconds within one another. The Kruna of Stone made a similar landing to Andrew's, but Bowser ended up falling back onto his shell when his feet hit the ground.

Bowser rolled forward to pop up to standing. "That could've went better," he muttered.

"Whatchu mean?!" asked Marut. "All you had to do was lean into where you wanted to turn, push forward and down to dive and pick up speed, or pull up just enough to slow down. And if you wanted to loop, tuck your legs in and pull up a lot!"

"You know what – you're the one with the Pendant of Flight!" Bowser grumbled. "You could've just flown down here!"

Ramona, Neva, and Warra rode their Sail Gliders to the landing spot in a more conservative manner. Neva came in from the left, Warra from the right, and Ramona from behind; all three of them coasting and coming to a running stop when they contacted the ground. As soon as her momentum stopped and she got her footing, Ramona pulled out her swordstaff and again used it with her Alkemei Motomeru to try and "scope" the location of the Crystal Tears in the area.

"So these are the Donut Plains, huh?" said Athelstan. "Too bad Lubba isn't here to crack a joke about there being no doughnuts here."

"Oh, he has probably told it to everyone in Rainbow City by now," Bowser said with a chuckle.

"Ain't nobody growing no doughnuts out here, that's for sure," said Andrew, gazing at the deathly looking landscape. "Ain't growing _nothin_ '!"

Neva cracked up and laughed at the Kruna of Shadow. "I like how you just practically spat that 'nothing' out!"

"Oh," Andrew replied with a laugh too. "Yeah. That wasn't even intentional though – I was actually being serious!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Neva responded. "It's just the way you said it was just...oh never mind..."

The last one still in the air, Daisy didn't even wait until she touched down on the ground to stop gliding. She closed her glider when she neared the ground and rolled into a rapid, windbreaking somersault to make a quick landing behind everyone else. "Wow, I enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would," she mumbled to herself with a smirk, walking up to join the group.

"It seems that wherever the Crystal Tears are, they're further north," said Ramona, putting her swordstaff away. "So we're gonna need to go up this path."

"No objections to that," said Neva. "Not like I feel like reenacting 'The Jungle Book' in those decrepit woods over there anyways."

"Alright, you guys; this is where the fun begins," said Daisy, coming up to the head of the group. "Ramona's at point. Andrew and I will flank her. Bowser and Neva; you take up the rear. Let's go!"

The Kruna did as instructed and trotted up the path at a brisk pace. They kept their senses alert, ready for any surprise that may come their way. Sure enough, they didn't have to wait long. The group hadn't gone more than a couple hundred yards when Ramona's pendant started going off. They stopped when she stopped. Aside from a tall stone cliff wall to the right and off-path, nothing new had come up along the trail.

"My Alkemei's giving off another vibration," said Ramona. "But this feels different from the Crystal Tears one. This feels lower...and there's more pulsating... No, the pulsating feels like a triad followed by another triad..."

"I'm sensing something powerful," Neva said. She unlimbered her Blizzard Bladestaff and took aim with its crossbow at the top of the rocky cliff.

"Five minutes in; oh dear," Ramona muttered. Bowser readied his Blazer Claws and Marut took out his Gust Boomerangs. All eight sets of eyes looked at the clifftop and waited for something to show up.

Someone did step up to the edge of the cliff, though not someone hostile. The being looking down at the Kruna was a particular, familiar brown Shy Guy with a cracked gunmetal mask and yellow-accented gunmetal armor. He had the same Mirror Shield attached to his right arm and the same staffed, pickax-jackhammer tool known as the Povado Thumper.

"It's Arka Knight!" said Warra.

"My pendant's beating stronger now..." said Ramona.

"Looks like I was right, wasn't I?" Arka Knight projected from above. "Hopefully you remember what I said. It was over eight years ago, after all."

"That's some pretty accurate foresight," said Bowser. "Care to tell us just who exactly you are? I'm not sure if we should be glad you're still alive or not."

"If you're coming to look for Crystal Tears, you're ill-equipped," Arka Knight said, ignoring Bowser. He made a quick strike of hand signs, creating a puff of clouds and brandishing from it a black and silver chest with the earth symbol on it. By some unknown, miraculous means, he sent the earth chest floating through the air and at the Kruna. It dropped down right beside the group and unlocked after it settled on the ground; no appearance of any means to or any explanation provided for the lock coming undone

"You will need this right away, Kruna of Earth," said Arka Knight. "There is a very powerful foe up ahead with forbidden black magic that you will have to match. The Dark Summoner, along with several other fiends, have been lurking around the planet in your absence."

Daisy jogged to the chest and opened it up. She reached inside, pulling out an Alkemei with a distinct metal necklace far more curved and angular compared to the chokers of the other Kruna's Alkemei. When she latched it onto her neck, the colorless pendant turned black through the successful synchronization with Daisy's earth energy. And yet, the Alkemei's design still had an uncanny look to it.

"When you put that Alkemei on, my Alkemei stopped its throbbing and glowing," said Ramona.

"That must have been its detection ability for dormant Alkemei then," said Daisy. "Hey, Arka Knight! Thanks! I'll be sure to use this one as best as I can!"

"I would definitely hope so," the brown-clothed Shy Guy replied. "Be wary, for in handling this Alkemei, you're going to have a large target placed on you with a bulls-eye seen for miles around by those who covet its verboten powers."

Daisy's smile drooped into an expression of wide-eyed surprise. "Huh?"

"You now have in your possession an Alkemei rivaled in ability by few others," Arka Knight said. "Now, you must put in use your Alkemei Orianthi – Pendant of Reanimation!"

"I'm sorry; what?" Daisy asked. The other Kruna gave her several strange, concerned looks.

"Pendant of Reanimation," Arka Knight repeated. "The Orianthi allows its user to create artificial life and therein control dead or abandoned bodies for as long as the user maintains an established link with them. In other words, you can will the dead to do your bidding. The more bodies you control at once, the more focus and energy you need to maintain the links. So be mindful of your usage. Use it to defeat the Dark Summoner and take possession of his Crystal Tears!"

With that, he spun around into a twisting cyclone and disappeared into the ether, promptly leaving the Kruna behind. Though the others were surprised, none of their shock matched Daisy's. The Kruna of Earth froze in place, still trying to process what had just happened and what she had just walked up and snatched out of the earth chest.

"... Well have fun with that," Andrew said to Daisy, almost without sarcasm.

"I've had a run of getting screwed over, haven't I?" Daisy murmured, red in the face and teeming with anger. "Reanimation... Why would there ever be a Pendant of Reanimation? That's such an immoral power and ability in the eyes of the world; I mean, practically everyone frowns upon the use of such a power. And yet, there's a Pendant of Reanimation? What the hell was Arka Knight doing with such an Alkemei in the first place?"

"Given that we don't really even know who he is, it could have been for a number of reasons," said Warra. "But the fact of the matter is, you've got the Orianthi now. That's your responsibility, and you're in charge of a very powerful – albeit macabre – special ability."

"He must have had good reason for giving it to you, Daisy," said Ramona. "Maybe it's a test? Or maybe, what he told us about needing it to defeat the Dark Summoner is actually right, but you're the only one in the group who can handle using such an ability?"

"There's got to be some other way!" Daisy snapped. "We're getting past the Dark Summoner without me using this Alkemei, and when we get back to Rainbow City, I'm taking it off and handing it over to Rosalina!"

Warra grabbed Daisy's arm before she started off. "But Arka Knight said-"

"I don't care what Arka Knight said!" Daisy growled. She yanked her arm free and continued up the path. "Let's march on, and I'll demonstrate what I think about what Arka Knight said on that Dark Summoner!"

* * *

A slew of wooden karts and trucks drove down the road and parked just outside of the Arkana Force Field around the Mushroom Kingdom boundaries. Out of the vehicles came a massive group of roughly fifty Kritters. Some armored skeletons standing guard at the nearby towers holding up the energy wall caught sight of the alligators.

Deep within the force field, Marissa lay spread on her throne as she was earlier. This time, she was on her stomach; tired, sleepy and tormented despite her wide open eyes. With a heavy sigh, she slumped further into the throne seat. Her body finally unable to take any more, she began to lose consciousness and drift off into sleep. Unfortunately for her, she would get denied that opportunity once one of the Skalfer skeleton guards spread throughout Mushroom Kingdom reached out to her mind.

"WHAT, COMMANDER?!" Marissa screamed. "I was just about to doze off, you idiotically idiotic idiot!" She paused to let the Skalfer commander talk. She then bitterly responded, "Oh no, don't worry about it – I'm _wide awake_ now!"

Marissa scowled as she listened to the commander. "What?!... Is that so?... Alright, let them through and guide them to Mushroom City. I will speak with them."

After the Skalfers let the group of Kritters in through the Arkana Force Field, they gathered a dozen of their own to lead the foreigners into Mushroom City. The group arrived there a short while later and marched up the abandoned streets of the once proud and now broken Mushroom Kingdom metropolis. The Skalfers and Kritters passed by a sign that did not read "Mushroom City," but that instead read "One World Capital." All the former buildings of the area had been cleared away and replaced with structures and establishments of fiendish and demonic design. What had formerly been the castle of the Toadstool family had undergone renovation into an infernal stronghold. There at the doors of the warped castle, Marissa hovered in wait. When the group saw her start to float towards them, they stopped in their tracks. The Skalfers parted to the sides and allowed the robed Kritter leader to come to the front of the group and speak to the hovering witch.

"Great Lord Arkana!" the Kritter leader said. "We come to you in-"

"You will address me as Overlord Arkana," Marissa said.

The Kritter nodded. "My apologies, Overlord Arkana-"

"Overlord Professor Arkana!" Marissa boomed.

"Oh, um, Overlord-"

"Overlord Professor _Sir_ Arkana!"

The Kritter looked at the demon witch, both fearful and mystified. "Okay, Ov-"

"Mr. Overlord Professor Sir Arkana!"

"But...but you're a woman!"

Marissa threw her arms up, escalating her volume. "Of course I am! What – did you have to look up my dress just to make sure?!"

The Kritter didn't respond. Sweat ran down his head despite the near-freezing temperatures of the surface world. His eyes darted left and right, wondering if he should just take off and run.

Marissa stared at the alligator creature beneath her and sighed. "Fine... Ms. Mr. Overlord Professor Sir Arkana."

"Okay...Mrs. Mr. Overlord Professor Sir Arkana-"

"No! Too long," said Marissa. "Just go with Lord Arkana and stop wasting my unlimited time."

"Lord Arkana, hear our plea," the Kritter leader said. "Food for the population inhabiting the entirety of Kongo Jungle-"

"More like the Kongo _Deadwood_ if you ask me!" Marissa yelled, laughing in front of all the Kritters. "Did you see those trees lately?!"

"Um, yes, we live there-"

"It's like they turned inside out and spawned tentacles!"

"Lord Arkana-"

"They're like those dead bodies you find in coffins with the overgrown hair and nails!"

"Lord Arkana-"

"Have you ever read up on old myths? If you haven't, you should check out this one about the woman with the snake hair-"

"Lord Arkana, please! We need to ask a favor of you!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh," Marissa muttered, putting her hands up. "I was just trying to make some friendly conversation. Don't lose your top. Get on with your plea then."

"The Kongo Jungle has shriveled into nothing but twisted, decaying tree trunks," the Kritter leader said. "As a result of the lack of plantlife, our food has grown short, and animals are dying and fleeing the region! The famine has forced us to ration our available nutrition and buy from neighboring nations, but we are quickly running out of supplies and wealth!"

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Marissa asked, sounding bored.

"We ask that you give us a healthy supply of bean seedlings for us to plant and strong, fertile fish to dump into our ponds and rivers! Please, Lord Arkana! Our people and those of other races are literally starving to skin and bones!"

Marissa rubbed her face in thought, inspecting the helplessness of the Kritters in front of her before giving her response. "Very well. My Skalfers will direct you to a thriving farm just east of here with strong crops and lively fish species. You may ask the officials in charge of the farm for the provisions you desire."

"Oh, thank you, my lord!" the Kritter leader said, getting down on one knee. The other Kritters knelt down and bowed their heads as well. "This is big for us! You've helped us survive and sustain our peoples-"

"On one condition," murmured Marissa. "You will erect a grand, life-size statue depicting my likeness in excruciating detail – down to the waves of my hair, the contours of my dress and figure, and the paleness of my skin – and you will place this statue in the capital of your nation."

The Kritter looked at Marissa with nervousness and subtle disbelief. "You want this statue in color?!"

"Only if you want your precious bean seedlings and fish," Marissa answered.

"But...why?"

Marissa narrowed her eyes at the Kritter leader. "To serve as a constant reminder of who is the almighty ruler of this world. Mark my words – when you and others of your generation pass from this world, you will be forgotten, but I will not. Never forget that my existence reigns supreme over all, undying and infinite. And everyone who comes after you for countless ages into the future will know this truth. Am I understood, peon?"

"Yes, my lord," the Kritter leader replied.

"Good. Now, I will be checking in on you every now and then with my Malocchio Eye. If you do not have that statue up...let's say by the start of spring? That's three-ish months, right? February...March...uh...well if you count this week then that makes it... You know what – just get it up in three months! BUT if you fail to construct it in time...well, you remember what happened to Isle Delfino, right?"

"Yes, my lord," the Kritter leader said, quaking as he and the other Kritters stood up. "We understand and accept the terms..."

Marissa pointed off into the distance. "Then go and begone from my sight!"

* * *

Nearly an hour of trekking north through the Donut Plains and the Kruna found nothing. Except for the mountains on their left and the receding forest on the right, the area was flat and patchy with grass. A few moments ago, they started to see a river and another line of mountains far off behind the trees, though Ramona's pendant kept pointing her straight up ahead whenever she scoped with her Luster Swordstaff.

"You know, I just had a thought about something," said Marut. "If we go along with Marissa keeping whatever Crystal Tears she found scattered with her archfiends because she doesn't want anyone tracking them and finding out where she is, but at the same time, we know where she is, but she probably thinks we're dead, but then Kokoro's also looking for them too, and he has the Master Pendant, then...uh...wait, hold on, I thought I had it–"

"Don't get yourself confused, bro," said Bowser.

"No-no-wait!" exclaimed Marut. "Let me see...uh...um...okay, okay. If she's trying to avoid the Master Pendant, does that mean that the Master Pendant could beat Marissa somehow?"

"Hmm...that's actually not a bad point," said Athelstan. "Maybe someone powerful enough wearing the Master Pendant could beat her. Or the Master Pendant could take her over like it took over Grekka."

"I'd like to think she would've had more urgency trying to get rid of it if any of that were the case," said Warra.

"But maybe she has tried to get rid of it already and just couldn't!" replied Marut. "Like, remember when we thought we had left it in that other dimension, but then it somehow got back here to this one?"

"Cut it short – someone's coming in fast from behind," Bowser then said, seeing through the omnidirectional vision of his Alkemei Kracielle. "A bunch of people."

The others stopped when Bowser alerted them. They had reached a large, elliptical open field when they saw a dust cloud kick up opposite the direction they had been walking in. Then the noisy source of the disturbance arrived. Twelve Bandits rode in, all on motorcycles; ten of which had Snifits riding with them. When they saw the Kruna, they split to either side of them and drove around in broad circles.

"Raiders!" Neva said, taking aim with her bladestaff's crossbow.

"No, no!" Warra said. "They're moving too fast to shoot. Wait for them to make a move."

"This isn't really a problem..." said Daisy. "They're on bikes."

"Give us them jewels!" one of the Bandits demanded.

"You don't even know how to use these!" Athelstan yelled, tapping into his Alkemei Odina. With the double-strength boost, he twisted his waist around and slammed both his fists into the ground, generating a huge shake that knocked all the raiders off their bikes. Bowser followed up with a veritable fireball from his mouth at a bike, reacting with the gas inside and causing a widespread explosion that scattered most of the raiders.

One of the Bandits jumped up from out of the explosion with a five-pronged hook and chain and threw it at Marut. The Kruna of Air countered with his Gust Boomerangs to blow the hook away, causing the Bandit to get yanked off to the side with the chain. Taking out his Dragon Bladestaff, Marut made a massive sweeping slash at the ground in the direction of a large group of downed motorbikes. The burst of hurricane-force wind from his staff made the bikes flop and tumble over several dozens of yards away.

The Snifits had already taken up position around the Kruna and got set to fire their bullets. Not ready for the assault, the Kruna dove and went prone to avoid the shots. Other Bandits ran at them, spinning more hooked chains around at their sides and over their heads.

Just as the Snifits got ready to fire again, a ghastly growl roared through the atmosphere. The raiders all stopped what they were doing and ceased all movement. Neither the Snifits or Bandits carried out an attack, giving the Kruna a chance to spring up off the ground unchallenged.

"What was that?" asked Marut.

"I don't know, but my Alkemei's humming more now," said Ramona. "I don't think the direction has changed much, but I got a feeling those Crystal Tears are moving towards us. I can double check with my swordstaff-"

Another growl rattled through the air. Almost immediately after hearing that one, the Bandits and Snifits ran for their motorcycles, got on, and rode off without so much as even looking back. All of a sudden, they didn't care one bit about the Kruna or their pendants.

"They certainly were in a hurry," said Warra.

"Sounds like this little conflict let someone know that we're here," said Neva. "Hmm; who's more responsible? Bowser for his explosion or Athelstan for shaking the ground?"

"Doesn't matter," said Daisy. "I'm willing to bet that's the Dark Summoner we're hearing. Let's go chase him down before he runs away-"

"Hey, don't get cocky, alright?" Bowser said to the Kruna of Earth. "If that is one of Marissa's archfiends, then we're gonna have our hands full."

"Not likely," said Daisy. "Have you guys picked up on the energy signature that creature's sending out? It's weak."

"Comparatively speaking, Daisy," said Warra. "It's probably not as strong as you were expecting, but it's still very formidable against our current levels of power. And you know how some beings can give off unnatural or false signals-"

The Kruna of Water came to an abrupt halt in his speech when Daisy took off into a light run up the open field. Marut and Andrew then both broke out into a dash to follow her. Again, the appalling roar rocked the air with its menacing sound.

Warra sighed and looked around as he and the other Kruna started up the field. "Always on the move..." he muttered to himself.


	14. Chapter XIV

The Burden of Power:

Daisy, Marut, and Andrew hurried up through the open fields of the Donut Plains, the echoing roars getting louder the further north they ran. The rest of their team followed from way back and spread out to cover the areas off to the sides that the lead Kruna ignored. Ramona's Pendant of Detection hummed and vibrated stronger and stronger as they continued up the plains.

Suddenly, Daisy yelled, "Stop!" She shifted sideways to put on the brakes, and Marut and Andrew did the same to come to a halt at her left and right. They glanced all around at the apparent graveyard they had run up to, the growling sounding off louder than ever.

"It's coming from the ground!" Andrew said, leaning forward to listen in.

"Come on out!" Daisy yelled. She pulled back a fist charged with seismic energy and punched the ground. The entirety of the graveyard shook and rumbled like waves tearing through the ocean. The other Kruna ran up just in time to see the tail end of the shockwave tremoring underneath the small collection of tombstones.

"What did you do?" an agitated Warra asked Daisy.

"I'm just trying to draw out whoever's making that growling!" Daisy barked at him.

"Well, it hasn't responded to that microquake," said Andrew. "Maybe you knocked it unconscious?"

"Oh, that won't do us any good!" Daisy muttered, pulling her arms to the side and angling her torso at the ground. "If that thing's got any Crystal Tears, we can't get to him if he's out cold in the ground."

"Now what are you doing?" asked Warra.

Daisy charged more seismic earth energy through her hands. "Clear the area – I'm tunneling in-"

As soon as she said that, a pink light emerged from underground and flared up through the dirt several yards in front of the Kruna. A long, spindly arm burst free from the light and clawed at the barren soil to anchor itself. The body the arm pulled out sprang up quick and greeted the eight elemental wielders with the ear-jarring roar they had been hearing since the raider attack.

The Kruna covered their ears as the light disappeared to reveal the source of the horrid sounds. A goat-headed, yellow-eyed, spindly fiend stood before them in a red and black cloak with a massive cleaver sword sporting a gunmetal gray horn instrument attached and perpendicular to the blade hilt. The horn instrument looked like a smaller, less dramatic version of the two thick and wild horns coming out of his head.

"That must be Dark Summoner..." Ramona whispered.

"Ya sure it's not a baby Yoshi?" Neva said with a frown.

"DIEEEEEEEEEE!" the demon screamed, slashing at the air with his free hand. A wave of pink energy flew out from his swipe and barreled over the Kruna. The attack brought down all eight of the wielders and cleared them away from the fiend in an instant.

"Is that weak to you?" Warra asked Daisy, propping himself up on his hands.

Daisy flipped back to her feet. "I guess we shouldn't've stood so close."

"Really?" Bowser muttered. " _That's_ your takeaway from this?"

"DIEEEEEEEEEE!" Dark Summoner howled again. He levitated into the air, no feet hanging out from underneath his cloak, and flew at the recovering Kruna. Athelstan swung his hulking Obelisk Swordstaff to block the demon's incoming swing of his own weapon. The massive upward counter swing from Athelstan knocked the Dark Summoner off balance as a result of the potent force the stone wielder produced. Further enraged, Dark Summoner roared again and swung his sword around in a sweeping motion. He rode the momentum to spin around into a fierce, continuous rotation and flew at the Kruna with this revolving attack.

"Get out of the way!" Warra called out, staying put. The other seven Kruna leapt away as Warra grabbed the rod of his Tidal Swordstaff. Dark Summoner continued to fly at him with his vicious spin attack, though Warra stood at the ready to counter.

"He's gotta get the timing right," Bowser said.

Just as the Dark Summoner got close enough, Warra pulled out his swordstaff and swung at him. He did no damage to the demon, but his counter maneuver proved effective in defending against and breaking through such a fast moving attack. Dark Summoner flipped further up into the air before he recovered from the recoil of the blade collision.

Holding up his sword, Dark Summoner charged a dense amount of energy into the blade, giving it a bright pink glow. With a twist of his weapon, he fell out of the air and slammed the sword onto the graveyard floor, creating a shockwave far too quick for any of the Kruna to defend against. Being the furthest one away at the time, only Bowser avoided taking damage from the hit. Retreating into his shell offered an excellent defense against the concussive energy. Just as soon as he felt the last of the energy push past him, Bowser spun out of his shell and onto the offensive.

Dark Summoner parried and charged more power through his sword as Bowser ran up with his Blazer Claws out. With a hard clang, the two began an exchange of sweeps, swipes, and blocks with the metal of their respective tools. Dark Summoner had the height advantage even without his added levitation. As he dodged, blocked, and attacked, Bowser couldn't tell if the Dark Summoner was smiling, frowning, or incapable of expression altogether.

Bowser blocked a swing, batted away a stab, threw out a slash, caught a counter-slash with his free claw, threw out a counter to the counter – all resulting in metal-on-metal contact. The other Kruna got ready to provide backup but held off on interfering. Then, against one hard down swing, Bowser caught the attack overhead with both of his Blazer Claws. Locked in, Bowser flared fire around his claws and slashed up and out. The maneuver wrenched free the Dark Summoner's blade and sent it flying off to the side of the graveyard.

Roaring once more, Dark Summoner shifted in a blur back and far away from Bowser. The demon held out his hand, ripping his sword around the side of the graveyard and back into his grip through telekinetic means. Bowser and Warra signaled to the other Kruna to remain spread out.

"See? Not a problem!" Daisy shouted at Warra. "We're doing fine so far, wouldn't you say?"

"DIEEEEEEEEEE!" Dark Summoner screamed again.

"Is 'die' all he knows how to say?" said Neva.

Dark Summoner held up his sword and blew through the horn on its hilt. The short tune he played reverberated in all directions and sounded unlike any known mortal instrument in existence. Immediately after he stopped playing his horn, cracking, cackling, and clattering became audible from an unseen source.

"Oh, I have a _bad_ feeling about this," Warra muttered, shaking his head.

Dark Bones erupted from under the ground in front of the Dark Summoner. Fifty of them. Another thirty popped-up out of the ground some distance behind the Kruna just seconds later.

"KIIIIIILL!" Dark Summoner screamed at the Dark Bones.

"Hey, look at that," said Athelstan. "He knows two words!"

"Oh boy, undead things..." Ramona mumbled. "Creepy, limping, rotting dead things moving around like they're not dead..."

"We got them coming from the front and the rear," said Warra. "Five of us up front! The other three, handle the back!"

The Dark Bones broke into lumbering runs at the Kruna. Marut, Athelstan, and Daisy turned around to take care of the Dark Bones coming from the south while the others confronted the ones originating from Dark Summoner's position. As the Kruna did battle with the Dark Bones, Dark Summoner played his horn again. The demon's tune played differently this time.

Marut dug one end of his Dragon Bladestaff into the ground and swung around it with his feet out to dismantle the Dark Bones surrounding him. When he came to a stop however, he saw portals opening up in front of the Dark Summoner through which Broozers and Doppel ghosts flew out. Not only that, but the Dark Bones he and the other Kruna had already destroyed were starting to put themselves back together.

"KIIIIIILL!" Dark Summoner screamed at the sixty ghosts.

Ramona fired a large portion of light energy at Bowser, who caught it in his hands, condensed it with his fire, mixed the two elements together, and then cast the flames around himself to encase his body in an aura of fiery light energy. Brilliantly shining in multicolored strobe-effect flashes, Rainbow Bowser tore along the ground and rammed into the Dark Bones, Broozers, and Doppels around him and nearby the other Kruna up front. Neva's Alkemei Hien had copied Dark Summoner's shockwave attack from earlier, so while Rainbow Bowser took down enemies on one side of the graveyard, Neva ran away from the rest of her team and drew enemies over to the other side. She charged her Blizzard Bladestaff and slammed it on the ground to release Dark Summoner's space-clearing shockwave attack on the enemies closing in on her.

The Dark Summoner blew on his horn yet again, producing four more portals on the south end of the graveyard for more Broozers and Doppels to appear out of. The mass amount of enemies force the Kruna to regroup in the center. The Dark Bones kept reassembling, and Broozers and Doppels kept flying out of the portals to replace the defeated ghosts.

"Well this sure escalated quick!" Andrew spat out as he dealt a multithrust on nearby enemies.

"How many of these things is he gonna bring here?" said Marut, swinging at the Dark Bones lumbering at him.

Bowser dashed in a large circle around the Kruna to take out as many enemies as he could and buy some time until his rainbow power-up ran out. He then fell back to the other Kruna to recover and let the others go on the offensive.

"SHOTGUN!" Daisy screamed, thrusting her open palm forward. Seismic power poured from her hand in wide waves to ripple through the Dark Bones in front of her, while Andrew put out a twisting, winding Gemivado shadow wave to clear out enemies offset her. Coincidentally, the short but sideways sweeping range of Daisy's elemental attack angled into where Andrew had just released his and cleared out a large partition of the foes caught in the Kruna of Shadow's darkness.

"Back off, Daisy!" barked Andrew. "Those were mine – go find your own!"

Daisy only laughed and stuck her tongue out at him as she stomped her foot on the ground to prepare another technique. Though Daisy's and Andrew's attacks took out a great deal of enemies, more Dark Bones burrowed out from underneath the ground. The amount of enemies around the Kruna skyrocketed well into the hundreds before long. It seemed whatever Dark Bones they destroyed rebuilt themselves moments later, and whatever Broozers and Doppels they vanquished got replaced by more flying out of the portals.

"If this was a video game, the frame rate would be dropping like mad right about now," mumbled Marut.

"They're resisting my ice!" asked Neva. "I coat them in the stuff and they just break free!"

"DIEEEEEEEEEE!" Dark Summoner roared.

"What – you wanna play monopoly?!" Andrew yelled at the demon.

"Hey, Daisy; how about using that pendant of yours, hmm?" asked Neva.

"I've got a better idea!" Daisy replied. She leapt into the air and somersaulted to propel into the middle of a mounting sea of undead creatures and pulled her charged right hand back. Upon landing, she palmed the ground and devastated a large faction of Dark Bones and ghosts with her Crystal Smash. She then dashed at a nearby group and made so mighty of an Iaido slash with her Terra Bladestaff that the Dark Bones taking the brunt of the hit not only broke down but fractured and fragmented.

"How is that better?!" Neva snapped. "Just use the damn pendant already!"

"We can't just take them apart," Daisy said. "We gotta actually break those parts, see? Bet they can't reassemble if they're too shattered!"

"Oh, big frickin' whoop!" yelled Neva. "You did all that to annihilate _four_ of them when there's hundreds more!"

Ramona released the bending, convex light rays of her Photovado on one group of enemies, and Marut threw out the slashing gusts of his Aerovado on another group. Warra added the ultra-pressurized waters of his Aquavado; and Athelstan, having gathered a wealth of rocks overhead, launched them at incoming enemies with his rapid-fire Povado technique. Unfortunately, as has proved to be the case with all the Kruna's attacks, their efforts only pushed back and stalled the advance of the undead.

"Our Vado blasts seem to be covering the most area," said Warra. "But they're still not getting us anywhere! Daisy, we need you to use your Orianthi!"

The Dark Summoner must have noticed the stalemate developing, for he blew into his horn yet again. Bowser's Alkemei alerted him to the massive portal opening up in the skies high overhead. Twenty Greapers floated out and hovered in the air, drifting in a circle several hundreds of yards overtop of the Kruna.

"We're running out of time, Daisy!" Bowser snapped. "Use your Alkemei! We'll surround you and hold them off while you activate it!"

"No – I can't manipulate the dead in such a way!" Daisy yelled. "We shouldn't have control over life or death – or the undead for that matter! It's wrong and immoral!"

"You think he cares?!" Neva barked, pointing at Dark Summoner.

Marut shot lightning out of his hand, only to find it almost completely ineffective against the undead creatures. "Alright! Now I know that won't work..."

"Look, Daisy; I don't like the thought of such a power either," said Andrew. "But if you don't do something with it, then we're _all_ gonna be undead ourselves!"

"KIIIILL!" Dark Summoner screamed at the Greapers in the sky. The Greapers raised their scythes and did some sort of eerie aerial dance as they continued their circular hover. Eight colossal skeletal feet eased out of the portal the Greapers danced under. The legs attached to those feet then slowly descended from the portal, followed by two titanic skeletal bodies that cast shadows on the graveyard below. When Ramona and Neva looked up, they saw two skeletal mammoth Mastadooms – each one many times the size of Bowser and Athelstan combined – hanging out of the portal high above.

"If those huge skeletons land on the ground, we're all done for!" Ramona cried.

More urgent than ever, Neva screamed at Daisy. "Use your Alkemei, you fool!"

Daisy grimaced and tried to think of anything that could possibly get them out of their plight, but she came up with nothing. Going through and obliterating each Dark Bones creature would take far too much time, and the ghosts flying in from what seemed like every direction were a whole nother problem altogether. The Mastadooms overhead floated ever closer to the ground with each passing moment.

"Firestorm Thunder!" Bowser, Warra, and Marut yelled. Combining their fire, water, and air, they spawned a whirling cyclone of chaotic flames, water tendrils, and ripping gale winds. They dragged their elemental torrent in a circle all around the Kruna twice and then threw it back and forth along several parts of the graveyard floor. When their powers waned and the cyclone withered, a sizable gap existed where the three Kruna had pulled their elemental combo. Of course, the space created between the Kruna and the undead horde once again shrank as the Dark Bones rebuilt themselves and as more Broozers and Doppels flew out from the portals.

"We've got nothing left to attack with," Warra said, glancing at Daisy. "It's all on you now."

"Unless you think you can do something special in Nova Form, you have to use your pendant!" Bowser said.

 _Nova Form's not gonna help much at all here_ , Daisy thought, sighing as she clutched her Alkemei Orianthi. ... _That just leaves..._

"Just do it already!" Neva screamed.

Daisy's Alkemei Orianthi lit up and glowed as she tapped into its power. She felt the scope of her consciousness expanding and branching out from her body, almost as if she would consume anything she enforced her influence on.

 _I can take over the dead and breathe new life into them,_ Daisy said in her mind. She scanned the area and watched her friends fight off incoming enemies. _The problem is that it doesn't look like there are any available bodies that aren't empty..._

Then Daisy looked at the Dark Summoner, who was staring at her and the other Kruna. She looked back around at the hordes of Dark Bones, Broozers, and Doppels; then she gazed at the Greapers and the Mastadooms high in the sky. The skeletal mammoths, though being lowered down by the Greapers, appeared inanimate and under no direct influence.

 _I already hate doing this..._ Daisy hissed in thought. She raised her arms to guide her consciousness up high overhead. _Come on... Bend to my will..._

The Kruna of Earth immediatelyfelt some interference coming from Dark Summoner and the Greapers. When a few moments passed and nothing happened, Warra looked at Daisy and noticed her focus on the Mastadooms overhead. He glanced around at the other Kruna fending off the undead horde, then up at the Mastadooms, then back at Daisy, then at the Dark Summoner, and finally back at Daisy again before he figured out what was going on.

"Marut, take out the Greapers overhead!" Warra yelled. "Neva! Dark Summoner!"

Marut unlimbered his Gust Boomerangs and flung them up with extra wind to disrupt the Greapers and send them spinning away from the Mastadooms. As Marut attacked, Neva readied her crossbow and made a high jump. She shot an ice arrow at Dark Summoner, who did not seem to expect any of the Kruna to direct their focus away from the enemies in front of them to try and assault him. As a result, Neva caught him off guard with her arrow that pierced into his left upper chest and knocked him to the ground.

The Mastadooms plummeted out of the air, threatening to crush the Kruna with their weight. Athelstan ripped a boulder out from the ground outside the graveyard and launched it at one Mastadoom to get it to divert its fall. Ramona tapped just enough into her difficult-to-use, light wielder-native telekinesis to redirect the other Mastadoom's momentum away from the Kruna, managing to crush a handful of Dark Bones under the skeletal mammoth's weight in the process. The many other undead creatures stopped their forward movement and waited in place.

Dark Summoner got up in time to see Daisy turn around only far enough to stare him down. Her Alkemei Orianthi now had a sustained low glow. The Dark Summoner pulled the ice arrow out of his body and blew his horn to assert control over the Mastadooms, only for his own influence to get blocked himself. Judging by her fierce poker face, Daisy possessed total control over the mammoth skeletons and had no intention of relinquishing it. The Dark Summoner had spread himself too thin through his control over all the other undead creatures to override her.

The Mastadooms rose up, high and mighty over the hordes. Daisy cupped her hands on her arms and stared at the skeletal mammoths, uttering the simple phrase, "Crush all the Dark Bones."

The Mastadooms did as they were told, proceeding to smash, grind, and pulverize all the Dark Bones in their way. Dark Summoner directed all his undead creatures to attack the Mastadooms with a special hand sign and utterance of a word from an unknown language. Though the Broozers and Doppels engaged the Mastadooms, the skeletal mammoths ignored them and focused only on the Dark Bones beneath them. None of the Dark Bones or ghosts could do any significant damage to the Mastadooms.

"Wow, they do _exactly_ as she says," murmured Bowser. "They're focusing on the Dark Bones and not even acknowledging the existence of the Broozers _or_ Doppels."

"They're the perfect, obedient slaves," Warra mumbled in astonishment. He gazed at Daisy's blank expression. It was hard to tell what was going through her mind or just how much focus she put on controlling the Mastadooms. _No matter how much the Alkemei Orianthi turns out helping in all this, I'm sure she's probably hating every second of using it,_ Warra thought.

"KIIIILL!" Dark Summoner yelled.

"Daisy! Behind you!" Bowser screamed.

Daisy clutched her Terra Bladestaff and pulled it out in a wicked, spin draw attack on the incoming Greapers. She batted six of them away on the first swing, then dished out more swipes with her staff to fend off the other fourteen. Just as she slashed the last one away, Dark Summoner sent a bolt of concussive energy at her. Daisy didn't turn around to see it in time, but Warra did and promptly stepped in to deflect the pink burst upward.

Luckily, Daisy kept enough concentration on the Mastadooms during that exchange to maintain control over them. As the Mastadooms continued obliterating the Dark Bones, Dark Summoner charged at Warra. Tidal Swordstaff in his hands, Warra swung and clashed with Dark Summoner's sword.

"Don't pay any mind to me!" Warra said to Daisy. "Just keep control over the skeletons!"

Warra faltered under Dark Summoner's strength and got knocked to the side, too fatigued to put up more resistance. Athelstan ran at Dark Summoner before the demon reached Daisy and slammed his left foot into him, his Alkemei Odina compounding with his Boot Club Additions for a brutal hit. Before he flew too far, Dark Summoner expelled some energy around him to stop his momentum; but the force of the hit jarred him enough to break his focus on all the portals in the graveyard. With the portals gone, reinforcement ghosts stopped flooding in.

By this time, the Mastadooms had flattened all but a few squadrons of Dark Bones. The Broozers and Doppels continued attacking the giant skeletons, but to no success. Dark Summoner knew that he had to get to Daisy and disrupt her control over the Mastadooms to regain control of the battle, but Athelstan and Ramona stood in his way; and not far from them, Andrew and Neva stood ready and poised to attack. Bowser, Marut, and Warra had no energy left and were fatigued, but they were not out.

Daisy pointed at the ghosts once the Mastadooms finished off the last of the Dark Bones. "Destroy the Broozers, Doppels, and any remaining Greapers lurking around here."

The Mastadooms obeyed the command from their master and attacked the ghosts. They rammed into the spectres, using their legs, skulls, and tusks as weapons. Even though none of the ghosts had any chance, they fought the Mastadooms in complete compliance with Dark Summoner's last command.

Dark Summoner readied his horn to blow another tune, but before he could, Neva shot an ice arrow into the instrument, rendering it unplayable. Emitting yet another one of its roars, the Dark Summoner swung his sword around and slammed it on the ground to blast a vertical concussive slash her way. Athelstan stepped in front of Neva and bashed his swordstaff into the incoming attack, only for him and Neva to get knocked back from the concussion recoil when he made contact.

Dark Summoner then rose into the air above the graveyard, charging his sword with more power to strike once more. But he stopped. As he looked around, he found nothing left of his undead army but withered ghost bodies and crushed, crumbled bones. His line of sight shifted to Daisy, who didn't even glance at him when she pointed her finger at him.

The Kruna cleared out of the way as the Mastadooms lumbered toward the floating Dark Summoner. His sword still charged with power, Dark Summoner flew at the Mastadooms and swung his sword at the one up front, only for the skeletal mammoth to block with its tusks. Swinging its head around, the Mastadoom stabbed one of its tusks into the Dark Summoner and jerked its head to fling the demon face-down onto the ground.

By the time Dark Summoner rolled over, all he saw was the bottom of the other Mastadoom's foot as it came down to stomp on him. And then he didn't see anything; nor even had anything to see out of. Their task complete, the Mastadooms held their position and awaited for further commands.

"Thank you," Daisy wearily said to the Mastadooms. She took a deep breath and shut her Alkemei off. The Mastadooms then froze and became inanimate once again.

Ramona's Alkemei stopped vibrating and now gave off a hard, slow-rhythm flash brighter than any of its previous illuminations. She looked ahead and saw five shining pieces of crystalline material scattered around the Dark Summoner's mangled body and the Mastadoom leg still on top of him. Marut ran over to scoop up the pieces and brought them back to the group.

"Five Crystal Tears," said Ramona, taking the rose gold drops from Marut. Each one looked to be no bigger than the size of one of her fingernails, yet they looked unique in their contours and shape. Once the tears were in her possession, her Alkemei Motomeru went back to its normal low glow state.

"Whew, that was a close one!" said Athelstan. "I thought we were done there! Like, D-U-N – 'done!' It looked really bad!"

"I think we all might have thought that," said Bowser. "Even if only for a second." He peered over at Daisy, who stared blankly at her hands with a soft frown.

"Exceptional work to pull that one off, everyone," said Warra. "A close call, but a hard-fought victory for all of us nonethe-"

Warra paused when he heard a few loud cracks. The other Kruna turned and looked at the Mastadooms. The bones of the skeletal mammoths had shifted some, resulting in the noise as they continued to shift some more. When a couple of torso bones fell to the ground, other parts of the Mastadooms became unsteady and wobbled.

"Everybody, back off from the mammoths!" Athelstan yelled.

The Kruna darted out of the graveyard and up the field. Moments later, they heard a loud crash and glanced back to see half of one Mastadoom crumbling and falling apart. Then, a larger amount of the second Mastadoom collapsed inwards.

"And with that, doesn't look like we're going to _that_ graveyard again," said Daisy.

"What an absolute mess," said Ramona.

"That's bound to draw out some more unwanted passersby," said Warra. "We should leave this part of the Donut Plains and look for an open area a little further up north where we won't attract any more hostile attention. Then I'll radio-in for the Koopa Cruiser."


	15. Chapter XV

Ghosts of Tomorrow:

Towards the northern section of the Donut Plains, the Koopa Cruiser landed and opened its doors to the waiting Kruna Yura. It was just a little over an hour after the Dark Summoner battle ended when Waluigi and Toadette brought the airship down. As soon as the Kruna all got onboard, the Koopa Cruiser rose off the ground and took flight.

The elevator opened up in the cockpit as Waluigi and Toadette drove the airship higher up over the Donut Plains on the way back to the Nirvana Barrier. All the Kruna, minus Bowser, came out the elevator and scattered around the room, most of them collapsing onto the chairs in fatigue. Ramona walked up to the co-pilots and showed them the Crystal Tears.

"Lookie what we got!" the grinning Kruna of Light said. "Five of them!"

"Didn't doubt you guys for a second!" Toadette replied. She and Waluigi each high-fived Ramona in turn.

"We'll be back up into the Nirvana Barrier and then home free in just a matter of minutes!" Waluigi exclaimed. "Great job down there. Guess you guys are good for something!"

"Are we, now," Andrew flatly muttered, prompting a laugh and light jab in the arm from Neva.

"Here's a fun fact!" said Athelstan. "There's a lake in the Donut Plains dead in the middle of the two mountain ranges housing a secret passage that can take you to an underground valley!"

"And in what way is anything underground fun?!" asked Marut.

"I was referring to the tidbit of knowledge," said Athelstan.

"Okay, then in what way is boring geography stuff fun?!" asked Marut.

"Where's Bowser?" asked Toadette, looking back behind her at the Kruna.

"He's in one of the dorm rooms on the main level," replied Ramona. "That last battle wore him out a little more than the rest of us. You would not believe what we had to go through to get these tears!"

* * *

Marissa hovered over a town on the outer bounds of the Mushroom Kingdom, surveying the dozens of Skalfers stalking about through the streets and in the watch tower near its center. She had the skeletal warriors guarding all along the Arkana Force Field, both inside and out. Besides a limited number of civilians she allowed to inhabit the Mushroom Kingdom outskirts, the Skalfers made up the vast majority of the kingdom's population. And despite their appearance and minimal amount of flesh, the armed skeletons lived with sentience.

 _I should hope I don't have to worry about treachery from these guys too,_ Marissa mused. _It seems life breeds independent thought far too easily..._

At that moment, she felt someone trying to contact her via telepathic communication. _What's the situation, Dark Usurper?_ Marissa said in her mind.

 _I have found a fourth Crystal Tear, my lord,_ Dark Usurper responded.

 _Excellent,_ Marissa said. _Dark Summoner found one a few weeks ago. He now has five himself. I believe The Suffering guards one the last I checked. Savage and Dark Marauder are on the hunt to add to their totals, and Dark Siren is scouring Mystic Lake as we speak. Remain in The Great Valley and guard the tears you've collected. And if any slithering_...odious... _REPUGNANT_...SOUL STEALING... _LIGHT WIELDING DEMONS WITH A CERTAIN_ PENDANT _THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE GET IN YOUR WAY...slaughter him on the spot and leave his body to decay and rot... You know who I'm talking about._

 _Understood, my lord,_ Dark Usurper replied before breaking off the telepathic link.

 _These Crystal Tears are a terrible, cursed pain to track down,_ Marissa then thought, frowning. _Then again, that's why I have my archfiend commanders hunting them down for me. With those Kruna dead by Dark Sentinel's hands, maybe I should turn that robot on Kokoro. He's the last remaining threat to me, and it's only because that Master Pendant is giving him power._

The demon witch smirked, a hint to Kokoro's whereabouts coming to her. _Dark Summoner was the last one who spotted him,_ she thought _. I should ask if he has seen him lurking and skulking about there in the Donut Plains as of late. I'll bet Kokoro would not move on elsewhere without at least attempting to steal Dark Summoner's Crystal Tears._

Marissa focused her thoughts to seek out the Dark Summoner, yet had trouble finding the archfiend. _Hey! Dark Summoner! Dark Summoner! I'm trying to get in contact with you!... Hey! Where are you?! You're supposed to be in the Donut Plains!_

She got no response from anyone. Impatient, Marissa looked through her Malocchio Eye and projected her Remote Viewing over the Donut Plains. With a rough look through the area, she did not find the Dark Summoner anywhere.

 _Dark Summoner! Answer your lord!_ Marissa growled. _Don't try and play coy with me! If you're still mad about me saying you need to learn how to speak more than two words in the English language, just get over yourself already!_

Still, no response.

 _"_ WHY IS DARK SUMMONER NOT ANSWERING ME?!" Marissa screamed out loud. "Did he get crushed under a mammoth?! What a slacker!" She tried establishing telepathic contact with him again. _Dark Summoner, I swear to me – if you don't answer, I am going to come down there and tear you a wide new one! RIGHT, UP, YOUR, BUTTOCKS!_

Even with her threat, she got no response in return. Marissa waited a few more moments. She heard nothing.

"Officer!" Marissa screamed at the Skalfer at the top of the watch tower. "O-pen the force field!"

* * *

The Koopa Cruiser emerged from the Nirvana Barrier back into the sunshine of the skies above when Warra went down to the bottom level to look for Daisy. The Kruna of Earth had looked increasingly numb and apathetic during the flight and had left the cockpit by herself just moments ago. When Warra found her, she was sitting at a table in the airship's kitchen. She had her head on her outstretched arm while she used her free hand to fiddle with a water bottle.

"Hey," said Warra, walking up to take a seat next to her.

Daisy didn't say anything immediately, nor did she even look at Warra. When she spoke, she stared at her water bottle and kept toying around with it. "Did I essentially just kill somebody with a zombie?" she asked.

"You commanded an undead Mastadoom skeleton to eliminate a demon, yes," replied Warra.

"... Master Terran said the honorable thing is not to kill," murmured Daisy. "But does that include demons and monsters and evil beings?... If Marissa wasn't immortal, would we have still tried to trap her in an Elemental Seal or would we just have killed her?... Who really decides who gets to live and who gets to die?... "

"Daisy, we have a responsibility as Kruna; now so more than ever, considering the current state of the world. If we are to protect and serve as guardians of the elements and of civilized society, we are going to come across instances where we have to kill to prevent others from being killed. As utilitarian as that may sound, that is the burden we're all dealt with."

Daisy shrugged. "It's just...I don't know – I mean, I get it, but... Master Terran always taught me the honorable thing, you know... He taught me so many things... Live a life of virtues and values... Be open-minded and accept all dreams and possibilities... Don't judge..." She shook her head, almost looking like she was going to laugh. "I like to see the good in everybody... It makes it feel so wrong to take a life when I think of how that life could have a chance to change... I mean, who am I to just have the final say on a person's life when they haven't even had their final say themselves?"

Warra sighed and gave Daisy a hearty pat on the back. "Remember how I killed Grekka? How he begged one of us to kill him before the Master Pendant turned him into a monster? There wasn't anything we could do about it. We all knew we had to kill him. But we all more or less thought very similarly to what you're thinking now. When I leapt and...made my move, I blotted out all my thoughts and feelings and just did the deed. Some things just have to be done, Daisy. It's unfortunate and brutal how Grekka had to go; just as it's terrible how Terran met his end."

Warra leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. "Grekka did have good in him. But the only way to save him was to kill him... I did what had to be done and hated everything about it. The only ones who actually enjoy killing are the truly evil ones."

Warra's statement made Daisy flashback to the enemies they faced as a team; specifically on a select handful. Vodyanoy...Gargoyle Nukpana...King Boo...Kokoro... Marissa. All five of them had a sadistic predisposition and a penchant for merciless, bloodthirsty behavior.

"People like Marissa are why Rosalina and her associates of the Comet Observatory mandated the No-Kill Policy for Kruna," said Warra. "I believe that they know full well that we can't solve every single thing in a non-lethal way. Their policy is just their way of discouraging lethal methods. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble for slaying Grekka. And technically, I did also kill Nukpana; from a certain point of view, anyways. That was his own lightning, but I put together the mass of water that made him absorb too much, didn't I?"

Daisy kept quiet and just kept staring at her water bottle. Though she still had her hand on it, she stopped playing with it and just held its base in front of her on the table. She wondered how many living beings Mario and Luigi had killed in their many adventures. Of course, they were held to a much different standard than her and the Kruna. That in and of itself made her wonder what and how much the Mario Bros could get away with. _But I always thought Mario and Luigi were way more heroic than any of us had been,_ she said in her mind, wincing.

Warra crossed his arms and made a somewhat amused face. "There's a story back where I'm from about a demon who wanted nothing more than to mingle and live among society. But the world only saw him for his demon form and did not allow such a thing. They feared him...hated him...rejected him...and they never even got to know who he was as a living, breathing, feeling being. It took one special person to look past the demon's harsh, wicked exterior and help him out for him to transform into a human. From then on, society accepted him, but if not for that one person who saw him for his character and heart, then he would still be trapped in his life as an exiled recluse. And maybe then, he'd get angry and bitter towards society and develop a desire for vengeance."

Warra got up out of his seat and went for the door. "That's the common dilemma that comes up, anyways. It makes you wonder about perspectives and how different things can be just based off of differing points of view and some small changes in a sequence of events. It's an old story, but I thought it'd do you good to hear it."

Just as Warra reached the doorway, Daisy looked up at him and said, "Thanks."

The Kruna of Water leaned on the doorway frame and turned for just a moment to give Daisy a light smile. He then said, "That was a swift Iaido strike on those Greapers."

Then Warra left the room. Daisy stared at the doorway for a little while and then let her eyes drift down at the table, now less upset than she had been; even if only a little less.

* * *

"Well, that explains it," Marissa said, sneering. She stood beside the pile of Mastadoom bones and the lone standing leg still sitting on top of Dark Summoner's crushed body. She had flown on her Dominion Scepter over much of the Donut Plains before spotting the mess from above.

 _Kokoro did this,_ the witch thought. _Dark Summoner must've called forth these behemoth skeletons, and then Kokoro somehow got them to crush their master._

She took a closer look at what she could see of Dark Summoner's corpse and scowled. The demon's Crystal Tears were nowhere to be found; neither anywhere on the body nor nearby.

 _Something's amiss here,_ Marissa then thought. She glanced around at the graveyard and noticed signs of upheavals in the layout of the immediate area. With a little more attention to detail, she studied all the piles of obliterated Dark Bones and lifeless Broozer, Doppel, and Greaper bodies. The sheer amount of creatures Dark Summoner brought forth provided cause for concern; especially considering the archfiend still didn't survive. Squinting, she looked back at the smashed demon and stared at the body as she backed away.

"I sense a disturbance," Marissa murmured, hopping on her Dominion Scepter. She glared all over the area once more before taking off and rocketing away.

* * *

Later that evening in her room at the Rainbow Suite, Ramona took the five Crystal Tears from earlier that day and put them in a wide metal jewelry box. When the Kruna had returned to Rainbow City aboard the Koopa Cruiser, Rosalina was waiting for them outside the Docking Bay and gave Ramona the box for her to hold onto.

"Put any Crystal Tears you find in this box and then keep this box in your room at the suite, Kruna Ramona," Rosalina had said to her. "The tears won't alarm your Alkemei when you put them in the box. You're going to keep the key on your person and you will make sure that every time you open that box, you close it and you lock it."

As Rosalina had directed, Ramona closed the box and stuck the key in to lock it tight once she got all the tears in. She put the box in the drawer of her nightstand and put the box key on a ring with her room key. With that, she got up and walked out the room door.

A little ways down the hall, Daisy sat in the chair of her room. Lying back and staring out the window over Central Island into the beginning of the sunset, things had slowed down markedly for the Kruna of Earth compared to the frantic afternoon earlier. Even with the relaxing view however, she felt unsettled. Having the Alkemei Orianthi around her neck still bothered her to a high degree. Although, she wasn't sure whether actually using it or the fact that she had to use it in order for the Kruna to survive – let alone beat Dark Summoner – disturbed her more.

Daisy tugged at the Orianthi, wondering if it was right for her to even have it. Polari's response to her possession of the pendant had been nothing short of visceral. Rosalina, on the other hand, seemed not to mind and refused any notion of Daisy relinquishing possession of it. Daisy wanted to just get rid of the pendant already, but there was every chance that she might need to call upon its powers again in the future.

 _I may as well just keep it on, for now at least,_ thought Daisy. _Man, why couldn't I have gotten something fun?! Like a Pendant of Speed! Then I could finally outrun Marut! And my Flurry Punch could make twenty hits a second! Or, Pendant of Vegetation! Then I could have plants assist in battle! Or some sort of infinite energy Alkemei so I can do super cool and awesome earth wielder stuff all day! I really don't know how I feel about fighting for the common good with something like reanimation as a utility..._

Then Daisy had a peculiar thought. If the ones who originally made the Alkemei forged a Pendant of Reanimation, then what else could they have made? The question got her wondering just what kinds of possible Alkemei were out there, and just what limits the forgers actually put on their creations.

* * *

A steady rain developed and fell over Rainbow City as Andrew opened the door to his room in the Rainbow Suite. Once Neva walked in, he closed the door and locked it behind him. In his hands, he held a compact box that he had picked up from one of the citadel's shops after they had returned from the Donut Plains.

The Kruna of Shadow's room looked as similar to the other Kruna's rooms as one would expect. In fact, the only special features he kept included the larger mini-fridge and the water cooler. He also had a medium-sized electric kettle.

While Neva took a seat on the bed, Andrew walked over and opened up the large room window. The vertical rain didn't get in, but the sounds did. Andrew then took the kettle and filled it up with water from the cooler before plugging it in. With the water heating up, Andrew took his box and undid its wrapper.

"So we're actually doing this," murmured Neva.

"This is something I haven't gotten a chance to do enough of for a while," said Andrew. "Back home in Christmas Village, Ramona and I would make our own tea and drink it together on a near-daily basis. It was one of the things we did ever since we were kids. We've had tea recently, but we haven't had a chance to make our own since before we originally traveled to Sarasaland. I only just got this kettle yesterday."

"But why make tea when you can just go and get some already made?" asked Neva.

"Sure, we could just go to Starbeans and pick up some, of course," Andrew said. "But the truest, most wholesome form comes from making it yourself. Especially when it involves using Matcha."

Neva stared at Andrew, mystified as she watched him take out two tall ceramic cups from the cabinet in the table the kettle sat on. From a nearby drawer, he pulled out a tin and a pouch. With a deep breath, he grabbed a spoon from the table, wiped it with a cloth, and used it to begin adding some Matcha from the pouch to each cup.

"So, I figured that since everyone is busy, we could break this kettle in," said Andrew. "I needed a cup anyways. For peace of mind."

"Tea gives peace of mind?" asked Neva.

"Not on its own," he replied. "But it will help."

Once done with the pouch, Andrew grabbed a pair of spoons to stir each cup for when the kettle finished boiling the water. He then reached for the box he had walked in with and pulled two green tea bags from it to add to their cups. "I'm actually going to mix in some ground Ice Flower to it this time," he said as he sprinkled some into each cup from the tin he had pulled out.

"You must really like tea if you've got a whole area in your room here reserved just for it," said Neva.

"But of course," said Andrew. "A life without tea is a life in mutiny."

"What's so great about tea?" Neva asked.

Andrew turned around and raised an eyebrow. "You've never had tea before?"

"Well, just some ice tea, or some sweet tea."

"No no – that doesn't count. Those are fake and artificial. This'll be your first time drinking real, freshly brewed tea. _That_ is the only tea worth drinking."

Andrew turned the kettle off once he noticed the water boiling and poured some into the two cups. With each cup, he grabbed the teabag by the string and stirred the water with the spoon. When the Matcha and Ice Flower got dissolved enough, he stopped stirring, removed the spoon, and let the tea bag submerse back into the cup. He added nothing else to either cup of tea.

"Now, I ain't about to bust out into some zen monologue or anything like that," said Andrew, handing Neva her cup. "Not intentionally, anyways. This is a drink of cleansing, revitalization, and invigoration. I suggest you let it cool and brew for a little while. We keep the teabag inside the cup the whole time, until we've finished drinking."

Andrew then took a seat with his cup of tea – on the floor. He leaned his back against the side of his bed and let the vapors of his tea drift into his face. Neva looked at him and giggled, almost spilling some of the tea from her cup.

"So you have chairs in this room, and yet you're sitting on the floor," said Neva.

"And yet _you're_ sitting on my bed," said Andrew.

Neva turned red with embarrassment and then got up. "Sorry, I didn't even realize it. I thought I was in my room for some reason, heh..."

"You didn't have to get up," he replied. "I don't mind. Wherever you're comfortable. I personally prefer the floor a lot of the time. I have no reason for it. I just like it."

Intrigued, Neva didn't sit back on the bed. She knelt down next to Andrew and sat beside him on his right. The next thing she knew, she felt a sense of calmness and security fall on her.

"You're kinda blowing my mind right now," said Neva. "I mean, I'm so used to you being real intense and stuff..."

"I am aware I am troubled by numerous things," said Andrew. "The path to inner peace has always eluded me. It hinders the flow of my shadows, therein forcing me to waste energy to compensate. This is where tea has been a blessing."

"A blessing, huh?"

"Everything that goes into making and drinking tea restores a semblance of balance for me. Each cup is a test of everything I fail to demonstrate in everyday life. It requires quiet and even-tempered focus to make, patience to wait and let brew and cool, and a mindfulness on the present to truly experience. And a relaxed state of mind precedes all of that as a necessary prerequisite."

"Wow..." Neva murmured in amazement. "All that just from some boiled leaf juice..."

"I'll be honest," Andrew said. "It bothers me that Daisy continues to make strides towards inner peace, and yet I stall or even take steps backwards. It's like I'm falling behind when she just continues to get better. I wish no ill will on her, of course; but it still weighs on me nonetheless."

"Ah, no big deal, Shady," Neva said with a titter. "I like you just the way you are."

"Huh..." Andrew mumbled. "You do?"

About ten minutes passed before the tea cooled down enough to drink. Neva grabbed her cup and lifted it to her mouth to drink. It only took one large sip for her to recoil in displeasure and disgust.

"There's barely any sweetness or tangy flavor to this at all!" cried Neva. "What are you trying to have me drink here?! This is like some bitter grape skin!"

"You're just used to drinking things for taste," said Andrew. "Try drinking it again; but this time, only drink it for the tea."

As Neva raised the cup to sip from it again, Andrew continued to speak. "Don't try to seek out anything sweet or sour or bitter. Just focus on the tea itself. Drink the tea for the tea; not for what you want it to be."

Neva nodded and drank again. This time though, she did as Andrew said and didn't look for any specific taste. The strong, hearty flavors made for something other entirely when she let it wash down her mouth in a swallow that refreshed her with a warm but cooling sensation.

"This...is actually really nice," Neva said. "Thank you."

"Thank you for keeping me company," Andrew replied. "You're alright."

Neva gave a warm smile. "You're not too bad yourself."

"Well, just because I'm a little darker than most, doesn't mean I'm a menace," he said.

"I know," she replied as her smile deepened. She drank more of her tea and then leaned back with a long, content sigh.

* * *

Warra, Bowser, Athelstan, and Ramona talked with Rosalina that night in the top floor of the Rainbow City Library and Archives about something significant to their mission. They sat at a table where Rosalina had been drawing a diagram on a poster board paper to facilitate what she was trying to explain. As the most prominent graphic on the drawing, a bold line split and branched off into two separate segments. One of the splits had a two-way arrow running on the side of it, while the other split had a one-way arrow going in the direction of the branched path. Besides those features, the Elder of the Cosmos had drawn several other mini-diagrams and copious notes to further elaborate their situation. All of it came together to map out the Kruna's ultimate fate in time.

"The moment you all came to this time, you made the connection between this time and the timeline you came from," Rosalina said. "Your travel here, in layman's terms, put a split in the original timeline. You are of these two times now – you are of these two worlds now – so unless there's some sort of outside meddling from someone other, you need only concern yourselves with this time and your original time, for going back in time will send you back to a point right after where you came out."

"What if we got sent into the future again from this world?" asked Athelstan. "Does the timeline branch again or do we glitch reality?!"

"It's too overwhelming to think about 'what-ifs,' " said Rosalina. "So just to simplify things, you're bound to your time and this time and nothing else. I would not even think about screwing with time any more than Marissa already has. No one should even be messing with the flow of time in the first place. She broke a cardinal rule of the Universe – speed up or slow down time if you absolutely must, but NEVER travel through time. And to be clear, that rule only applies to us cosmic beings and deities – the only ones who should even be capable or allowed, for that matter, to tamper with time at all – and she broke that rule in ripping you guys free from your place in time and sending you here."

"Well, why don't we just go back to before Marissa even had the chance to call power from the Blood Moon?" asked Bowser. "That would effectively makes things easier, wouldn't it?"

"It would," said Rosalina. "Although you eight specifically will not be able to return to a time any earlier than the moment you left your original time. It seems that the laws of the Universe will cut you off right at the very point in which Marissa threw you into the portal – if you traveled straight from this time, I should add. And if we got someone else entirely and sent him or her back in time to that point, or if you went back to your own time and then somehow found the means to travel back in time from your time, then that would branch the timeline again, except, in this instance, in sort of a reverse order. So any good that person does in the past will only impact that new timeline their initial travel created. It wouldn't do you or any of us any good."

"So to avoid paradoxes, the Universe just splits into alternate timelines?" said Bowser.

"That's the only way we know of that would prevent existence from breaking apart," said Rosalina. "Otherwise, causal loops and consistency holes would wreak havoc on everything across the involved timelines."

"Wow," murmured Ramona, looking uneasy. "All this talk of timelines and alternate worlds is really spooky."

"And trippy," added Athelstan.

"It's definitely mind-boggling, I'll give it that," said Bowser.

"It really is," said Rosalina. "We're banking on Marissa's understanding of the implications of temporal tampering to prevent her from doing something too drastic or out of line. Luckily, the current state of the world doesn't give her any reason to mess with time, I'm sure. But enough on that subject for now. Before we even can consider getting to that point, we need to collect all the Crystal Tears – likely the sole blessing the Oracle of Fates left to us. The five you got today were a good start. Now you're all ready for another descent tomorrow, are you?"

"Yes, we all agreed on it earlier," replied Bowser. "Waluigi and Toadette said they'd be on standby and ready to go."

"Good," said Rosalina. "Then tomorrow morning, you all will travel down to the far south of the world. Our recon from a couple weeks ago indicates a powerful presence emanating from there in the Sunset Wilds. Given its formidable, surging power, we believe it to be a demon by the name of Dark Marauder. More likely than not, he has to have some Crystal Tears in his possession by now."

"And if he doesn't, I can find them!" Ramona said. She winked and flicked the gem of her Alkemei Motomeru.

"Please be especially careful with the demon stationed there," said Rosalina. "You bested Dark Summoner today, but he was the weakest of Marissa's archfiend commanders. The presence holding dominion over the Sunset Wilds is far more powerful. As one of the more dangerous of the archfiends, Dark Marauder will cause problems for you quick."

"What abilities does the Dark Marauder have?" asked Athelstan.

Rosalina paused for a moment and frowned when she gave her answer. "We don't know."

* * *

"You left us _..._ " a haunting, feminine voice said _._

A storm brought torrential downpours to the fields under the Nirvana Barrier. Colossal lightning flared all through the sky and zapped the very ground Daisy stood on. A spectral, glittering body of Princess Peach floated in the air and looked directly at the Kruna of Earth, her eyes blank.

Daisy grimaced as she covered her forehead to keep some of the rain out of her face. "Peach, I didn't-"

"You left us all to die."

"No, we got ambushed, and-"

"You did all this to us-"

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

"... Why did you leave..."

Daisy immediately sensed something strong behind her and turned around. Mario and Luigi stood, bloodied and littered with open wounds. They stared at her with indignation and disappointment.

"We were right," Mario said. "You're too weak."

"You're useless," Luigi said.

"Nothing more than a liability," Mario added.

"When we leave jobs to you, the whole world goes up in ruins!" Luigi yelled. He pointed down the field at a nearby city engulfed in fire.

"That's why _we_ should handle these things," Mario said. "Not _you!_ "

"Worthless!" Luigi grunted, spitting on the ground in front of him.

"Don't you call me WORTHLESS!" Daisy screamed, furiously transforming into her Nova Form. Her earth power exploded in a rotating, shimmering silver whir around her.

Loud laughing then echoed through the air. The top half of Marissa's body became superimposed in the skies above as the source of the twisted laughter. Taking up half the sky, she kept laughing and cackling at the entire planet.

"Weak," Luigi said.

"Worthless," said Mario.

"Useless," added Luigi.

"Can't lead," Mario said.

"How about I prove to all of you RIGHT NOW how worthless I really am!" Daisy growled, raising her left hand. Pulling from the ground beneath her, she materialized her Crystal Fist as her aura of earth energy intensified. "Get down here, Marissa! Let's end this all now!"

Marissa did not stop laughing. Daisy wondered if the witch even noticed her standing on the ground. Marissa just seemed to be looking down on the planet rather than at anyone in particular.

Further angered, Daisy barked at Marissa again. "Do you hear me?! Fight me!"

Marissa still laughed, with no apparent stop in sight. Mario and Luigi kept gazing at her with intense hatred. Daisy noticed and looked into their cold, unblinking stares.

"I can be just as good as you two!" Daisy yelled, raising her Crystal Fist at them. "You think I'm just some kind of extra? You know – I'm _real_ tired of you two underestimating me!"

"Then stop overestimating yourself..." Luigi said.

The demon witch's Malocchio Eye then flashed without warning. Daisy felt something cold go past her, prompting her to turn back around and look at Peach. In an instant, Peach's neck snapped, leaving her head to dangle on her left shoulder.

The sight made Daisy shut her eyes and look away in a heavy, wincing grimace, but all of it disappeared as soon as she restored her vision. She sat up and looked around, only to find herself in her room in the Rainbow Suite. The clock read 3:13 in the morning, late enough at night for most of Rainbow City's lights to be turned off. Her dream had made her alert and wide awake at a time when she needed just the opposite.

Daisy sighed, laying her head in her hands. She just barely muttered to herself, "Happened again..."


	16. Chapter XVI

An Enemy of Many Faces!:

From out the Koopa Cruiser over the Sunset Wilds the next morning, the eight Kruna Yura jumped and opened their Sail Gliders to make their second landing on the surface world. As they fell through the air, the Koopa Cruiser pulled back up through the Nirvana Barrier. The land below them was mostly a flat desert with ample, plentiful amounts of rock formations all over the region and beyond. Their descent point; an open area in a small village of stone cottages and cabins outside the densest portions of the desert rocks.

"Hey, Daisy!" Marut called up. "Can you do _this_?!"

With a quick snap of his body, Marut twisted to the side and up to do a barrel roll with his Sail Glider. The move shifted him further to his right in the air a little and gave him both a slight speed boost and a small jump in elevation. Daisy then tried it herself, followed by Andrew and Neva. With some reluctance, the other Kruna tried it as well.

"Wow, that's a mini adrenaline rush right there!" exclaimed Ramona.

"I think I'm gonna wait until I get more used to this before I try _that_ again," muttered Bowser.

"We're coming up on the village," Daisy yelled. "Spread and make a drop landing in the clearing!"

As the Kruna came near the space Daisy pointed out, they pulled up on their Sail Gliders to slow their speed and then folded them up. They fell just a short distance to the sandy ground and made a soft, controlled landing scattered along the open area. In front of them, four paired-rows of buildings forked outwards from their location. Behind them appeared to be a farming area struggling to grow crops. Whittles, Shy Guys, and Twilighters walked about the village dressed in various tribal robes, shorts, and even some ornamental headdresses. The Kruna's descent caught most of the attention of the villagers, who just froze and stared at the elemental wielders.

"They fell from the sky!" the Kruna heard from the assembling crowd.

"What are they doing here?"

"Are they enemies?"

"Someone call for Chief Boketto!"

"Look at that large dragon-turtle thing!"

"They could be Marissa's men; come to search for and arrest more insurgents."

"No, they don't _look_ like they're evil..."

"No evil. No fight. Stay calm."

"Until they start spazzing out in murderous swipes..."

"Then run. Fight. Hope and pray for best..."

A Shy Guy in washed out overalls and a straw hat walked up to the Kruna with his hands on a loaded rifle. He cocked his weapon and spat out of the mouth hole of his yellow mask. "Son, we don't take too kindly to you people trespassing 'round these parts."

"What do you mean _you people_?" Neva griped.

"Exactly what I said, dorky girl," the Shy Guy replied, taking another step closer. "What, does being short make it harder to hear, or does it just make you stupid?"

And just as soon as Neva lit up in a white hot rage, Andrew snatched her by the waist and held her back. Neva kept trying to charge at the Shy Guy, but the Kruna of Shadow's hold on her kept her from lashing out.

"C'mon, Shady! He called me short!" Neva screamed.

"But you are short," Andrew replied. In his hold, Neva's legs dangled in the air just off the ground.

"And then he called me stupid!" Neva then said. "Please? Can I just this once? I haven't decked someone in what feels like forever!"

"Looks like I get two for one right now," the Shy Guy said, taking aim with his rifle.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on! Time out! Lights out!" Marut hollered. "What did we do?!"

"I already told ya!" the Shy Guy snapped, pointing his weapon at Marut. "What are ya? Hard at hearing too, ya spindly green chicken wing?"

"Green chicken wing?" Marut repeated with an awkward face.

"You know, a double-barreled gun like that has a lot of reload time," said Athelstan. "So technically, even if you shot a couple of us, the rest could just rush you, take you out, and render your weapon almost entirely redundant." When the other Kruna turned and looked at him, he added a confused, "What?"

Daisy stepped forward to address the Shy Guy and the crowd. "Hi, I'm Daisy! We can, you know...put the gun away! And not shoot it at anyone! These are my friends and partners behind me; obviously, not trying to make spaztic, murderous swipes at anyone-"

"Still early!" Neva yelled.

After gasps from the crowd, Andrew then cuffed his hand around Neva's mouth and carried her back behind the other Kruna. As he backed away, the yellow-masked Shy Guy traced him with his gun, ready to shoot at any provocation.

"You can't hide a loud mouth, dark boy!" the armed Shy Guy shouted.

"Ya sure can't!" Andrew snapped back.

"Uh, right," Daisy said, scratching her head. "Anyways, we hope that we are not intruding into your community here. We are Kruna, in opposition of Marissa Arkana."

The small crowd of villagers mumbled among each other. Whether out of skepticism or optimism, Daisy's statement sparked intrigue in them.

"Kruna – now there's a name I haven't heard in a _long_ time," someone in the crowd said.

"Are they going to free us all from the demon witch?" someone else said.

"Put that gun away, Thom!" a Twilighter snapped at the yellow-masked Shy Guy.

Bowser leaned in to Warra to whisper into his ear, "Say you're Kruna and now no one's trying to pick a fight."

"Not here, at least," Warra replied.

"Yes, we are going to free everyone from Marissa," said Daisy. "But for us to defeat and overthrow her, it's gonna take some time. Right now, we're in search of Crystal Tears and a very dangerous demon."

"Are you talking about some shiny pink crystal shards?" a villager called out. "We had a few of those shards gathered from our scavenges before a demon came here and stole them from us just last month!"

"Have you seen this demon recently?" Daisy asked. "He goes by the name of, 'Dark Marauder.' Do you believe Dark Marauder and the demon who stole the Crystal Tears are the same person?"

A taller Shy Guy in red and orange with a fiery headdress stepped out in front of the other villagers. He carried a staff with a sun-styled head and spoke with a commanding voice. "I am Chief Boketto, the one in charge here," he said. "Dark Marauder does not sound familiar – unless... Ohhh – if you mean the _shapeshifter_ , then the one you seek and the one who assails us may be synonymous."

"What can you tell us about him?" asked Warra.

"Yes, the Dark Marauder..." said Boketto. "Oh yes, he is definitely one to be taken seriously. He has been lurking in the Sunset Wilds for several weeks now."

"He comes in out of nowhere and raids us at his own discretion!" a Twilighter said. "And his attacks are often lethal! He's already wiped out over half of Sunset Village's population! We're just an outskirt town for him to terrorize..."

"The weird thing is, whenever he swings through, he doesn't actually take anything," a different Shy Guy said. "It's like he just comes through to cause chaos and disruption on a whim!"

"Can't see him," a Whittle said. "Half the time, unnoticeable! We notice him leave. Sometimes. Too fast. Hard to see. Only scythe and lantern. Copies people."

"We don't even know what he looks like!" said a Shy Guy. "He always looks different!"

"Sometimes he looks like one of us!" said a Twilighter. "The only reason we know it's him is because of that distinct scythe and lantern he always has with him."

"If Dark Marauder still has the Crystal Tears, I can track where he is," Ramona said to Daisy.

"Alright Ramona, take point and let's move out!" Daisy declared. Her teammates walked past her to move through the parting – and now applauding – crowd. Just before Daisy followed them, she said to Boketto, "In the next few hours, you won't have to worry about that demon anymore!"

"Oh, thank you, Kruna Daisy!" Boketto cheered, bowing his head to her in salute. "You have power where we do not, and for that, we are all thankful!"

"Not a problem, sir!" Daisy replied with a wave of her hand. She had not taken ten steps when she suddenly stopped and turned back around to ask Boketto something. "How many people are in your village here?"

Boketto thought hard about his answer as the other Kruna stopped and looked back at him. "Hmm, well... If I have to give an estimate... I'd say about thirty or forty."

"If one of you two could stay here with them," Daisy half-asked, half-ordered, addressing Bowser and Warra.

"I can stay back," said Warra. "Is it for defense?"

"That, and I need you to signal for the Koopa Cruiser," Daisy replied. "Get as much of these villagers on there as you can and send them up into Rainbow City. The rest will go up with us when we leave here."

"Is that something you're okay with?" Warra asked Boketto.

"If it is to the benefit of our people, then most certainly!" Boketto replied. "Thank you, Kruna! Your help is a godsend to us!"

Daisy directed the other Kruna up the left fork of Sunset Village, leaving Warra with Boketto and some of the citizens. Ramona got her Alkemei and her swordstaff synced up again to scout out for the direction of the Crystal Tears. From what she could detect, the Crystal Tear readings came from only a single source further up into the rocks and plateaus of the Sunset Wilds.

"Tell your villagers to get everything of theirs packed up and ready to go," Warra said to Boketto as he took out his radio signaler. "First ones ready are the first ones to leave."

* * *

The Kruna trotted up the dried desert terrain of the Sunset Wilds with a quick pace. Other than the rocks and plateaus in their line of sight, the landscape seemed pretty featureless. By Ramona's estimates through her Pendant of Detection, the Crystal Tears should've been relatively close by.

"This is very strange," Ramona said. "We've been going right in the direction I'm getting the reading from, but it doesn't seem like we're actually getting much closer."

"It's only been about maybe twenty minutes," said Daisy. "We could be getting closer and you're not noticing it."

 _I should've stayed back at the village,_ Bowser thought. _Now I'm risking overtaxing myself, and that's not good as far as the Giga Soul's concerned. But maybe I won't overdo it too much this time. Then again, if Dark Marauder's as tough as they say..._

"We've been going straight, right?" asked Ramona, pulling out her Luster Swordstaff to scope. "It seems like my swordstaff is not picking it up in exactly the same spot whenever I pull it out."

"What do you mean?" asked Daisy.

"This is the third time I've pulled it out to scope," said Ramona. "This is another problem; first time, it was directly straight at where we're going now. Second time, it was a little to the right. Now, it's over on the left some."

"Then that means Dark Marauder really does have the Crystal Tears," said Daisy. "Probably all the ones in the area already. He's just being mobile right now."

"Then he might be leaving the area!" Andrew exclaimed, breaking into a dash. "Try to keep up!"

"Let's pick up the pace, slowpokes!" Marut screamed, taking off into a run.

"They're talking to y'all, not me!" Daisy yelled, already running behind the two.

The rest of the Kruna took up the chase, each footstep kicking up sand from the hardened, cracked ground. Despite being a desert, the Sunset Wilds had a fair amount of muddy patches and wet spots spread out over the landscape. The region seemed to get measurable rainfall, but the non-existent sunlight resulting from the Nirvana Barrier's interference did not foster any growth.

A school of Buzzars flew through the air and watched the seven elemental wielders run through the desert. Through their overhead view, they saw the Kruna heading towards a large rock formation a couple miles away. The rocks made one tall, wide, outward curving wall sweeping from the right side well over to the left with a row of plateaus, while the right side yielded into an open area and a few short, flattop mountains. The Buzzars then increased their speed and zoomed way ahead of the Kruna.

Ramona took out her swordstaff to scope. "The position shifted again. He still seems no closer."

"He could be sensing us and trying to hide," said Athelstan. "He sounded deceptive by what the villagers told us!"

"C'mon, I know you guys can run faster!" Daisy yelled back at the others.

"We're not speedsters! Just hold up, why don't ya?!" Bowser snapped.

The Nirvana Barrier's shroud limited the noontime light to just enough to make out shadows and shapes ahead near the rock formations, but not much more at all. Until they got closer to wherever the Crystal Tears were, they had to work off of where Ramona's Alkemei Motomeru directed them. They ran past some Pokeys they barely even noticed because of how well the creatures blended in with the background.

"My Alkemei's humming a little bit more," said Ramona. "Maybe Dark Marauder stopped moving?"

Marut activated his Alkemei Furaito to explode into flight. From everyone else's perspective, he looked like he got shot out of a cannon when he took off. With a quick loop in the air, he soared ahead to get an aerial view of the landscape.

"My goodness..." Ramona murmured, looking up at Marut.

Marut flew fast and increased his altitude to try and get a wide-reaching view of the layout of the land ahead. Past the first set of rocks and plateaus, he saw more open field and projections of land and stone. The mean daytime visibility of the surface world didn't allow him to see too far into the dirance; although when he flew higher, he noticed something out of place just into the first grouping of rocks.

"Something's glowing up around the outside of the curved rocks!" Marut yelled down. "That's all I can tell from this far out!"

"Well get down before somebody sees you!" Neva yelled up. "Unless someone colorblind spots you, you're sticking out like an ugly Christmas sweater!"

"Seems like he's moving again," said Ramona. "My Alkemei's not increasing its hum."

Marut plummeted from his height and hit the ground running for the tall wall of curved rocks ahead, yelling, "Go go go go go!"

Suddenly, a brimming, beaming blue glow appeared at the outside edge of the curved rocks ahead. The glow grew in intensity and size until the Kruna then realized...

"Split!" Daisy yelled.

The Kruna cut to the sides, leaving the middle open as a huge blue fireball shot through. Its brightness generated an illuminating glow as it flew off into the distance behind them.

"I think he knows we're here," said Athelstan.

Two more glowing balls appeared from the rocks, increasing in size as the Kruna ran closer. The Kruna made evasive maneuvers again as the two balls flew at them, turning out to be more projectiles of fire that only seemed small at first because of how far away they originated from.

"Yep – he definitely knows we're here," said Marut.

"My Alkemei's glowing and humming stronger now," said Ramona. She scoped with her swordstaff, and it pointed her in the direction where the blue fireballs had been firing from. "Whoever that is up ahead has to be Dark Marauder and the Crystal Tears."

"Looks like we got under a mile left!" Daisy hollered. "Everybody, get ready!"

Three more fireballs flew their way, though the Kruna dodged without issue. Bowser let one of his green Fanning Torch fireballs roll off one of his Blazer Claws to rocket ahead at the source of their attacker, and Neva took aim with her Blizzard Bladestaff to fire ice arrows from its crossbow. In the distance, they saw a quick flare up of blue flames, followed by the wide green swath of fire from Bowser's attack paired with another blue flash. No further attacks came at the Kruna.

"Did we get him?" asked Neva.

"We'll soon find out," said Daisy.

The Kruna slowed their traveling speed as they came up on the beginning of the rocks. Still, no hostile activity. No one saw anything move. Just as the Kruna reached the beginning of the curved rock wall, Daisy motioned for them all to stop. They did not hear anything other than the faint sound from Ramona's Pendant of Detection. When the Kruna spoke, they kept their volume low.

"I can sense someone is here," said Neva.

"It's a wide chicane up ahead along the wall," Bowser said, looking through his Alkemei Kracielle. "And there's some alleys between the plateaus and mesas on the right. It's a bit of an enclosed area, so he might try to ambush us. Proceed with caution."

"Everybody, stay alert for traps," said Athelstan.

Daisy, Bowser, and Andrew lead the Kruna into the open area between the rock wall and the oddly-shaped mesas. They trekked slowly and with absolute focus on their surroundings. The Kruna had a fair amount of room – enough to fit at least a dozen buses through at once – but the being attacking them could have fled deeper into the desert or hid somewhere nearby for a sneak attack. Though Bowser didn't see anything of significance in any direction, Ramona's Alkemei increased in glow the further into the mini canyon they went.

Every so often, the Kruna stopped moving to look around and listen for any potential sounds coming from somewhere else. Visibility was no longer a concern now that they had gotten close. Or, at least they had gotten close by the Alkemei Motomeru's standards. Ramona didn't bother scoping around at this point, considering how her Alkemei hummed and vibrated stronger and stronger the further they moved along the curving, chicane rock wall. Bowser, Marut, and Neva kept an eye out to their right to see if anything would jump out from the spaces between the mesas.

"My Alkemei's throbbing as strong as it was in front of Dark Summoner," said Ramona as they started around another curve in the left wall. In response, the Kruna opened up and spread out further apart.

As they came around the curve, the Kruna expected a dirty dogfight from a runaway demon and braced themselves for a potentially brutal retaliation. But when they rounded the corner, they saw something else entirely. Standing out in the open, the lost Mushroom Kingdom princess, Peach Toadstool, looked around in fear.

"Peach!" Daisy screamed. The seven Kruna Yura ran up to her, elated to see her not only alive and well but without any injury or even a scratch on neither her nor her decorated, all too familiar pink dress.

"Where have you been?" asked Bowser. "What are you doing out here?! It's way too dangerous to be out in the open like this!"

Peach didn't respond. She looked pale and fearful. She tried to mutter something, but her trembling and shaking got to her, and no noise came from her mouth.

"Bowser's right, Peach!" Daisy said. "We can catch up later – there's a very powerful demon running around here! Just take our word for it when we say that demon's energy signature is huge!"

Neva raised an eyebrow. _Huh?_

Peach turned her head and pointed her arm up into the desert beyond. She kept gesturing in that direction, quivering and shuddering. Her vacant gaze moved very little from some point behind all the Kruna.

"Too scared to talk..." said Andrew. "You saw him? He went in that direction?"

"Then he's gonna get away!" Daisy hollered. She twisted around to run in the direction Peach pointed in. "Peach, stay here until we get back! C'mon, you guys! It still feels like he's close!"

Neva couldn't hide the stink eye look on her face. When the others darted off behind Daisy, Neva stared at them, then looked back at Peach, and then gave a few quick glances at the landscape around them before she looked back at Peach again.

"Hold on – no!" Neva exclaimed, her words making the Kruna stop. "Ramona, scope out Peach!"

"For what?" Daisy asked.

"Just do it, Ramona," Neva said.

"We don't have time!" Daisy barked. "Why should she?"

"Because this should not be how any regular person acts!" Neva snapped, pointing at Peach.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Ramona.

"This is not Peach!" said Neva. "I never even met the gal, and I can already tell that something's wrong here!"

"Tell them, you guys!" Daisy said to the other Kruna. "You all know her! You remember what she looks like, right?"

"The resemblance is unmistakable," said Bowser.

"She looks exactly the same as the last time we saw her," said Andrew.

"See? Therein lies _another_ problem right there!" said Neva. "You mean to tell me she hasn't aged in the eight years we skipped?"

"The others didn't really age either though," said Athelstan. "Maybe some did."

"If they did, we didn't really notice too much," said Marut.

"And just why would she be out here of all places?" asked Neva.

"She's been lost for eight years," said Daisy. "She could be anywhere for all we know."

"We already fell for it once," Neva grumbled, alluding to the Bloodfalls. "We all did. Don't make this the second time!"

"She's standing right there!" Daisy snapped.

"How do you know?!" yelled Neva. "C'mon; you're smarter than this!"

"She looks just like her!"

"But is it really her?!"

"How can it not be?!"

Neva smirked and crossed her arms. "Well then, let's ask her!" She looked at the Mushroom Kingdom princess, who had so far not yet uttered a single word. "Peach, is that really you?"

Peach didn't say anything. She just kept quivering and pointing in the same direction she had been pointing.

"Dark Marauder could have gotten her stuck in some trance," said Daisy.

"Look, I don't know who this is, but it's not your Peach!" said Neva. "Scope, Ramona."

"Neva-" Daisy started to say before getting cutoff.

"She hasn't said a single word since we got here!" Neva snapped. "Ramona, scope!"

"I'm sorry, Daisy, but I think maybe we better check this out to be sure," said Ramona, aiming her swordstaff at Peach. At that moment, her Alkemei and Swordstaff reached the same hard, slow flashing state it was in when the Crystal Tears in Dark Summoner's possession were within just several feet away. Ramona pointed her swordstaff in every other direction, but when she did, her Alkemei and tool stopped glowing and vibrating altogether. When she brought her swordstaff back around to Peach, the hard, slow flash and buzzing returned.

"Blast her," said Neva.

"Wait, don't blast her!" Daisy yelled.

"Oh – sorry, Peach!" Ramona cried as she fired a burst of light from her swordstaff. At point-blank range, Peach took the blast head-on and flew all the way back against the rock wall behind her. When she hit the wall, she didn't fall down. Somehow, she palmed the rocks and stuck to it through her hands and feet for a few seconds before making a short drop and gently touching her feet to the ground. She stared at the terrain under her with her hair obscuring her face. Her dress had ripped from the impact, revealing loose black fabric underneath some areas. She did not tremble or quiver anymore. Instead, she breathed like the air had gone thin.

The Kruna waited for a reaction from her, unsure of what to do. Neva got her bladestaff at the ready and did not take her eyes off of Peach. A sweat developed on Daisy's head as the possibility of the woman in front of her not being Peach became more tangible with each passing moment.

When Peach's head titled up, she looked irate. Her eyebrows angled with a fierce frown as she ripped her dress off, revealing a slim, collared black and red cloak belted at the waist. With a snap of her fingers, a lantern with blue fire appeared in her left hand, and a long, double-sided scythe with a faint blue glow appeared in her right hand. She twirled her scythe around like a pendulum at her side and then raised it to point a blade at the assembled Kruna.


	17. Chapter XVII

Showdown in the Sunset Wilds!:

"I think now we know this is not Peach," said Athelstan. He unlimbered his shoulder-mounted Stone Launcher and took aim at the being who appeared to be a cloaked Princess Toadstool. "We're staring at Dark Marauder."

Daisy thought back to the Bloodfalls and how she had been so sure Peach had plunged into the river feeding into them. When she dove down to save Peach, her body disappeared. But the moment Daisy went back above the water and looked up, she saw a scythe and a lantern, both glowing blue. Now, she saw the same lantern and scythe in this double's hands.

"Now I see why you're the Dark Marauder," said Bowser, opening his Blazer Claws. "You steal people's identities!"

"Probably would've worked better if you copied their voices and not just their bodies," Neva said, crouching to prepare for offense.

Then Peach surprised everyone with an eerie laugh; a laugh that sounded male and had an orotund, modulated tone to it. All doubt left the Kruna when they heard that sound come from Peach's mouth. The real Mushroom Kingdom princess was not present at all. Dark Marauder had taken on Peach's form to a T and now dared the Kruna to fight him.

"How much ya willing to bet those fireballs came from him?" said Andrew.

"Those fireballs were no joke, that's for sure," said Bowser.

Dark Marauder hooked his lantern onto his cloak belt and reached into his pocket to pull out seven Crystal Tears. He held them out in front of his face and let them hover in a small rotation over his hand, his malicious expression something Peach never made herself. Clasping all the Crystal Tears, he shoved them back into his pocket and then took his two-sided scythe in both hands. He spun the scythe around his body several times, bringing it to a rest behind him at a position poised to strike. No doubt the Kruna had an aversion to fighting someone who looked so much exactly like Peach, but in this case, they had no choice.

Because of that aversion, almost none of the Kruna wanted to go on the offensive against their opponent; not even Daisy or Andrew with their attack-first mentalities. Everyone stayed back and waited for a move from the Peach doppelganger. It was Neva that rushed Dark Marauder, her bladestaff building up frost on its blades for an elemental strike. But when Dark Marauder spun his scythe around in a wicked swipe just before the Kruna of Ice got within striking distance, Neva stopped in a heartbeat and backed off to the side.

"Woah..." Neva murmured, wide-eyed. She felt her chest pounding hard as she looked at the thick, long scythe blades somehow gleaming in the low lighting of the world under Nirvana.

"It really takes skill to handle a tool like that without sticking oneself," said Ramona.

"Alright; how we gonna do this..." Andrew half-asked.

"The best thing I can think of is to disarm her – er, him, of the scythe," said Bowser.

"I'm on it!" Marut said, pulling his Dragon Bladestaff up. Through his sweeping diagonal slash, he ripped loose an Air Cutter at Dark Marauder. With the slashing line of wind coming at him, Dark Marauder spun his scythe around and not only blocked the incoming gust but sent a much larger version of the attack at the Kruna. Marut tried to block it but failed and went to the ground a ways behind him, almost knocking into Daisy and Ramona in the process.

"Come to think of it, scythes are typically an air wielder tool, aren't they?" asked Ramona.

"Man, I hate fighting air wielders," Daisy grumbled to herself, adjusting her stance.

"And they hate fighting earth wielders," Andrew added.

"But then where did those fireballs from earlier come from?" said Bowser.

Dark Marauder raised an arm up at Neva and blew a gust of wind out to blow the Kruna of Ice along the stiff desert ground. She tumbled and rolled across the open area into one of the mesa walls on the other side. Emitting a scream on contact, she flopped face down onto the ground.

"That's a lot of wind!" Athelstan hollered as Marut snapped back to his feet.

With a mighty full body spin, Dark Marauder swung his scythe and released a spinning disk of cutting air. Forced to jump in evasion, the Kruna went airborne; at which point Dark Marauder flipped his scythe around overhead and sent a cyclonic tendril their way. Though the others managed to dodge and twist out of the way, Bowser and Andrew got pinned down hard from the attack.

As the Kruna landed, Dark Marauder got his scythe spinning around again. His scythe looked like a spinning top or a revolving propeller with the speed and ferocity he gyrated the tool. The air around him became disrupted from his rotating blades.

"I bet he'd be a great harvester on a farm," Athelstan said. "But this is quite obvious."

The instant he stopped talking, Athelstan jammed his foot down on the ground, sending his power through the sand to force the land under Dark Marauder up and jolt the demon into the air. Athelstan then fired a flurry of high-speed rocks from his Stone Launcher, connecting on most of his shots. Dark Marauder went limp and dropped to the ground after flailing from the multiple hits.

"Wow, that looked brutal!" Marut exclaimed. "Those rocks flew fast!"

Dark Marauder got up in just a few seconds. He coughed up some blood and stared at the Kruna, looking ready to kill them at a moment's notice. Daisy winced a bit, knowing that it was Dark Marauder and not Peach; but she still felt disturbed to see her old friend's face bloodied and angered in such a way.

Neva, Bowser, and Andrew struggled to get back up. The air attacks from Dark Marauder had jarred their senses, and the speed with which the demon forced them to the ground made their impacts feel that much more painful. For the time being, they were down and out.

Dark Marauder twisted his scythe around like a fan in the direction of the still standing Kruna to force gale winds in their direction. In response, Athelstan brought up some of the sandy ground to act as a windshield while Dark Marauder kept pumping in gusts. Unfortunately for them, the winds ate away at the sand wall in just seconds. However, the short protection did give time for Marut to ready some lightning. The moment he got a clear line of sight, Marut let the lightning fly from his fingers and zap Dark Marauder, cutting off the windstorm.

As Dark Marauder dealt with the shock from the lightning, Marut stepped in front of the Kruna. Light blue lightning flickered around the Kruna of Air's hands as he eyed the scowling Peach doppelganger, who decided to put his scythe away on his back. Just as Marut let loose another lightning bolt, Dark Marauder threw up his hands to block and deflect the lightning skyward.

"Huh?!" Marut yelped.

Then Dark Marauder's hands flickered with lightning too. Intensifying the electricity, he fired a bolt at Marut. The Kruna of Air caught the strike with his hands and absorbed it, though he still got thrown off balance by the attack's force.

"You guys might wanna back up," Marut said to Daisy, Athelstan, and Ramona.

After they did so, Ramona asked, "Are you nervous?"

"Yes," Marut said.

Dark Marauder thrust two fingers forward and shot out twin lightning bolts. Marut caught them and redirected them out to the sides, then he spun around and fired a retaliatory strike. Dark Marauder swatted the lightning into the rock wall behind him. Neva, Bowser, and Andrew lay on the ground, in awe of the spectacle of the lightning duel between the two air wielders.

Marut and Dark Marauder continued exchanging, blocking, and deflecting lightning bolts, just waiting for one of them to slip up and make a mistake. Blue flashed and reflected off the environment, lighting up the dark daytime world around them. On one particularly strong strike from Dark Marauder, Marut captured the electricity with a circular block. The power from it forced his arms out wide when he stopped it, but then he swiveled his arms around in opposite arcs and used the momentum to not only redirect Dark Marauder's lightning back at him but also release his own lightning to fly alongside it. Unprepared, Dark Marauder took both bursts and again got blasted into the wall behind him. The demon ricocheted off and tumbled into the middle of the open area.

"Alright, awesome job, Marut!" Daisy cheered.

Marut breathed a huge sigh and wiped his forehead. "That last one was TOO close!"

Dark Marauder grunted as he got back up. The Kruna didn't think the demon would stay down, but they weren't prepared for what they saw when he got back to standing. Though still technically a carbon copy of Peach's body, the entirety of his right arm had tore and ripped open, revealing a bony limb with minimal flesh. Part of her neck and the left side of her face had also been damaged from the nose over, revealing scarred, dark gray flesh and a neon pink eye.

Dark Marauder unhooked his lantern and flared the blue fire within it. Six fireballs flew from the lantern and enlarged in a semi-circle formation. With a potent burst of wind backing them, the fireballs flew at the Kruna. Ramona leapt to the front and erected a barrier of light energy to form in front of her teammates as a glass-like golden shield that succeeded in protecting them against all of the fireballs.

"He has control over fire too?!" shouted Marut.

"Maybe not," said Athelstan. "If he does, his fire power may just be limited to that lantern. All his attacks were air-powered before he pulled that lantern off his belt."

"Cover me," Daisy said to Athelstan, dashing in a diagonal to Dark Marauder.

Athelstan fired more rocks from his Stone Launcher at Dark Marauder, who pulled out his scythe to bat away the incoming projectiles. Daisy ran around off to the side of the exchange between Athelsan and the demon, materializing a Crystal Fist. Once Dark Marauder noticed Daisy coming in hot, he jumped high and twisted into a landing behind the Kruna of Earth with cat-like precision. Before Daisy could turn around, Dark Marauder blew her away with a burst of air from his scythe. Daisy got rid of her Crystal Fist and dug her hands in the ground to anchor herself as she slid away to prevent from tumbling out and smacking into a rock wall.

Dark Marauder lifted his lantern and released six more blue fireballs from it to surround him. Through a spinning slash with his scythe, he sent all the fireballs out from him in six different directions. Ramona and Marut had to use up some elemental energy to defend them, Athelstan, Andrew, and Bowser. As Daisy jumped off the ground to dodge the fireball coming her way, Neva squirmed and put up her bladestaff to block against the one flying at her.

The attacks of the fireballs distracted everyone from Dark Marauder, who took the opportunity to kick up a blinding swath of sand all around the area with the strong gust he brought down. After setting her feet back on the ground, Daisy had a hard time seeing anything for a little while. But when visibility returned to the Kruna, Dark Marauder had vanished. Instead, something even more disturbing had developed.

"Are we hallucinating?!" asked Athelstan.

"That would be the easy answer," said Andrew.

The Kruna saw not one, but two of Daisy. They stood side by side and both appeared equally as surprised to see each other. Both Daisys looked exactly like one another.

"Oh, well now this is great," muttered Neva.

"Don't anybody attack, and don't anybody say anything!" Bowser said, getting up. "But everybody, come here. I'll bet this is Dark Marauder's doing..."

The six other Kruna all regrouped and walked over to the two Daisys, who kept looking up and down at each other. With the two appearing exactly alike, down to the last detail in their Alkemei and shade of black in their clothes and armor – even sharing the same Terra Bladestaff – trying to pick out the real Daisy could not come down to appearance.

"Let's not mince words here," said Bowser. "One of you two is the real Daisy. The other is obviously Dark Marauder. So since we already know that Dark Marauder can't copy voices, we just need the real Daisy to speak up."

"That's me," the Daisy on the left said moving to clutch her bladestaff.

"No it's not!" the Daisy on the right said, shocking everyone.

"They...they both talked," Ramona sputtered out, spooked.

"And they sound exactly the same," Neva said under her breath. "Right down to the annoying rasp."

"I heard that!" both Daisys snapped.

"Yup! Exactly the same," Neva said, grinning.

"I thought he couldn't copy voices!" Andrew grumbled.

"Maybe he can," said Athelstan. "And he just never heard Peach talk. Can't copy a voice you haven't heard, right?"

"Nice try, Marauder," said Bowser. "But we know our Kruna of _Earth_ a little too well for this to work."

"Name the answers to the following questions," said Marut, holding his fingers to count them off. "Where are you from, and what's your favorite sport, color, and food?"

While the Daisy on the right verbally hesitated, the Daisy on the left immediately said, "Sarasaland! Soccer! Orange! Everything!" and then got in the face of the Daisy on the right to taunt her with a hard, "HAH!"

The Daisy on the right flinched and looked around before she leapt up high into the air and took out her bladestaff to summon a barreling downdraft straight at the Kruna. The seven wielders dove out of the way as the wind cut a veritable trench into the ground at its point of contact. The false Daisy touched down away from the other Kruna, her elemental air attack confirming her identity as the Dark Marauder.

"Thanks, guys," said Daisy, gaze fixed on her double.

"Not well thought out on his part, honestly," said Neva.

Dark Marauder grumbled and took out his copied bladestaff, changing it back into his scythe and lantern. He maintained his Daisy form though, even despite the Kruna all knowing he wasn't her. Spinning his scythe around, he got into a counter stance and sat there in wait for an attack.

"Let me handle him solo," said Daisy. "He's probably hoping we get mixed up in the crossfire and you guys end up hitting me instead."

In accordance with her wishes, the Kruna backed off and gave Daisy space. A second later, she burst into a dash at breakneck speed, closing in on Dark Marauder in a flash. Just as she got within range to hit, she cut to the side, and Dark Marauder took the bait. The demon swung his scythe just as Daisy slipped to his left and slammed a spear kick into him. Dark Marauder's scythe went flying out of his hands.

Daisy kept up the offense by attacking him in his stumble with a quick twist and a swift step in that fed into a 24-hit Flurry Punch. On the twenty-fourth jab, she closed the deal with a crescent kick from her opposite foot. Dark Marauder had no response for the combo and took the full force of each hit.

"Here's a little earth power for ya!" Daisy yelled, reaching for her Terra Bladestaff. Her eyes glistened above her open-mouthed smile as she took out her bladestaff to make an Iaido swing, the expression itself making Dark Marauder grit his teeth as he stumbled backwards in anticipation of a crushing hit to come. But when Daisy brought the bladestaff around her and tried to grip the shaft in her hands, she mishandled and dropped it!

 _Uh-oh,_ Daisy thought.

Dark Marauder grinned and brought down both his arms in a two-handed smash on Daisy's head, stuffing her down into the ground. The demon raised his leg to stomp his foot down on her neck, but Daisy rolled to the side just in time. She grabbed Dark Marauder's leg and pulled on it to yank him down. Then, still holding onto his leg, Daisy wormed herself back to her feet and got set with him over her shoulder. From there, she swung up and down, slinging Dark Marauder like a hammer to slam the entire demon onto the ground in nothing short of devastating fashion.

Sand and chunks of rock kicked up as Dark Marauder sunk several inches through the desert terrain. The demon lay there and grimaced in obvious pain. He clutched and clawed at the chunks of ground around him as he grunted and groaned.

"Wait a minute," Marut mumbled. "They moved too fast that time... Which one is Daisy?!"

"Uhhhh..." murmured Andrew. "... Yes..."

"C'mon and get up now," said Daisy, stern and serious. "I know you're not hurt that bad from that."

Dark Marauder's expression turned madder, but he didn't move. Daisy even backed up a handful of steps to give him some breathing room to get up, a non-verbal gesture saying she would not attack him until he got back to standing. The demon looked at her with confusion. There he was, at her mercy, a being who had tricked her, mocked her, and even copied her body to try and fool her friends into turning on her; and yet she stood there and waited for him to get up instead of finishing him off.

"I'm going to bet that Dark Marauder's the one flat on his back," said Bowser.

"Why are you taking so long, Daisy?" Neva shouted. "You got him down! Finish the job so we can get out of here already!"

"He's not ready to continue," the Kruna of Earth replied. "If I'm gonna beat him, I'm not gonna do it when he's down." She turned her attention back to her doppelganger foe. "Now are you gonna get up, or are you gonna give up?"

Surprised, Dark Marauder wriggled around to prop himself up on his elbows. And yet still, Daisy didn't move or show any sign that she would attack until he returned to being upright. Now all of a sudden, Dark Marauder – though still frowning – didn't look all that mad. He wrenched himself free from the impact zone he lay in and looked like he was getting up. Daisy stood there in wait.

And Daisy really would have let him get up, and Dark Marauder would have been ready to resume the fight; but because of a densely-powerful laser that shot in just as the demon rose up off the ground, those things would not happen. Instead of continuing the battle, Daisy watched as the gold laser pierced through Dark Marauder's forehead and burned a hole in the ground behind him. Then she saw the demon collapse and fall back. When he settled on the ground, the copy of Daisy's body he created for himself burned up and faded to reveal a different form entirely. The same cloak from earlier reappeared on a four-horned, anthropomorphic bull skeleton with a wide-frame and piercing pink eyes that grew dimmer with each passing moment.

"Everybody, look out!" Bowser yelled.

Just as the koopa said that, a fierce flash of light hit the ground in front of him and the Kruna, blasting them back and scattering them. When Daisy turned to look at the violent disruption, she felt a fist hit her square in her back like a loaded truck. Down she went, skidding along the sandy terrain, but only briefly. She rolled out of the momentum and got to her hands and knees in time to catch sight of Kokoro the Soul Stealer stripping the Crystal Tears free from Dark Marauder's cloak pocket.

"Hey, sucka-man!" Andrew snapped. "Drop 'em!"

"Oh please," Kokoro grumbled, chuckling as he put the Crystal Tears in his pocket. "Why didn't you just stay down like everybody else?"

Andrew propped himself up on a foot and a knee and flared an orb of dark energy in his right arm all in one motion, only for Kokoro to dash at him and kick him in his chest before he even got a chance to hurl it. The Soul Stealer laughed at the shadow wielder rolling along the sand.

"Kokoro!" Daisy yelled. "What's the big idea?!"

"I was hoping I had hit the real you with that laser," said Kokoro. "Instead, I just hit some tool for the demon witch. Oh well. At least it made getting these Crystal Tears easier."

Growling and seething, Daisy burst into a furious dash at the monstrous, vampiric demon. She rushed straight at him, but Kokoro made no effort to move. Instead, he hurled a ball of pulsating light sky high over the mini canyon area as he gave Daisy the finger. Immediately, Daisy skidded to a stop and covered her eyes.

"Luminous Spark!" Kokoro yelled. The pulsating light orb expanded into a blinding bright flash, forcing everyone to take their sight off of Kokoro in order to shield their eyes and look away. The light died out in just a matter of moments, but it lasted long enough for the Soul Stealer to run off. The Kruna looked around and could not find him or sense him anywhere. Just as quickly as he had come, Kokoro had vanished.

"I _hate_ when he does that!" Andrew yelled.

"Eight years later, he's still exactly the same," Daisy grumbled.

"Technically, he just mugged us," said Athelstan.

"If he was gonna do that, why didn't he just kill us off then?" Neva muttered.

"Of course he'd keep us alive," said Bowser. "He's probably thinking he can swoop in and snatch Crystal Tears whenever he wants, much like he did just now."

"Oh, I get it," muttered Athelstan. "Sure, let _us_ fight Marissa's archfiends."

"Would you expect anything less from him at this point?" Daisy asked, walking up to look at the dead Dark Marauder. As the demon lay there in his real form, Daisy wondered what could have happened that gave him the chance to copy Peach's body. Bowser and Ramona came up next to her and pondered the same thing.

"You think he could've killed Peach?" asked Ramona.

"Maybe," said Bowser. "But we definitely know he came across her; otherwise he wouldn't've been able to copy her form; especially not as well as he did."

"Let's head back to Sunset Village," said Daisy. Her tone told Bowser she didn't want to think about the subject of Peach's fate. As soon as she retrieved her bladestaff, she signaled for the others to follow her back in the direction they came from.

* * *

The Kruna returned to Sunset Village and found Warra just outside of the community with Chief Boketto and a little over a dozen other civilians and their belongings. The Kruna of Water was chatting with Boketto when his teammates trotted up to the group. Warra looked fresh, and the Shy Guys, Whittles, and Twilighters standing with him seemed lively and optimistic.

"I take it everything went well here?" asked Daisy.

"Waluigi and Toadette already got the first group up to Rainbow City," said Warra. "They should be back here momentarily. Everything's been smooth with no complications or issues."

"Well at least there's some good news out of all this," Daisy murmured with a glower.

"What does that mean?" asked Warra. "How did it go? How many Crystal Tears did you get?"

"We got ZIPPY!" exclaimed Andrew, holding up an "O" sign using one of his hands.

"A big fat heaping zero!" added Marut. "Kokoro showed up and basically mugged us of them."

"I didn't see him run by here at all," said Warra. "And he fled?"

"That's what he does best," said Bowser. He looked up as the Koopa Cruiser came into view in the skies above.

"Don't mind him," said Warra. "He can take all the Crystal Tears he wants. In the end, we'll end up with all of them, right?"

"Yeah," Marut said. "But it almost seems like a wasted trip."

"Well, not entirely," said Daisy, looking at Boketto.

"We thank you again for your aid and assistance, Kruna!" said Boketto. "The people of our village are beyond grateful!"

"You're gonna like it up in Rainbow City," said Daisy. "It's a wondrous and secure place where you can make yourselves right at home. At least, until we get things cleaned up down here."


	18. Chapter XVIII

Evening Equanimity:

The day all but over, Daisy strolled down a bridge in Rainbow City with her hands clasped behind her head on her way to Northeastern Island. The diagonal glare from the setting sun shaded all islands of the sky citadel gold and elongated every cast shadow. After returning from the Sunset Wilds, the Kruna had the rest of the evening off. Rosalina had not said anything so far about where to go next in the Crystal Tear search, but Daisy didn't give it any thought. She knew Rosalina would brief them before they left for the surface again tomorrow.

Daisy got off the rainbow bridge and headed in the direction of the Rainbow City Sportsplex. She wanted to blow off some steam without wearing herself out, especially after the kind of day they had in the Sunset Wilds. But when she walked into the great multi-sports arena, she didn't know what she wanted to do.

 _What_ should _I do?_ Daisy wondered as she walked through the halls. _I could take some soccer balls out and shoot around, or maybe I can spike some volleyballs, or maybe even do some archery..._

When she got near the multipurpose room, she looked through the glass wall and saw Marut, DK, Waluigi, Koops, Andrew, and a red and a blue Pianta spread out with the field arranged as a compact baseball park. Waluigi stood on the pitching mound to face Andrew, batting left. Koops knelt to catch, and the others stood in the outfield with gloves on.

 _Looks like they got a little something going on here,_ Daisy said in thought.

"Don't bean me this time!" Andrew yelled to Waluigi.

With a huff and a smirking shake of his head, Waluigi wound up and threw a heater down low, forcing Andrew to scoop up with his swing to hit it. The sound of the wooden bat bounced off the walls as the ball flew high and away, but too short to go into the far bleachers. The blue Pianta backtracked and caught the ball with ease.

"That's two outs!" the blue Pianta yelled. "New batter at next out!"

"I'm switching to the right for this next one," Andrew said, going to the opposite batter's box.

"Switch all you want – you're still gonna fly out," replied Waluigi. Koops grabbed a ball from the bucket behind him and lofted it to the wiry man in purple and light blue.

"You keep sending them low!" Andrew said. "I'm swinging a bat, not a golf club!"

"Then don't swing at it and just wait for the next pitch – duh!" Waluigi shot back.

"Oh, I forgot," Andrew said. "You're the guy who throws a beach ball at the ground and misses!"

Daisy opened the door and walked into the room as Waluigi threw out a slider. A big, air ripping swing from Andrew yielded no hit.

"STRIKE 1!" Koops yelled.

"Can't handle these pitches with those lady hips, huh?" Waluigi taunted.

"That's alright," Andrew snapped back. "These lady hips got more power than your entire bundle of twigs you call your body!"

"Hi, Daisy!" said Marut, running over to the Kruna of Earth. "Wanna grab a glove and get in?"

"What have you guys been doing here?" Daisy asked.

"SHTEER-IKE 2!" boomed Koops.

"Just hitting and fielding," said Marut. "We've been here for like an hour at least. Maybe two. We don't have enough people today to do much more than that. So are you in?"

"Sure, I'm game!" Daisy said. Marut led her to the bag of fielder's mitts sitting next to the bat bag by the wall.

"Bowser was actually here at first too," said Marut. "But he left early. He seemed kinda tired."

"Ball!" shouted Koops.

"He was pretty fatigued when we came back yesterday too," said Daisy, picking out a glove.

"Do you think maybe it has to do with going under the Nirvana Barrier or something?" asked Marut. "Or maybe he's, like, sick?"

"Foul!" yelled Koops. DK ran over to try and catch the ball soaring over foul territory, but it dropped to the turf just before he could get to it.

"I'll do you good on this one, Shady boy!" Waluigi bellowed. "You're gonna see this one go in every direction – _if_ you can keep your eyes on it!"

"Instead of throwing out words, just throw the ball!" Andrew responded.

"Well, he hasn't said anything about either of those," Daisy replied to Marut, fitting her glove on. "He has just been worn out. He recovers quick, but his stamina drops off like nothing. I don't ever remember seeing that from him. I just hope he's alright..."

"That's a STRIKE!" hollered Koops. "You're out!"

"Get outta the box!" Waluigi cheered, dancing in place. "WAH! He has no style, he has no grace! This guy...is a waste of space!"

"Just for that, I'm ringing up ten homers on ya the next time we face-off!" Andrew said as he handed his bat to Donkey Kong.

"Nah, I'm not using that again," the ape replied, pulling a pair of punching gloves off his belt. "Too constricting for somebody my size."

"Oh, right," Andrew said, a little startled. "Gotcha, bro!"

"Not this again," muttered Waluigi.

DK stepped up to the plate, pulling his right arm back to swing. "Throw a pitch!"

"Oh, I'll give ya a pitch," Waluigi said under his breath as he wound up to throw. He hurled a slider, hoping the outside curve would throw DK off; but DK read the pitch and stepped in to swing with a swift hook. He made contact right with the center of his glove and sent the ball rocketing straight up the middle; so straight up the middle in fact that the ball shot into Waluigi's gut and flung him out past second base.

"Oh snap," Marut said, covering his mouth.

"I'm alright!" Waluigi called out, staggering as he got back up. "I'm good! I think..."

"That was my fault – I actually meant to pull that one!" DK said.

"That's alright," said Daisy. "He deserved that."

"Bite me, Sarasa!" Waluigi yelled.

* * *

Bowser sat cross-legged in the smaller field of South Island's Elemental Training Grounds. Deep in meditation, he could feel and hear the disturbance the Giga Soul within him created. But even with the unsettling and fatiguing effects the entity had on him, he maintained full control over it and kept it suffocated and suppressed. With a smooth, deep breath, Bowser put an end to his meditation. He opened his eyes and unfolded his legs, looking straight ahead past Toad and Alden's Forge and into the golden-blue horizon; yet through his Alkemei Kracielle, he saw Rosalina standing behind him.

"Hi," Bowser murmured.

"You're handling the meditations well, Bowser?" asked Rosalina.

"They're working just fine," he replied. "I still don't know if I like them or feel stupid doing them. How long have you been standing there?"

"About twenty minutes, maybe," said Rosalina. "Judging by the sunset, anyways. I didn't want to disturb you."

"Much appreciated, Grand Elder," said Bowser. "What is it you wanted?"

"Just to check on you and see how you're doing," Rosalina said. With a shift in tone, she added, "You know, we all care about you and are glad you're with us. You're important to everyone here."

"Wow – where did that come from?" the Kruna of Fire asked.

Rosalina walked over and took a seat on the ground next to Bowser. She then shrugged saying, "That's just the way everyone feels. We're all glad that you've progressed to the point you have and we don't want anything terrible to happen to you."

A little surprised, Bowser hesitated to come up with a response. Rosalina, a relatively emotionless, stoic cosmic being, almost never said such things in general. "Why are you saying this all now?" he asked.

"Because I feel like I need to," Rosalina replied. "I like to think of you as my son. Not literally of course. It's not the easiest thing to explain; but when I met all these Lumas that live here in Rainbow City and at the Comet Observatory, they all looked lost and lonely, without any family or anywhere to go that they could call home. So I adopted them. I adopted all the ones that wanted to be adopted, and all the ones that needed to be adopted. I became 'Mama' to them."

"They call you that?" Bowser asked with a chuckle.

"That or 'Grand Elder,' depending on what's appropriate for the situation. But I'm glad that I'm their mama too. I know how bad it hurts to not have a mother. I still miss mine. I always will. So when I saw you in the years following your kingdom's downfall and the death of your parents, well...the anger and hate and desire for vengeance that boiled up in you and tore you apart also hurt me too."

And just like that, all those lonely times in Bowser's past where all he had to keep him company were plans and weapons to use against the Mushroom Kingdom...didn't seem lonely at all anymore. The realization that someone cared about him even at a time when he saw everyone in his life that cared about him get taken away did more than just make him feel better. Suddenly, he felt pits and chasms in his spirit that he thought he just had to leave open for the rest of his life...heal; even if only some.

"Those are the kinds of traumatic experiences that can change people for the worse," said Rosalina. "And while it did get to you, you eventually broke out of it. I'm proud of you for that. Really. If I had changed and given in to my inner turmoil...I don't think I would've recovered from it."

"Well, you helped me out," said Bowser. "You and the others helped me see things that I did not see myself."

"Help or not, it doesn't matter," said Rosalina. "Ultimately, _you_ made the decision."

Bowser sighed. "I made a good decision after over a decade of bad ones."

"But that doesn't make you a bad person," Rosalina said. "Just because you did bad things before doesn't mean you're not good deep down."

Bowser looked around, twiddling his fingers. After some thought, all he could manage to say was a sincere, "Thanks."

Rosalina smiled and didn't say anything else. Bowser didn't either. Neither of them felt the need to say anything more, so they sat there and looked at the sky as the evening wound down.

* * *

Athelstan, Warra, Toad, and Alden sat at the edge of the farm lake on Northwestern Island. Each of them had a fishing pole cast into the small body of water that served as the home to many species of fish. Stars began to shine from above and twinkle in the reflection of the waters of the lake.

"Daylight's running out," said Athelstan. "Let's give it another half hour."

Toad, Alden, and Warra all agreed. They had been there for a couple hours already; each of them catching at least a few fish. Whenever they caught one, they always threw it back into the water. They just fished for the sport of it.

"Your gear really has worked out excellently so far," Warra said to Toad and Alden.

"We did our best work," the gold-shelled koopa replied. "We wanted to really be innovative and efficient with everything!"

"And the archivist over here also turned out to be pretty good with blacksmithing himself," said Toad with a gesture to Athelstan.

Athelstan shrugged with a grin. "What can I say? I like tinkering with stuff. It was a hobby for me back when I worked in the Kallantown Archives. That and philosophy and physics."

"See, no one would get that impression looking at your XL bodybuilder-sized self that you'd be such a nerd," said Toad.

"Well, before my mom died, she always told me that knowledge was power," said Athelstan. "So I kept that with me. Why chose between smart and strong when you can just be both?"

"What happened to your mom?" asked Toad.

"Ah, she got sick with a terminal illness when I was nine," Athelstan replied. "She didn't live very long at all after she got sick. I'm talking in a matter of weeks. It sure took me a while to come to peace with that. I don't think my dad ever got over it though."

"Sorry to hear," said Warra. "I didn't really know my mother well. She and my father split when I was young and my dad kept me away from her, so I really don't know what that would be like."

"Looks like you guys turned out well through it all regardless," said Toad.

"I guess the world just works in strange ways," said Warra.

"You know, to be honest, I didn't believe in any of this stuff," Athelstan said. "I didn't believe in any of these mystical concepts, or cosmic jargon, or destiny, or whatever all this really is – or even magic, for that matter."

"You certainly believed in people," said Warra.

"That's different," said Athelstan. "People are fluid and non-constant. Any one person can prove you right or wrong. As a stone wielder, my dad taught me to focus on what's solid, tangible, and realistic. Everything came down to what was around us in our world at that moment – not what _could_ be, or what _might_ be. So when Rosalina called for me to take up the elemental shrine mission with you and the others, I had to go deep into our archives in Kallantown and search through loads of historical records for me to decide to see what it was all about. I didn't think I'd see anything _even close_ to what we've gone through since then. This is all like some crazy, trippy carnival ride that I'm just going with and not trying to make any sense of."

"Well make no mistake; this is all real," said Warra. "There are things beyond our limited points of view and experience that-"

"I got a bite!" Alden yelled, pulling hard on his pole. He reeled like a mad man and pulled on his line to the point where it got tight, then eased up to get some slack for just a moment before pulling on it again. "Oh, this feels big! This is gonna be a twenty-pounder at least! Oh man, it's putting up a fight too!"

"You better not lose this one!" said Athelstan. "I wanna see it!"

"Is that pole strong enough for that?" asked Warra.

"Of course it is!" snapped Toad. "We made it!"

"I think I almost got it!" Alden hollered. "I think...I think...yeah, yeah, an-"

What Alden pulled out of the lake did not resemble a fish at all, but its weight certainly made the fishing pole bend. Toad, Athelstan, and Warra stared wide-eyed at Alden's catch, stupefied. His hook had somehow latched onto a tiny crevice in a pumpkin-sized stone.

"You pulled up a _rock_!" Toad said, cracking up on his back. "Hey, someone – someone get a picture of this!"

The weight of the rock made the line snap just seconds later. The rock fell back into the lake and made a big splash of water that coated Alden, Athelstan, and Warra. Toad just laughed even harder as he pointed fingers at them.

* * *

Ramona had invited Neva to hang out in her room in the Rainbow Suite that night. While Neva stretched out stomach down on the one revolving chair in the room, Ramona stood in front of her room's mirror and did her hair. She kept the chunky shag on the front of her head but pulled some of the layers down a bit more. As Ramona redid the braid on the back of her hair, Neva watched with her head cupped in her hands.

"Why do you pull your hair down so low in front of you?" Neva asked. "Are you trying to hide your forehead? You're just gonna end up seeing nothing but your hair when you look up."

"Ha, ha, ha; very funny," Ramona replied, smiling. "But I like the way my hair looks like this. And yours looks cool too!"

"Huh – really?"

"Yeah. The side-swept bangs and the short ponytail look cute on you!"

Neva felt her head and chest get hot as she blushed at Ramona's compliment. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah!" Ramona replied. "Definitely!"

"Wow, that's... Um...thanks...I normally don't get compliments or whatever... Back home, I always got told I looked dorky or awkward or weird...or tiny..."

"No way – don't listen to any of that! That's just people being vile and mean."

"Well, they're kinda right," muttered Neva. "I mean, you're the pretty one here. I'm just...well, plain. I'm not tall – or even average height – and I hate makeup. And I look like a skinny rectangle. I really don't have anything special to offer."

"Not true," Ramona said, cutting her off. "You've got yourself to offer. That's special in and of itself."

"I still don't feel like I even deserve any compliments, though..." Neva mumbled.

"Ah, you're deserving of them," Ramona replied with a smile. "Maybe you just need to lighten up some and relax a bit."

"That's what the Milk Bar's for, Ramona. That stuff'll mellow ya out reeeeal good..."

"Not too big of a fan of milk, but it's great every once in a while."

Neva clutched the upholstery back of her chair like a pillow. "So...um...can I ask you something about Shady?"

"Andrew? Hmm...I don't know," said Ramona. "Depends on what it is. He's kinda secretive. He generally doesn't want people to know too much."

"I'm just curious about him," said Neva. "Like, sometimes he's in about as good of a mood as anyone can be in, and then other times, he's just real...mad; and sad. It makes me feel sad too. Is that normal? Am I being weird?"

"No! That's just being empathetic."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know; you feel what other people feel. When someone feels down, you feel down too."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It helps you understand what someone else is feeling and shows that you care for someone. So I surely believe so. If the world had more of it, there'd be a lot less fighting and violence."

Neva sighed. "But why is he like that?"

"Maybe the same reason you're like that? Come to think about it, you and him are pretty similar."

"Wait – what? We are?"

"Yeah – you both get mad and bitter sometimes, but I know neither of you mean anything by it. Everyone has got their up and down moments. Some, more of one than the other, but that's okay. It really is, Neva. You and him are just as important and valuable as everyone else in the world, whether you realize it or not."

"That's hard to believe, a lot of the time."

"That's the same kind of thing he says. See, the more you speak, the more you and him just sound so similar to me; and that's what makes the both of you two worry me. He hasn't felt like he's been a worthy part of the team. It's funny how he can seem so confident, yet have no sense of self-worth. He never felt like he was good enough...at anything...or for anyone. Oddly enough, I think that's where he actually gets his motivation from; a desire to always be better. But that gets to be the basis of a self-destructive mindset all too easily. Aside from that though, he is pretty loose and chill. Quick-tempered, but otherwise calm. A real tough guy on the outside, but he's actually a total softie deep down."

"You're not saying he's some sentimental sap, are ya?" asked Neva.

"He certainly doesn't show it," said Ramona, laughing as she crossed her arms. "You just gotta read between the lines. Or if you're alone with him, you'll see it. Don't tell him I mentioned that, or I'm not gonna hear the end of it from him. But he has been like that for as long as I've known him. He and I knew each other since we were seven. My parents were split and divorced, and I lived with my dad. And well, his mum had left really early in his life; and his dad wasn't the best at parenting. I guess you could say that our similar situations drew us together. He doesn't really remember anything about his mum or why she left in the first place."

"Already better parents than mine before King Sarasa's military got 'em," Neva muttered. "Who needs 'em anyways? They're just people you happen to share blood with; that's it, really."

"That's all? Well now that just seems kind of careless."

"They were careless. So I'm careless right back at them. It was like frickin' middle child syndrome times ten."

"So what about your siblings?"

Neva just made a swatting motion with her hand. "Died with mom and pa all on that same day King Sarasa took over Twilight City."

The next thing Neva knew, Ramona had pulled her off her chair to give her a big, long hug. Stunned, Neva didn't know how to react. "Uh-mm...what's this for?"

"I just wanted to give my friend a hug because I felt like she needed one," Ramona said. "I'm so glad you're with us. We all are."

Neva quivered as her eyes began to water. "Why are you always so nice? That's just not possible! How are you never ill-spirited or mean or even just snappy? Are you on drugs or something? What are ya?"

Ramona shrugged and laughed, then made her hug firmer. "Not everyone gets dealt a good hand in life, much less an ideal one."

* * *

Daisy exited the doors just outside the Rainbow Suite and stretched her arms up and out around her with a yawn. She only took a few steps out into the bright and lively streets lighting up the dark sky of Rainbow City before Athelstan and Warra came up to her on her right.

"Oh, good. Daisy," Warra said. "I'm actually glad I ran into you here. Rosalina's supposed to be giving us our next task later on tonight, so where are you going to be?"

"At Wario Ware," replied Daisy. "Bowser, Marut, and Andrew are supposed to be there too."

"Alright. You all enjoy yourselves," said Athelstan. "I'm not gonna stay and chat. I need to go shower and wash off this lake humidity. And then I'm gonna make sure I'm set to go wherever we're headed tomorrow."

With a quick salute, Athelstan went inside the Rainbow Suite, leaving Daisy and Warra by themselves in Rainbow City's nighttime lights. Warra had a strange, disconcerting look on his face that made Daisy feel uneasy the more she looked at him.

"What's up?" Daisy asked.

"You know I still have your mother's bracelets," replied Warra.

"Oh, you mean the pair we snatched out of Central Castle that night we snuck in?" said Daisy.

Warra nodded and pulled the case out from the inside of his jacket. "Why leave them with me?" he asked. "Why don't you want possession over _your_ mother's own bracelets?"

"What's the problem?" asked Daisy. "You've kept them safe."

"But why am I holding onto them instead of you?" said Warra. "If you wanted to take the bracelets, then I think you should be the one with them. If you didn't want them, then why take them?"

Daisy sighed. "I'm impulsive, alright?"

"That has been well established numerous times, yes."

"I just – I don't know. I guess I really didn't want to take them. But, a part of me thought that if I ever... _decided_...I would have the chance to. And if we had just left them there, then I wouldn't've had the chance."

"You mean if you ever decided to try and find her, you'd have the chance to do so?"

"Yeah."

"... I see..."

"Sorry for burdening you with them. I just really don't know if I want them."

"It sounds to me like you're asking me to hold onto a piece of your past you don't know if you want to confront or just leave alone and move on from."

Daisy shrugged. "Maybe."

"I can't make that decision for you," Warra then said. "And I can't recommend one option over the other, considering you know your mother better than I know her."

"I don't...really," said Daisy. "She pretty much just shadowed my dad. And when he wasn't around, she'd be about as nasty and bossy and ill-willed as he would be. Maybe even more, now that I think of it. But it's hard to remember. It's been a handful of years or so since I've seen her."

"And in this time, tack on eight years to that."

"Yeah. I doubt it would do any good trying to look for her here. I don't even know what I would gain from seeing her again."

"Who knows?" Warra said. "People are fluid. Some perspective and greater peace of mind is what you'd gain." He held up the case between his index and middle fingers. "You have a choice. Whether in this time or in the present time, Rosalina or the Black Mages could provide a way; or maybe Ramona's pendant could, even. There are some people in this world who don't have a choice and will never see their mother _or_ father ever again. On the other hand, you may be better off not seeing her again. As I said already, I can't make that call for you. I don't mean to sound cold, but she's not my mother."

"Oh no, I totally understand," Daisy said. "You're not being cold at all."

Warra clutched the case and headed for the Rainbow Suite doors. "Then whatever you decide; the bracelets will be in my room," he said. He then entered the building, leaving Daisy to ponder and muse as she started down the Rainbow City streets.

* * *

An hour before midnight, Rosalina, Toadsworth, and Polari called for the Kruna to join them outside the fortress in the Rainbow City Town Center for a quick meeting. Daisy, Bowser, Andrew, and Marut had come from Wario Ware Inc. HQ, while the others had stayed in at the Rainbow Suite and therefore arrived first. As soon as the group from Wario Ware Inc. HQ arrived, Rosalina proceeded to give out her dispatch message.

"Polari, Lubba, Toadsworth, and I will be busy up at the Comet Observatory all day tomorrow," Rosalina said. "So we are giving you the synopsis for tomorrow's mission now. Your destination will be south and to the far west in the Monsoon Jungle. Found dead on at the equator, the Monsoon Jungle has seen the least amount of sunlight out of all the planet."

"The divergence of winds makes it much harder for the Nirvana Aperture to stay over the equator for long," said Polari. "To cross between the north and south halves of the planet, the Nirvana Aperture has to gain momentum from other wind currents and 'slingshot' across the equator. Yet in spite of having seen so little sunlight compared to the rest of the world, life somehow still flourishes."

"The kind of jungles you all know are _not_ like this jungle however," said Toadsworth. "The flora is completely alien to us, likely adapting to the lack of sunlight with the aid of the relentless rains bound to the equator. It is likely that the Nirvana Barrier has also elicited some magical effects as well to support life, but it is of little use to the rest of the world. The Monsoon Jungle is the dreariest region in the Western Hemisphere and potentially on the Earth as a whole. Few people have actually ventured into the environment – let alone gone deep into its inner regions."

"And that is why we suspect there to be Crystal Tears in the area," said Rosalina. "But we have also sensed a very monstrous, unsettling disturbance coming from there as well. We don't know what it is because we've never gotten any of ours up close to check it out. So proceed into the region with great caution."

"We recommend you stop by Elemental Outfitters and some of the item shops around here," said Toadsworth. "Toadette has some hooded cloaks prepared for you all, and the shops have some Refreshing Herbs for each of you to carry. You will need them."

"You just said, 'Refreshing Herbs,' right?" asked Marut.

"And what do we need cloaks for?" asked Daisy.

"You'll need the cloaks for the rain," said Rosalina. "The storm over the Monsoon Jungle has raged for almost six whole years now, and it has not moved from that region. It is always raining there, ranging from widespread showers to torrential downpours. You will get wet, but at least with the cloaks, it will be bearable."

"And you'll likely come across poisons and toxins as a result of the conditions," said Toadsworth. "Life thriving without sunlight there does not bode well for safety. I can only imagine the types of hazardous growths that took over in the absence of sun! Be aware of the plantlife and the animals in the jungle!"

"So we're getting sent to drown in a jungle of poisons," said Bowser, broadly grinning. "Just the best!"

"Hey, if there's Crystal Tears there, then we're going to go get them," said Daisy. "It won't be a pleasant experience at all, but we're not going to wait around for somebody else to get them first!"

"Yeah, let's get the messy ones out of the way," said Andrew. "If we gotta get wet, may as well just get it over with..."

"Because of the location of the Monsoon Jungle, ship out for the region in the late afternoon tomorrow," said Rosalina. "That way, it'll be daytime over there; and even though the Nirvana Barrier and the storm clouds block all but a couple percentage points of daylight, you'll at least have some visibility through the rain and won't be walking around in pitch black darkness. Again, exercise caution; for ever since the Nirvana Barrier formed, the Monsoon Jungle has been a complete unknown to both those of us up here and those on the surface."


	19. Chapter XIX

The Land of Endless Rain:

Inside the Koopa Cruiser cockpit and soaring through the skies the next afternoon, Warra put on the navy blue cloak Toadette made for him just as Bowser put on his burgundy one and as Athelstan put on his brown one. Neva fastened her gray cloak to her waist and put her large hood on, concealing all of her head except for her face. Marut shook his arms around in the sleeves of his dark green cloak and noticed the soft, waterproof fabric didn't make any noise. Had Toadette not added the secondary elemental color accents and designs to her creations, it would have been hard to tell Daisy, Ramona, and Andrew apart in their black cloaks.

"Thanks again for these, Toadette," said Ramona.

"You're all most certainly welcome!" Toadette replied. "The stay-put hoods will stay up to keep you dry even with wind gusts blowing against them!"

The Kruna wore the holsters for their Ultima Staffs and the staffs themselves on the outside of the cloaks. They kept their Hammerspace Belts around their hips on the inside of the fabric, hidden from view. All eight of the Kruna's cloaks clipped together at the collars and went down to just at their ankles.

"You guys look like a bunch of monks," said Waluigi, snickering at his control yoke. "Hey, I heard Organization XIII is looking for new Nobodies!"

"You know, I thought the design of these cloaks looked familiar somehow," Marut mumbled.

"Daisy! Daisy!" Waluigi called out. "I need you to say, 'Nothing is true; everything is permitted.' And Shady, I need to know how many of your attacks involve you yelling 'Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!' "

"Are you quite done?" asked Bowser.

"No-no-no – one more, one more!" said Waluigi. "Ahem...'These aren't the Gearmos you're looking for.' Pfft – ha-hahhhh!"

"Dude, watch it!" Toadette yelled. "You're gonna twist the yoke stick! We don't need to go careening into a storm cloud!"

The closer the Kruna got to the equator, the more the cloud activity around them increased. Athelstan kept a close eye on the map in the cockpit's main table. Ramona scoped ahead to check for the presence of Crystal Tears, confirming their target destination.

"The storm around the equator reaches above even the Nirvana Barrier," said Warra.

Daisy flipped up the hood on her cloak, the wide fabric covering her hair and shadowing her entire face. "I'm not a fan of getting wet."

"Seconded," said Andrew with a distressed smile. "Just grin and bear it...grin and bear it..."

"Agreed on that," said Athelstan. "I'll be glad when this is over. We'll be coming up on the Monsoon Jungle in just a little bit."

"Be prepared for a bit of turbulence as we fly in," said Toadette.

The Koopa Cruiser tilted down and soared for the formation of storm clouds ahead that looked like a flattened, contorted mushroom tip. But as they got closer, they noticed a whole line of clouds splitting off from the main formation and going through it in a straight line as it descended through the Nirvana Barrier.

"Hold on – stop heading towards it," said Warra. "Drop straight down. Those clouds don't look right."

Toadette and Waluigi put the brakes on and angled the ship away. "What do you mean?" asked Toadette.

"Let's get a look at this storm from the underside," said Warra. "How far out are we?"

"We're still several miles away from the Monsoon Jungle," said Athelstan.

"That's good," replied Warra. "Drop and descend through the Nirvana Barrier now."

The co-pilots cut off the power to the engines and let the airship make a controlled descent through the air. The Koopa Cruiser went down towards the Nirvana Barrier without getting noticeably closer to the storm formation ahead of them. When they reached and fell through the Nirvana Barrier, the co-pilots put power back into the engines to propel the ship through the hazardous, malicious clouds as quickly as possible.

Just a few of minutes later, the Koopa Cruiser popped out underneath the cloud barrier of madness into the skies of the surface world and saw a sight to behold. Waluigi and Toadette put the ship in cruise control as they banked around just under the Nirvana Barrier to catch sight of the scene out over the Monsoon Jungle. The bulk of the storm's clouds hovered over the landscape ahead and stretched out like a ceiling fan. At least twelve thick cloud tendrils arced out from the circumference of the storm and reached halfway down to the surface world, mimicking talons. A straight line of storm clouds impaled through the formation to an indefinite distance in either direction along the bottom of the Nirvana Barrier as if binding around the equator of the planet.

"That's insane – it's covering the entire jungle!" exclaimed Marut.

"It's covering more than that," said Warra. "It's branching out into the hills and plains surrounding it."

"Based on the map, the Monsoon Jungle is in the center of this isthmus at the equator," said Athelstan. "It serves as the gate between the north and south continents of the Western Hemisphere. The diameter of the jungle itself is roughly four miles in a five mile-long stretch of land with ocean on either side. So this storm is probably just sucking up the ocean moisture and dumping it on the jungle, and the excess is running off back into the oceans in an ongoing cycle!"

"Neeeeeeeeeerd!" Marut hollered, pointing and laughing.

"Oh dear, it looks so dark underneath that cloud," said Ramona. "I can't even see the jungle itself! All I see is the wall of rain falling over it and maybe an outline of the jungle, if that. I thought it was supposed to be like, mid-morning right about now in this part of the world!"

"It is," said Bowser. "But when you compound the Nirvana Barrier, the storm clouds, and the rain, it may as well be nighttime."

"Fly towards it, but don't get too close," said Warra. "It wouldn't be a wise idea to drop directly into it."

"Are you sure you guys wanna go through with this?" asked Waluigi.

"If we don't, then who will?" said Athelstan.

"A Kruna's gotta do what a Kruna's gotta do," said Bowser, putting his hood on. The Kruna who hadn't put their hoods on earlier did so then and got their Sail Gliders out in preparation for their departure to the surface below.

"Alright, so then how are we gonna do this?" asked Toadette.

"If we can get close to the outer region of the jungle, then we should make a safe landing," said Warra. "We just need to avoid the heavy rain; but be prepared, everyone, because even though our Sail Gliders are small, they'll still catch some rain on top of them, and that will make us fall faster."

Toadette and Waluigi maneuvered the Koopa Cruiser closer to the stationary storm, taking care not to fly directly at it. Daisy opened the diving hatch and watched the rain and wind create chaos in the skies. She looked for a good landing spot on a flat surface out of the way of trees, but she found nothing except for a marshy area in front of a steep cliff.

"This is close enough!" Daisy said to the co-pilots. "We can just glide the rest of the way in!"

"When you guys signal for us, we'll be coming for ya on the other side of the jungle!" Waluigi yelled over the noise coming from outside.

"The way ahead is really dark, so I'll lead!" said Daisy. "Ramona and Andrew, trail right behind me!"

"I'll take up the rear!" said Bowser.

After Waluigi and Toadette slowed the Koopa Cruiser to a still hover, Daisy took a couple steps back and then made a running dive out the hatch. Ramona and Andrew then went, followed by the rest of the Kruna, with Bowser tailing as the last one out. Once all eight Kruna had jumped out, the co-pilots closed the hatch and took off to return above the Nirvana Barrier.

Daisy angled herself like a falling missile to gain more momentum and speed before unraveling her Sail Glider. By the time she started gliding, she had already fell three-quarters of the way down. The others had already opened up their Sail Gliders before even making it halfway to the ground. Through the execution of a few barrel rolls and a hard pull-up, Daisy slowed herself to a soft glide into the marshy clearing she picked out from aboard the ship. Her boots splashed in the puddles of the rain-soaked grass as precipitation pelted her from above.

Daisy turned and looked up to direct the others to land in the same clearing. The rest of her teammates touched down around her, kicking up splashes upon landing as well; though they did not need much space at all to kill their momentum this time. The rainfall made everyone's descent more vertical than normal.

"And this is why you wear boots," Andrew muttered, looking at the developing pond around his feet.

"This damp air makes the already cold temperature feel frigid," said Ramona with a shudder.

"Seems like the wind stayed up high," said Warra. "It's just rain down here."

The falling rain bounced off the Kruna's cloaks. Moisture beaded on the fabric but did not seep through; only ran off. Drops pelted them, the trees, the grass around their feet, the puddles of the marsh around them, and the lush foliage and vegetation. The entire environment was soaked and possessed a glossy appearance as a result. With the wall of the cliff behind them and a mass of trees on their left and right, the Kruna only had one direction to go – forward into the Monsoon Jungle.

"Same as I directed above," said Daisy. "Ramona and Andrew are up front with me. Bowser keeps to the back. The cloak's not interfering with your pendant, is it?"

"It's not," said Bowser. "I've still got omnidirectional vision."

"Alright,"said Daisy. "We're trusting you to guard our rear."

Bowser nodded. "I'll do my best."

The Kruna proceeded through the narrow opening between the trees into the marshy, swampy floors of the outer jungle. Their footsteps sloshed through the water of the thin, uneven trail. Tree trunks and vines littered the ground all over the winding jungle floor, some concealed underneath the puddles. The pitter-patter of the falling rain on the Kruna and the environment around them made plenty of noise and limited their ability to hear sounds further away from them. They barely even had enough room for two people at a time to walk side-by-side.

"Waluigi was right – we do all look like a bunch of monks," said Marut.

"Great – I look as stupid as I feel in this," said Andrew.

"My Alkemei's glowing is getting strong," said Ramona. "There's at least one Crystal Tear nearby."

The short stalk into the jungle brought the Kruna into a larger clearing with several branching paths. A quick flash of lightning from the storm illuminated a pack of twelve Tobawani Alligators lurking around the circular wetland. The seven-foot long beasts with snorkeling masks and scuba tanks sported razor sharp teeth. Ramona's gleaming Alkemei Motomeru alerted the Tobawani to the Kruna's presence and drew the alligators toward them.

"Couldn't they have put a better welcome party here?" said Daisy. She and Andrew dashed up and out of the trail to opposite sides of the clearing while Athelstan unlimbered his Stone Launcher. Daisy grabbed a Tobawani by the mouth and slammed it down on the gator next to her. Andrew took out his Umbra Bladestaff and smacked the trio of Tobawanis coming at him with it. Athelstan sent some of the gators back with the rocks from his shoulder-mounted blaster, and Warra smashed a large group of them from underneath with a forceful uprising of the water on the jungle floor. Marut swept up the remaining Tobawani with a burst of wind, knocking them hard into the trunks of the jungle trees.

"Look there in the middle!" Neva exclaimed, pointing at the center of the clearing. The Kruna ran to the shining shard that lay there nestled in the drenched grass.

"It's a Crystal Tear, no doubt about it," Ramona said, her Alkemei making its hard, slow throb. She picked up the rose gold crystal and put it in her Hammerspace Belt, though her Motomeru did not lose all of its glow. Ramona took out her Luster Swordstaff and scoped with it through the link to her pendant. She noticed her Alkemei and staff get excited when she pointed it in the direction of one of the branching paths, but as she moved her staff around, she also got a reaction in other directions too.

"I'm getting at least five separate readings in this jungle," said Ramona.

"Sounds like we've got a scavenger hunt on our hands," said Athelstan. "Should we split up?"

"Hmm... Well, hard to say," Daisy replied. "Because if we split, we're not going to know where to look. Ramona's the only one here that can detect the Crystal Tears. But it probably could be faster... What do you guys think?"

"Split into two odd groups," Warra suggested. "A group of five can go and carefully scan the area over to the right, and Ramona can take two over to the left."

"That sounds good," said Daisy. "So Warra and Bowser can check out the right side, and Ramona can check out the left. Andrew and I will split too so that neither group gets lost in the dark."

"I'll go with Ramona," said Andrew.

"Me too," said Neva. "I'm with Shady and Sparks."

"Then Marut, Athelstan, and I will join Bowser and Warra on the right," said Daisy. "We'll regroup at some point deeper into the jungle, I'm sure. Or if we don't find each other, then meet back at this clearing."

The guidelines set and understood, the Kruna split and broke off into their groups. Ramona led Andrew and Neva to the branching paths on the left while the others ran to the opposite side of the open marsh. The Kruna of Light kept her swordstaff out to scope for Crystal Tears while Neva and Andrew flanked her just offset from behind. While the Kruna of Shadow seemed lax and didn't keep any guard up, Neva had her Blizzard Bladestaff out, ready to shoot at whoever or whatever jumped out to attack. But with all her attention up and around her, the Kruna of Ice paid no mind to the uneven, warped ground she stepped on. Just moments later, Neva tripped on an outgrown tree root and would've fallen into the muddy water had Andrew not knelt and caught her when she stumbled into him.

"You should watch your step," the Kruna of Shadow then said.

Neva's face burned up into a cherry red when she felt Andrew's arms around her waist. She froze, hyperventilating in a mental haze. The ice wielder couldn't even put words together to say anything; only managing to let awkward, broken syllables flow out of her open mouth. "Huh-ffsa...what...hum-bum-duh...ehhh...ooo-weee..."

"Are you gonna stand up anytime soon?" Andrew then asked. "Neva? Neva? Are you hurt?"

Neva then snapped out of her stupor and shot back to her feet. "No, I'm not hurt! I just tripped! What, you think I wanted to trip on purpose just for you to catch me?!"

Smirking, Andrew replied. "Well, maybe next time, you'd like to just drop."

"C'mon, Neva," said Ramona. "You should be grateful. He just prevented you from face planting into the mud and muck."

"Yeah, whatever," grumbled Neva, picking up her bladestaff. "Let's just get these Crystal Tears already."

Not ten seconds after the three resumed their trek, Andrew then flailed several steps and nearly fell himself after jamming his leg into the protruding edge of a pointed stone. He clenched his teeth and grabbed his shin, having made contact directly with his tibia. "Oh – who just leaves a rock sticking out like that?!" he yelled.

Neva pointed and laughed at Andrew. "Um, nature? Maybe you should watch _your_ step!"

* * *

Daisy led the group of her, Athelstan, Warra, Marut, and Bowser through the tight and twisted jungle floor. Bowser used his Alkemei Kracielle to get a view of everything in any and all directions, Marut, Warra, and Athelstan made close looks at the area around them at various angles, and Daisy made sure they weren't heading into a dead end or anything hazardous. The rain cloaks Toadette made did an excellent job of keeping the Kruna dry, minus the boots – or in Bowser's case, his bare feet.

"If you see anything shining and twinkling, point it out to the rest of us," said Daisy.

"That's easy for you to say," said Athelstan. "If my ancestors spent all their time underground in caves and mines, I probably _could_ point something like that out!"

"Oh, that's right," Daisy replied with a laugh. "That's why we gotta be really careful and have some attention to detail out here – something I could care less about any other time it gets brought up!"

The group traversed through the contorted jungle as the precipitation increased in intensity. The rain made it difficult to pick out anything, let alone something like a Crystal Tear. That meant that, as Daisy said, the Kruna had to be very thorough with their search if they wanted to avoid overlooking any of the shards of crystal.

Through her ability to see in the dark, Daisy caught sight of some macabre-looking Shieragutchi Clams at a gathering of trees a quarter mile ahead. Neva could have sniped them from a distance with her crossbow, but she was well off in the other direction. The clams themselves posed no threat individually, but the fifteen or so there could be lethal if they attacked a trespasser all at once.

"Enemies up ahead," said Daisy. "Let's get a space-clearing attack going on 'em!"

Warra pulled the water collecting on the ground and the falling rain into a highly condensed mass that he then released as his Aquavado hydrocannon. He aimed the continuous, rushing wall of water right in the direction Daisy pointed, damaging and blasting away all of the Shieragutchi fumbling about. The enemies cleared and dispatched with, the Kruna advanced forward.

"Simple enough," Warra said.

"Frickin' seafood in a jungle," Bowser mumbled, prompting laughs from the group.

"And the guys up at Rainbow City wanted us to worry about some clams and alligators," said Daisy. "I mean really-"

Just as the Kruna got up to where the Shieragutchi were before Warra's attack, several of the clams leapt up from the sides to retaliate. They opened their shells in midair and revealed their angry eyes, teeth, and spikes in an attempt to bite into the elemental wielders, but Marut executed a counter on reflex. With a quick spin, the Kruna of Air created a flash version of his Dome Rotation defense that lasted just long enough to deflect the Shieragutchi. The rotating burst of wind smacked the Shieragutchi into the trees, after which the clams fell limp into the marshy grass.

"Man-eating clams," mumbled Athelstan. "Oh – I've seen this before! It's the revenge of the overpriced entrées!"

"They wanna eat everyone who thinks they're not worth their selling price!" added Marut.

"Aw man, now I'm hungry!" Daisy cried. She and Marut shared a look and then glanced at the unconscious Shieragutchi. It took a minute for the others to figure out what the two were thinking, but when they did, the three of them got behind Daisy and Marut and pushed them ahead to urge them to move on.

"Don't even say it!" yelled Bowser.

"Aw c'mon, Bowser! You've got fire!" replied Marut.

"We are _not_ doing that!" Bowser snapped.

* * *

Ramona batted the Shieragutchi Clams out of the air as they got close to her with her swordstaff, with Neva providing cover fire from her bladestaff's crossbow. Andrew put out a Gemivado shadow blast on the six Ringosuki Monkeys that fell from the trees. He did not cut off the energy flow until all the monkeys lost their footing and blocking power, for their endurance and stamina had let them defend and last through several other attacks from the Kruna of Shadow. The Shieragutchi and Ringosuki now gone, calm returned to the area. Ramona couldn't tell how far her and her partners had went or where they were, but she could tell that a Crystal Tear lay somewhere in the immediate vicinity.

"Check that bush by the tree," Ramona said, pointing at an oddly shaped trunk.

Andrew rushed over to the bush in question and knelt down to reach his left arm inside. He saw the Crystal Tear sitting underneath the middle of the shrubbery and grabbed it, but didn't expect to find a fat Cobrat resting right next to it. The moment he snatched the Crystal Tear, the Cobrat lashed out at him and bit his hand just as he got it free from under the bush. A sharp grunt in pain burst from his throat as he stumbled back and dropped the tear. Neva shot an ice arrow at the Cobrat to incapacitate it and prevent it from committing any further attacks.

"Oh my gosh – I am so sorry, Andrew!" Ramona cried, running over to him. "I didn't think there would be anything like that under there!"

The Kruna of Shadow held his bloodied left hand and winced. "The herb – give me a Refreshing Herb."

"How bad is it?" asked Neva as Ramona looked in her items pouch.

"It doesn't really hurt..." Andrew said. "But my hand feels _really_ hot, and stuff's starting to look kinda...zoomed out...or...is the jungle moving away from us?"

Ramona pulled out a Refreshing Herb and fed it to Andrew while Neva went to pick up the dropped Crystal Tear. As the herb worked its way into his system, Ramona bandaged Andrew's hand. Her and Neva helped the Kruna of Shadow over to a nearby rock to sit him down on until he recovered, for his legs had buckled and his balance was off.

"Everything is so bright and hot," muttered Andrew. "I _reeeeeeally_ don't like warm weather... Hey, what's the square root of 723 divided by twelve?" He then started giggling without warning. "I think I can smell colors now... Are we flying?"

"He's delirious," said Ramona. "Almost like he is when he's really tired and sleepy but stays up anyways. It may take a little while for the Refreshing Herb to normalize him."

"I would've thought he'd've started feeling better by now," said Neva. "At least it doesn't seem like he's getting any worse."

"Hey, I dropped the Crystal Coconut!" Andrew barely said in slurred speech. "We're supposed to be looking...looking for the Legend of the Crystal Coconut, right?"

"We're looking for Crystal _Tears_ , yes; and I already picked that one up," replied Neva, handing the piece of crystal over to Ramona.

"Ah, but the untold story of a pirate's life of glory," said Andrew, giggling and snickering. "A reflection tells the story, shield your eyes!" He then moaned and grabbed his chest, feeling his body overheating quick. Just to be safe, Neva gave him another Refreshing Herb.

"If I go on ahead alone and look for a Crystal Tear myself, could you stay here with him until he's okay?" asked Ramona.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine by yourself?" Neva responded.

"I wanna be the very best," Andrew said. "To catch them is my real test! To train them is my cause. We all live in a..."

"Not sure at all, really, but I'm detecting at least one tear nearby here," said the Kruna of Light, turning to head up further into the trees. "I just have to be extra careful. You guys should be ready to go by the time I get back. Please, I'm counting on you to take care of him!"

Ramona ran off into the deeper jungle under the veil of the rainfall, leaving Neva to look after the impaired Kruna of Shadow. Neva sat with him on the rock and held his injured hand in her palms. She stared at his stained bandage as he groaned with heavy breath.

"How's it feeling now?" Neva asked.

"I feel so hot," mumbled Andrew, clutching the side of his head. "It's cold enough to see our breath out here, but I feel like I'm gonna pass out from heat exhaustion... Hey, do you think light wielders can waveshine?"

Neva sighed and shook her head, though a smile snuck its way onto her face. She cupped her hands around his arm above his bandages and sent a cooling wave through his body. The cold sensation offset the feelings of heat coursing through Andrew's body and got him to relax.

* * *

Daisy's group marched deeper into their end of the jungle, so far unable to secure a Crystal Tear. Warra made sure they scoured every inch of watery land they could, but they found nothing even close to resembling the mystical shards. Their journey through the jungle eventually led them to an elliptical clearing under the treetops with a giant Venus Flytrap sitting in the center.

"Wow, that thing's as big as a bus!" said Marut. "No, bigger!"

"Would you keep quiet?" Warra hissed. "It looks like it's carnivorous."

"Who puts carnivals in a jungle like this?" asked Marut.

"You know what, Marut?" said Bowser. "Why don't you just go on ahead and try riding it?"

"Where would I sit?" the Kruna of Air asked.

"Maybe where that snoring mouth is!" replied Bowser.

Suddenly, a pair of strained eyeballs opened up on the top half of the flytrap mouth, its amber irises choking its constricted pupils. It moved its two thick vine arms and pushed off its spiked leaf hands to tower over the Kruna, easily reaching twenty feet in height. Dense, pointy teeth lined the inside of its drooling mouth. Its flowering body resembled a cactus shaped in an inverted triangle that branched upwards and tapered down to a ghostly tail hovering just off the ground. Right at the thin convergence of its cactus torso and its tail, the plant wore an Alkemei Pendant. Its body looked like a wavy distortion when it moved. When it saw the Kruna, it rolled its eyes inwards and laughed like a ghoulish clown.

"Wait a minute – Wario told us about this one!" said Athelstan. "That's the Cractus!"

"Cractus?" Bowser repeated.

"Yeah – he told Marut and I a story about how he ran into this thing on a treasure hunt of his," said Athelstan. "It looks more menacing than the way he described it though. It must've developed more since then!"

"It looks like its grinning at us," said Daisy.

"Heh, heh...yeah," said Athelstan. "That means it wants to eat us."


	20. Chapter XX

Jungle Survival!:

Daisy spread her group out and away from the gargantuan Cractus in preparation for battle. As soon as Marut and Warra split out wide, Cractus stuck out its arms at them. The plant's arms stretched out the vines that held it together to get the extra reach it needed to attack the two Kruna. Warra and Marut blocked with their Ultima Staffs and countered with blasts of water and wind to drive Cractus back. The plant monster took damage, but it laughed it off as drool continued dripping from its mouth.

Cractus stretched out its arms again and held them straight out to its sides. Keeping them still, it then spun around in circles to try and swat at the Kruna. With timing, the elemental wielders leapt into the air to avoid getting hit whenever an arm came sweeping around. Cractus then started shifting the height of its arms as it span to try and get the Kruna as they jumped. In order to evade, the Kruna had to time their jumps depending on where the monster's arms were as they swung around to each of them. On one particular revolution, Warra got just over the outstretched vine portion of Cractus's right arm and slashed at it with his Tidal Swordstaff. Cractus stopped spinning and retracted its arms the instant it felt the attack and recoiled with a double punch of its spiked leaf hands. Bowser and Athelstan cut around to the outside of the punches and brought their Ultima Staffs down on either outstretched plant arm. Again, Cractus pulled back its arms, but its face looked more strained this time than it did amused.

"Those are some super tough vines!" hollered Athelstan.

"Attack his head!" Bowser called out, slamming his palms together to create a Tavado blast. The curving torpedoes of fire went for Cractus's head and created a steamy explosion under the monsoon rain upon contact. Marut flew up with the power of his Alkemei Furaito and smashed his Dragon Bladestaff on the monster's head through the smoke and fumes. Daisy then jumped up from underneath, leaping off parts of Cractus's body to deliver a devastating Rising Break uppercut right under the plant's mouth.

"Yeah, that did it!" Marut cheered as the Kruna backtracked from the reeling plant.

Cractus, badly hurt and banged up, stared at the Kruna and slowly floated up higher into the air. The Alkemei around its tiny indentation of a waist connecting its torso and ghostly tail shined, showing its activation. In a flash, Cractus disappeared. Its body had completely vanished, but the Kruna still heard the plant make another twisted laugh.

"Oh great – it just turned invisible, didn't it?" Bowser groaned.

"But you can still hear it moving," said Warra.

"Did you guys just see that?" said Daisy. "There's warped contour shifting around the trees!"

"The rain's bouncing off of it too!" added Bowser, flaring a fireball. He put more focus in on the omnidirectional vision granted through his Alkemei Kracielle to keep sight of the distorted contour's movements. Though the warped space kept moving around the boundary of the clearing, it made no attempts to attack. The spatial distortion then stopped its locomotion for a brief moment, at which point Bowser sidearmed his fireball with some added curve at it and struck it dead on. A grunt of pain sounded off, and Cractus' body filled the outline of the warped space.

"Attack him now!" Marut shouted, slashing a cutting gust of wind at Cractus. At the same time, Athelstan pulled a nearby jagged stone out from the ground and sent it at the monstrous plant. Warra added a hard burst of water to the offensive, only for Cractus to put up its hands and block all the elemental attacks. Cractus's body then faded away again, much like it did the first time. The Kruna looked around for a spatial distortion and saw it heading deeper into the jungle.

"Hey, it's running away!" Daisy hollered, dashing in Cractus' direction. "Follow it!"

* * *

Ramona held the blade of her swordstaff down and in front, clutching the rod portion overhead to parry against the six Ringosuki Monkeys she had run into just seconds ago. One of the brutish monkeys jumped at her, to which she reacted with a step back; swordstaff ready to absorb impact. When the monkey brought his fists down, Ramona shielded with the flat of her blade and then turned a counter maneuver on him to swat him into a nearby tree.

The other five monkeys had pulled boulders up and got ready to throw them at her. Ramona jumped back as they threw the rocks and smacked her swordstaff into one of them to deflect it back. The redirected boulder landed on one of the monkeys and crushed him, leaving four left. With a burst of light from her tool, she cleared away two more monkeys. The remaining two leapt at her at the same time, forcing Ramona to commit to one side. When she made her upward slash on the Ringosuki coming at her on her left, she slipped in that direction to also evade the one attacking on her right. Ramona twisted around and kicked the lone remaining monkey to get him to buckle forward and then slammed her swordstaff on his back. The Ringosuki all defeated, Ramona breathed a huge sigh of relief.

 _Wow, I did that by myself,_ she thought as she scoped the area. Her Alkemei and swordstaff went to the hard, slow pulse that indicated a Crystal Tear within the immediate vicinity once she pointed it at a tree. She looked up and thought she saw something sparkling in one of the high branches, but she wasn't sure if it was just glistening coming from the rain.

Ramona didn't know how to climb trees, and there weren't any branches low enough to jump on, so she took her swordstaff, brought it back behind her, swung it at the tree with all her strength, and hoped for the best. Upon contact, the tree shook, but she couldn't handle the recoil and ended up dropping her tool and staggering backwards. As she knelt and stopped her fall with her hands, a rose gold piece of shiny material plopped with a splash onto the soaked, marshy grass.

Ramona went to go retrieve her swordstaff and the Crystal Tear, then she surveyed the jungle around her. _I wonder how Neva and Andrew are doing,_ she thought. _I did go a bit far to get this Crystal Tear, so maybe I should just turn around and regroup with them before going anywhere else..._

That was the original plan, anyways. Ramona scoped around the area and picked up one extra point of interest coming from further along in the direction she had been going. _I could go and try to get that one too while I'm here,_ she then thought. _That would prevent having to backtrack to this section of the jungle._ _But then again, that just means I'll be further away from my friends..._

Torn between two options, Ramona looked back and forth between where she came from and the route through the trees ahead of her. On one hand, the safe thing to do would be to go back and get Andrew and Neva before going any further. But going on and just getting the other Crystal Tear while she was this far out would speed things along and save time.

 _Oh, be brave for once, Ramona,_ she thought to herself. The Kruna of Light forged ahead in the direction her swordstaff had pointed her, hoping to come away with another Crystal Tear.

* * *

Neva and Andrew sat on the same rock they rested on when Ramona left, waiting for their light wielder teammate to return. The Kruna of Shadow had finally started to come back to his senses, and the symptoms from the Cobrat venom began subsiding. When he got his grasp fully back on his consciousness, he noticed Neva holding his left arm and a bandage wrapped around the same-side hand.

"Neva," murmured Andrew. "We're still in the Monsoon Jungle, right?"

"Hey, you're not acting loony and jaded anymore!" Neva replied, giggling. "Yep, that's where we are. But just to be sure, what are we looking for in this jungle?"

"Crystal Tears," Andrew replied. "Why are you...holding my arm?"

"You kept saying you were hot, so I wanted to cool you down... Are you feeling okay now?"

"I just feel lightheaded and nauseous. Where's Ramona?"

"She went on to grab a Crystal Tear near here."

"By herself? That's...surprising..."

"What makes you say that?"

"She's not used to doing things by herself. Before we met Daisy and the others, we pretty much did everything together. The idea of doing anything by herself frightened her."

"She did sound uncertain when she left...but I think she'll be fine."

"Why didn't you go with her?"

"Because she wanted me to look after you!"

Andrew twisted his arm free from Neva's hold and stood up. "I didn't need to be looked after – I would've been fine here by myself," he said.

Neva gazed at Andrew and, after a short pause, replied, "Well...maybe she wouldn't've been fine with you here by yourself..."

The Kruna of Shadow turned and stared at the ice wielder, who met his look with a stare back directly at him. They looked at each other for some time as the rain continued to fall, neither one saying anything. Andrew then averted his eyes and glanced around all over the jungle. Restless, he made short, irregular paces back and forth in front of Neva as he kept glancing around at the trees and the ground.

"Where'd she go?" he asked.

"She told us to stay here until she came back," Neva replied. "She knows where we are. We don't know where she is. So we should just wait for her. She shouldn't be gone for too long now."

* * *

Daisy and her group ran in hot pursuit of the shifting spatial warp retreating from them. The Kruna cut around and dashed by trees, rocks, and pits in the ground where rainwater had pooled. Their chase forced them through some very tight spots and narrow openings in the increasingly dense and obstacle-laden jungle. Cractus, on the other hand, had no problem running into and knocking over smaller trees as long as that meant it could flee further and cause more of a disruption for the Kruna. Several times already, they had to account for and evade falling trees as a result of the invisible plant; not knowing for sure when and where the trees would fall from until they were already in motion towards the ground.

"We're not gaining on Cractus," said Bowser. "Every time it slows to knock a tree down, we get slowed up dodging it!"

"We've got to try and hit it with a ranged attack," said Warra.

"It's too quick and unpredictable to hit it with a normal kind of projectile," said Athelstan.

"Marut, zap it with a lightning bolt!" Daisy ordered.

"Affirmatory, dude!" Marut replied.

"What – no! No!" Warra yelled. "Don't use the light-"

Warra didn't get to finish in time. Marut had already wound up a hand and got ready to shoot a lightning strike at the moving spatial distortion ahead, but his attack only made it out a couple dozen feet before it backfired on him. The lightning sizzled through the rainfall and, upon contact with all the falling drops of water, redirected its voltage back at Marut himself. The other Kruna stopped their movement when they saw the bright flash around them and looked to see Marut tumbling backwards along the ground.

"Marut, what happened?!" asked Daisy.

"I shocked myself!" Marut cried.

"We're under a monsoon – don't do anything electrical!" Warra yelled.

Daisy grunted and palmed her forehead. "Ugh! It's so obvious! Sorry, Marut. That one's on me."

The Kruna heard Cractus laughing at them as the plant's body became visible further back behind the trees. Cractus did not advance towards or away from the Kruna. The plant monster just hovered in place and stared at the five elemental wielders.

"I'll bet that Alkemei around its waist was what made it invisible," said Bowser. "It must've burned off too much energy to sustain the invisibility."

"So it knows it can't try to run anymore," said Daisy, starting towards the monstrous plant. "C'mon and let's go exterminate that overgrown weed!"

* * *

Ramona trotted deeper into the jungle as her Alkemei Motomeru's glow increased with her movement towards another Crystal Tear. Coming into a short straight section of puddled grass, Shieragutchi Clams leapt at her from both sides. Ramona ducked and swung her swordstaff in a wide, light energy-charged upward arc to slash all six of the clam creatures from underneath and wreck their shells. After a double-check of her surroundings, she scoped to confirm her direction of travel and continued onward in it.

 _This is going well,_ Ramona mused. _Much better than I would have ever thought, even though I am incredibly nervous about this..._

Ramona went through a narrow pathway between the jungle trees and rounded several winding corners before coming up to a whole slew of Harimen Spinies. The special breed of Spinies had larger, pink shells than their common red-shelled counterparts, nearly equaling the size of Bowser's shell. The eleven Harimen looked at Ramona and charged at her, forcing her to backtrack in the direction she came from. When she swung at the Harimen, she only pushed them to the side or into the base of the trees. Their shells protected them from damage.

 _Ah, bloody hell,_ Ramona thought. She continued backing up as the Harimen tramped towards her. If not for the limited and cramped space, she could've tried to knock their shells off. But even then, she would have had to knock them off one at a time and destroy the Harimen before they crawled back into their shells. Instead, she looked around behind her and saw a high rock. When she got close, she leapt onto it and then proceeded to jump onto a low tree branch. Ramona then jumped up to the higher limbs of an adjacent tree and perched on a branch several dozens of feet off the ground. The Harimen looked up at her and tried to jump onto the tree branches too to get to her, but they did not have enough height under their hops.

 _Wow, this is a bad spot,_ Ramona thought. She put her Luster Swordstaff away and stared at the jungle floor in wait. The Harimen didn't appear to be going anywhere else anytime soon, even though they couldn't reach her.

 _At least they can't get to me,_ Ramona then thought _. I guess I'll have to travel by treetop now if I wanna get anywhere. These trees are packed together tightly enough for me to do so._

The Kruna of Light peered around for a suitable set of tree limbs to chain-leap off of and got herself ready to move. The moment she started jumping through the trees from branch to branch, the Harimen Spinies followed her on the jungle floor. Ramona kept jumping off the branches and almost slipped off of one due to the slickness from the rain. As she moved through the trees, her Pendant of Detection increased its glow to notify her of a Crystal Tear in close proximity to her. She had to take out her swordstaff to scope, but she didn't want to try handling the large elemental tool from her height in the trees and the questionable stability she had on the tree limbs. And yet still, she saw the Harimen following her when she looked down on the ground.

 _How am I going to get any Crystal Tears with those buggers following me?_ Ramona thought. _Unless I'm lucky and the one my Alkemei's detecting is up here in the trees, I can't do anything about Crystal Tears down below..._

Ramona unfurled her legs to straddle the branch she had knelt on, deciding to post up there where she sat. _Surely they'll get bored and go away at some point,_ she thought.

* * *

Cractus had hovered in wait in a small, terribly uneven clearing for the Kruna to show up and spat at them the moment they came out from behind the trees. Warra and Athelstan both got hit with the fluid from Cractus' mouth and buckled to the ground in pain. The two Kruna cringed and grunted whenever they tried to move and went pale in the face, prompting laughter from Cractus.

"Marut, give them some Refreshing Herbs," Daisy said, stepping forward. "Bowser, cover for Marut in case this monster tries to attack any of them."

Bowser ran across to the others and gave Daisy a thumbs up. With her four teammates back behind her, Daisy faced-off against the sinister Cractus. The Kruna of Earth took an offensive power stance, crouching and thrusting her left palm forward, out, and in; all the while eyeing down Cractus and its wriggling tendrils of vines. The rain bounced off its head and mouth to dilute the poisonous drool oozing out.

"It's not often that I come across a plant I _don't_ like," Daisy said to Cractus. She propelled herself at the plant monster with a series of long jumps going from side to side. Cractus tried to hit her with its elastic arms and spiked hands, only for Daisy to zip past each attempt. She leapt up high when she got close in an attempt to make an attack, but Cractus took the opportunity to try and strike her in midair. It threw out a punch with both of its arms at once. Fortunately, Daisy contorted in the air just enough to slip around and between the outstretched leaf hands. Out of a somersault that gave her a forward boost, she materialized a Crystal Kick and smashed low into Cractus's torso.

The hit from Daisy jarred the Alkemei Pendant and its curvy metal necklace free from Cractus's wasp-like waist as the plant beast got knocked back into the trees behind it. Daisy paid no mind to the Alkemei that fell into the wet grass and pulled a fist back to ready her Shotgun. Wanting to take advantage of the Shotgun technique's wide, fan-like range, Daisy rushed at the still recovering Cractus and released the rumbling seismic energy the moment she got at point-blank range. She not only laid out a hefty amount of damage on Cractus, but she also made it fall over and smash into some of the smaller trees.

As for the Alkemei on the ground, it didn't stay abandoned for long. A brown blur swooped in from the treetops and snatched the pendant on his way to the four spectating Kruna. Warra and Athelstan were lying on the ground and still recovering from Cractus's toxic saliva with the help of some Refreshing Herbs, but they had enough of a grasp on reality to notice Arka Knight standing in front of them. The brown and gunmetal gray Shy Guy had a rain cloak of his own too in a matching hue. Arka Knight still wore his Alkemei Zariah – Pendant of Multiplication – but in his hands, he held the pendant formerly attached to Cractus.

"How and when did you get here?" asked Bowser.

"I am where I need to be, when I need to be," Arka Knight replied before looking at Warra. "Kruna of Water, take this Alkemei Inpei – the Pendant of Concealment – and use it wisely, for the ability to turn invisible is a heavy power drainer."

Warra sat up and took the pendant from Arka Knight's hands. After he clicked its choker brace into place around his neck, the Alkemei established a link between it and his elemental water energy. The link resulted in its gem turning blue. With that acquisition, seven of the eight Kruna Yura now owned distinct Alkemei Pendants of Power.

"For now, you four can rest easy," said Arka Knight. "Your earth wielder may have this battle taken care of."

"You think so?" asked Warra.

"Yes," Arka Knight replied. "Cractus is not the real threat to deal with in this jungle."

"It's not?" asked Bowser. He looked back at the ongoing fight in time to see Daisy slam a chunk of the jungle floor into Cractus's head. She then capitalized on the hitstun imposed on Cractus with a palm strike to the ground to initiate her Crystal Smash. Cascading layers of crystal shards sprung up from underneath the terrain in front of her to pierce and rip through Cractus's body of plant tissue and vines. For a while, the crystals were the only thing still holding Cractus up and together. So when the crystals retracted back into the ground, the monstrous Venus Flytrap fell apart into a pile of plant matter.

"Not bad," Arka Knight murmured to himself as Daisy gazed at the dismantled body of Cractus. "Not bad at all..."

* * *

Ramona sat on the same tree limb she had been sitting on, peering down at the Harimen Spinies still shuffling about underneath her. She had already been gone much longer than she needed to be. Her Alkemei still maintained its strong glow in detection of a nearby Crystal Tear, but if she went down to the jungle floor to try and search for it, the Harimen would get on her quick.

 _This is getting ridiculous,_ Ramona thought. _I'm going to have to make a decision now – turn back and flee through the trees, or go down there and get swarmed and mauled. Obviously, one is sounding_ much _better than the other..._

Then Ramona heard something that didn't sound good or pleasant at all. A tormented wail of multiple-tones unlike anything she had ever heard roared through the jungle. The moment the Harimen heard it, they stopped paying Ramona any attention and curled up inside their shells. When Ramona saw the Spinies' fearful response, she got back to her feet and readied herself to move. The wail came through again and lasted longer this time.

 _It sounds like...crying?!_ Ramona wondered. She then gasped in shock. _Do I sense King Boo?!_

The wails became sustained and took on depressive, anguished undertones. Ramona could not tell from which direction it came from – but it sure sounded close.

 _If that's King Boo, he'll kill me for sure,_ Ramona thought, heart starting to pound hard. _But I've never heard him make any sound even close to something like that!_

The more she heard the wailing, the worse it sounded. The wailing seemed cruel and vile, yet also saddened and maddened. Every time Ramona heard it, she felt the misery and dolor from it resonate through her very being.

 _I don't know what that sound is, but I'm not finding it out for myself!_ Ramona thought. She turned tail and took off through the treetops in the direction she came from.


	21. Chapter XXI

Threshold of Pain:

Daisy left the pile of Cractus's dismantled body and marched over to the others. Warra and Athelstan had all but recovered from Cractus's toxic saliva when Bowser and Marut helped the two recovering Kruna up and back to their feet. Arka Knight offered no greetings or pleasantries to Daisy when she got near, but he did say, "Impressive showing, Kruna of Earth."

"I noticed your presence when I was fighting that monster plant," said Daisy. "Should I ask why you're here of all places?"

"Would it be a stretch to say that you came here to help us look for Crystal Tears?" asked Bowser.

"I am here to eliminate a terrible monster of Marissa's doing," said Arka Knight. "So no, I am not here to help you look for Crystal Tears; but I do have one in my possession."

"Can we have it?" Marut flatly asked.

"I will give you the Crystal Tear I have," said Arka Knight, taking it out of his pocket to show as proof. "But only if you help me destroy The Suffering."

"What's The Suffering?" asked Marut.

"It is a nameless, wicked entity that assimilates and tortures souls to sustain its sentience," said Arka Knight. "It is called 'The Suffering' because of its nature. The souls captured endure copious sorrows and torment within, becoming more hateful and malicious; wanting the rest of the world to know their suffering as well. This ghoul feeds off of their hatred and grows stronger through their contorted, malevolent intentions."

"And you're sure that that fiend is here?" asked Daisy.

"It _is_ here," said Arka Knight. "Marissa has had The Suffering feed off of many different kinds of souls, but she has led the most dangerous, treacherous, and vile of souls into the Monsoon Jungle with the false illusion that wealth and riches lie locked away somewhere within."

Athelstan raised an eyebrow. "Are there wealth and riches here?"

"Besides that Alkemei Inpei, the Crystal Tears, and whatever lay behind with the bodies from which The Suffering pulled souls, no," Arka Knight replied. "But because no one who ventures through the Monsoon Jungle long enough to find out for themselves ever walks out of it again, no one can disprove the possibility of there being some hidden treasure."

"Alright, let's go round up the others and find The Suffering!" Daisy said.

* * *

Ramona hopped and leapt from tree limb to tree limb, descending to lower branches as they came up until she got to a limb just overhead of where Neva and Andrew were. The two sat together on the same rock as before and got up the moment Ramona landed on the ground near them.

"There you are!" Neva exclaimed. "What took ya?"

"I got one tear," said Ramona. "And I was on my way to get another one, but this wailing started going off somewhere deeper into the jungle. I couldn't tell where it originated from, so I came back to get you guys before doing anything else."

"That's excellent work, Ramona," said Andrew, high-fiving with her. "You did great! Now let's go see what that disruption is all about!"

"No, wait, let's not," said Ramona. "I don't think we can handle it with just us three."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Neva.

"I sensed King Boo," said Ramona. "I think I did, at least."

In an instant, Andrew's expression went dark. "In that case, I'll go deal with him myself."

Ramona rushed in front of the Kruna of Shadow and grabbed his arms to keep him from moving forward. "No. No. I get that you really don't like him, but no. Can you be a little rational for once?"

"But he..." Andrew started to say before he changed his mind. "Fine..."

"Let's go back now and rejoin the others," said Ramona. She turned to run down the narrow path. Andrew and Neva followed close behind her.

* * *

Since Ramona, Andrew, and Neva had a shorter distance to return as opposed to the others, they were the first ones back in the original clearing that diverged into the many branching paths. More Tobawani Alligators came out from the trees just moments after the three Kruna arrived. Elemental blasts from the three Kruna and swings with their Ultima Staffs proved sufficient to take down the five of the fifteen Tobawani. Just as the rest of the alligators moved in to attack, the other Kruna and Arka Knight entered from the clearing and engaged the enemies. Daisy raised sections of the ground to propel the Tobawani into the air, at which point Athelstan and Arka Knight hurled rocks and boulders at the alligators. Warra slashed a wave of water into another grouping of Tobawani, and Marut hit some of the other ones with a slicing Air Cutter. Bowser breathed four large fireballs to clean up the rest of the alligators, returning calm to the area.

"This jungle is infested," said Neva.

"We picked up two Crystal Tears," said Andrew. "What did you guys get?"

"We found one in the grass on our way back," said Athelstan, flipping the Crystal Tear over to Ramona. "So that's four we found in this jungle. We didn't come across any more, but Arka Knight has one. We also ran into a creature that was in possession of an Alkemei, so maybe that was one of the signals you had picked up on earlier."

"Maybe," said Ramona. "I know my pendant sounds and feels different when it's sensing other Alkemei."

"We've got something else to worry about in this jungle besides Crystal Tears," said Daisy. "What can you detect, Ramona?"

Ramona scoped the area with her Alkemei and swordstaff. "Besides Arka Knight's Crystal Tear, there are only two other readings my pendant's identifying. One of them is on the right but a little bit further in than where your group went, Daisy. The other is straight up ahead."

"Mind if we get those Crystal Tears before we look for The Suffering?" Daisy asked Arka Knight.

"Not at all," the brown-clothed Shy Guy replied.

* * *

With Ramona, Daisy, and Arka Knight in the lead and Bowser and Andrew tailing in the back, the Kruna marched through the marshy jungle in the direction of one of the two remaining Crystal Tears. The group of nine went through a congested area of trees and vines before coming to a bridge spanning across a chasm thirty yards in breadth. The long drop below ended at a low section of the jungle with a stream running through it, but Ramona's Alkemei Motomeru did not point them in that direction.

They crossed the bridge to get over the gap and entered a flatter, more sparse region of the jungle. Ramona's pendant showed that they were getting close, so they kept alert for anything out of the ordinary. A short distance deeper into the jungle, they saw the Crystal Tear gleaming in a hole in a tree trunk. Unfortunately for them, they also saw seven Harimen Spinies and five of their thicker, black-shelled relatives, the Harimenzetto Spinies, lurking about in front of the same tree.

Ramona put her arm up to stop Daisy from rushing headlong into them. "If you can't knock off their shells, you can't harm them."

"On it," Daisy said, letting seismic power flow through her arms. She thrust her hands forward at the grouping of Spinies to release her Seismic Wave. The rumbling power shook free the shells from the Harimen, though it did not affect the Harimenzetto. Neva attacked right after Daisy with her Novado to let loose a powerful beam of frost and ice on the exposed Harimen, dragging her wave back and forth to make sure she hit all of them. Her ice coated some of the trees and froze some of the falling rain along with the Harimen.

"Alright, the easy ones are taken care of," said Bowser. "Now what about these other five?"

"Their shells must be heavier and denser," said Warra.

"I got an idea!" Athelstan hollered. He detached the Grip Pitons from his Obelisk Swordstaff and combined their chains together. Holding on to one of the pitons, he threw the other one at one of the Harimenzetto. The thrown piton then latched onto the underside of the Spiny's black shell with one end of its hook. With the strength boost he called upon from his Alkemei Odina, Athelstan pulled the chain tout and yanked the heavy shell off the Spiny. The weighted shell fell halfway into the soft ground once it came off.

While Athelstan dislodged his piton, Neva shot at the exposed Harimenzetto with her bladestaff's crossbow. Bowser got into his shell and sprang at one of the other Harimenzetto with his Whirling Fortress attack. The moment he made contact with the Spiny, Bowser spun out of the maneuver, but he was successful in knocking off the creature's black shell. Arka Knight used his Povado Thumper to crush the Harimenzetto Bowser exposed as Athelstan latched onto another Harimenzetto shell. After Daisy attacked that one with a Smash Punch, only two Harimenzetto remained.

"Can you try out some plasma to incinerate their shells, Bowser?" asked Daisy.

"I can't," Bowser replied, panting. "I'm surprisingly low on energy right now."

Daisy smiled. "That's alright! You take it easy!"

When Athelstan threw out his Grip Piton at one of the Harimenzetto, Daisy ran up to the other one and flipped over it to grab its shell from behind. Both Harimenzetto got exposed once Athelstan pulled the shell off one and when Daisy overturned the other on its own shell. Warra and Arka Knight jumped and made finishing blows on the Harimenzetto with their elemental tools, ridding the area of the last of the Spinies.

Ramona grabbed the Crystal Tear from the tree trunk and put it away on her person. "One more to go!" she cheered.

"And it seems like this last one is gonna be somewhere in the deepest part of the jungle, right?" Daisy asked.

"I believe so," Ramona said, scoping for confirmation. "Yeah, I think that's the one I got close to before. It feels like it's moving around and not staying in one spot. Regardless, those chains of bridges up ahead seem like the quickest way to it."

"That means either the rain's washing the tear away somewhere, or someone has it," said Daisy.

The layout of the jungle ahead of the Kruna was far different from the rest of the environment. The bridges acted to connect pieces of land together across abyssal gorges, but it also looked like large portions of the jungle floor had been ripped free to the right of the bridges further up. As with the rest of the jungle, trees made the travel path narrow and crowded, meaning the only open areas ahead came from where it seemed like the underneath of the bridges opened out to.

When the group got across the third of the series of bridges, they looked over the ledge of the jungle floor and saw the rivers of the gorges raging into the delta hundreds of feet below. Where the delta led, they could not tell from their point of view.

"That may be a route out of the isthmus into one of the oceans," said Warra. "If it is, it's preventing the Monsoon from flooding the jungle. The relentless rain waters may have created a constant flow into the trenches that ended up washing away the jungle floor from the underside to create this sloping basin. That's the impression the flow of water down there is giving me."

Bowser frowned. "So not only has the rain been going on non-stop for however long Rosalina said, but now it's actually eating into the jungle and destroying it?"

A smashing sound caused the Kruna to look back behind them, where they saw a chunk of land from the other side of the bridge they just got off of slide down into the delta. The same bridge snapped as a portion of the land that held it in place also slid off.

"Alright, well, moving along then!" Marut said with a nervous grin.

"There's no saving this jungle," said Warra. "We best get done with our business here and leave soon."

Arka Knight and the Kruna passed through the remaining bridges and reached an area of the jungle more consistent with the other regions they had worked through. Ramona's Alkemei alerted her to the presence of the last Crystal Tear in the Monsoon Jungle. Just as she took out her swordstaff to scope, they heard wailing rumble through the air.

"Uh-oh," murmured Ramona. "Those are the same sounds I heard earlier."

The group of nine listened to the soul-jarring cries tearing through the sound of the rainfall. From what they heard, the source of the caterwauling was close by.

"That is it," said Arka Knight. "The Suffering's lamenting howls..."

Ramona scoped for the Crystal Tear and noticed the direction of her detection changing. "The Suffering might have the last Crystal Tear," she then said. "Neither my swordstaff or Alkemei are consistent with their glow when I'm holding steady, so something's definitely moving around with it."

"We're going to walk _slowly_ in whatever direction we need to go," Arka Knight said to the Kruna.

"Pay attention to where Ramona's pointing her swordstaff," Daisy added.

The wailing continuing, Arka Knight and the Kruna moved through the deep jungle. Alert and attentive for whatever might present itself, they kept conscious of every step they made. A flash of lightning lit the jungle for a brief moment, something that had only happened a select few times since the Kruna had arrived. The ensuing thunder did nothing to mask The Suffering's wails.

The group rounded a corner into a wider path to see a grouping of Tobawani Alligators and Ringosuki Monkeys scattering and fleeing. The wailing and screaming got louder as Ramona's Motomeru hummed and vibrated more. With no need to scope anymore, Ramona got her Luster Swordstaff ready to defend against a possible ambush. The Suffering seemed to be moving closer to them as much as they were moving closer to it.

"Why do I sense King Boo..." said Bowser.

"I sense him too," said Daisy. "In fact...I sense a whole bunch of other beings with him..."

"They're coming closer!" Marut said.

The wailing reached its loudest volume yet. A grotesque figure equal in size to Bowser dragged its body into the wide path and cried out at the elemental wielders. With charcoal gray skin, the ghoul had mouths where its eyes were supposed to be, six-arms, a deformed, asymmetrical torso that looked morbidly decayed on its left side, and lumpy tumors all over its pyramid-esque legs. It had no rhyme or reason to its abomination of a form.

"The Suffering," Arka Knight said under his breath.

"There's the Crystal Tear!" Ramona shouted. "It's lodged in its forehead!"

Sure enough, as the screaming body writhed on the ground, the others saw the Crystal Tear stuck halfway into the center of its forehead. It looked like the Kruna would not only have to beat The Suffering, but would also have to pry the Crystal Tear out of its skull.

"That's the last one to get from this jungle?" asked Daisy. Ramona nodded in response.

The Suffering kept using four of its six arms to drag its body through the muddied jungle floor. Bright gold light shined from each of its three mouths whenever they opened. Sections of its torso wriggled and jiggled, making scratchy, squishy noises. Steam and vapors rose from where The Suffering's body contacted the ground.

"You know, if this wasn't so creepy, I'd probably be laughing at how ridiculous this thing looks," said Marut.

"This is supposed to be a threat, Arka Knight?" Andrew snapped. "It can barely move!"

As the Kruna of Shadow marched towards the front of the group, The Suffering made an unholy shriek so horrendous and dreadful that the nine elemental wielders all covered their ears to block the awful, cringeworthy sound. Marut, Athelstan, and Andrew lost their hold on their Ultima Staffs in the process and dropped them, but they couldn't pick them up right away. All nine of them had an incredibly hard time trying to move for the duration of the scream and even for a few moments after The Suffering stopped. When normal movement returned, their bodies felt half-numb through all their ranges of motion.

"What was _that_?!" asked Bowser.

"Some sort of paralysis move," Andrew said, clutching his bladestaff. Before the Kruna of Shadow could get off an attack, The Suffering opened its mouths and let green fumes ooze out. The haze sizzled in the air as it floated along the ground.

"Woah!" Andrew yelled. He and the others backed up immediately, though The Suffering's fumes moved slow and had a very short range. The grass the green haze hovered over wilted, crumbled, and died in just seconds.

"Careful!" snapped Arka Knight. "We are dealing with something extremely toxic. Do not initiate direct contact with it! Stay as far away as you can, or it _will_ make you suffer for it."

"That limits our options to ranged attacks," said Warra.

"We must handle what we are dealt with, regardless of the circumstances," said Arka Knight.

The Suffering emitted another paralyzing howl and began a slow advance towards the immobile elemental wielders. With the Kruna unable to move, The Suffering closed the distance between it and them and got close to the four elemental wielders up front. Just as The Suffering spewed more of its toxic green fumes, motor control returned to the Kruna. They backtracked just out of the way as the haze floated over where they formerly stood.

"There! That tree!" Warra called out, pointing at one with low branches. One by one, the nine elemental wielders ran for the tree and leapt onto the limbs to ascend into the treetops. They spread out to various trees around The Suffering, who still dragged along on the ground, moaning and screaming. Though Athelstan and Bowser had to perch on lower, thicker branches due to their heavier weights, they remained high enough off the ground to stay out of harm's way. Now dozens of yards off the ground, the nine elemental wielders waited and locked their gaze on The Suffering.

"I don't like these evasive tactics," Daisy muttered.

"Would you prefer having the flesh peel off your legs?" Arka Knight snapped.

"Look at it," said Bowser. "It's just lurching around down there. We can just pick it to pieces from up here!"

"That seems underhanded and cheap, if you ask me," said Daisy.

"I reiterate; would you prefer having the flesh peel off your legs?" said Arka Knight. "Or did you always aspire to be braised meat?"

"Wait, what's it doing?" said Marut.

The Suffering had made its way to the base of one of the many jungle trees. From there, it propped itself up and staggered to its clodhopper feet. It then gripped the tree trunk with all six of its arms and crushed the section in its hands. When it let go, the tree began to lean back on its way down. It took the elemental wielders a moment to realize that it was Andrew's tree falling. The Kruna of Shadow tried to jump off to a nearby branch, but he didn't have enough height to get to the one he targeted. His trajectory put him on course to land right next to The Suffering, who had already started breathing more of the corrosive, ghastly green haze around it.

"Shady!" Neva screamed.

Luckily for the Kruna of Shadow, Marut swooped down with the power of his Alkemei Furaito and snatched him up before he got within reach of The Suffering. The Kruna of Air angled back up to the treetops and set Andrew down on a branch before landing on one himself.

"Thanks, Marut," said Andrew, gathering shadows around him. "Time for a little payback!"

Andrew charged a dense orb of dark energy above his head and slammed it down to the ground at The Suffering, making direct contact. But when the shadows dissipated, The Suffering acted as if nothing happened and lumbered towards another tree.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Andrew growled.

Bowser breathed a fireball at The Suffering, but again, the ghoul did not show any signs of damage to its body. The same thing happened when Ramona fired a beam of light energy, when Neva shot ice arrows, and when Warra aimed an Aquavado blast. The Suffering took all the attacks without even blocking them, yet had no damage to its form.

When it staggered close enough, The Suffering breathed its toxic haze onto a tree and then let it work its effects on the wood. Daisy felt a jolt on her tree when the fumes ate into the trunk and jumped to an adjacent branch of a different tree. She initially missed the branch, but she caught the trunk and clung to it with her Crystal Grip. The other tree fell over much like the first one did.

"It has held up against all of our attacks so far," said Warra.

"We're just not trying hard enough is all," Andrew said, clutching his right wrist. Shadow power flowed out of his open hand in aggressive swirls. He prepped himself to jump down at The Suffering with his ripping palm of dark energy. "I'll overpower any defense!"

"No-no, stay up here," said Bowser. "Have at least some bit of patience."

"Elemental attacks aren't working," Arka Knight said. "You're going to have to break down and demolish its body to stop it."

"What do you mean?" asked Athelstan.

"You can't burn it, you can't freeze it, so tear it limb from multitude of disfigured limbs!" replied Arka Knight.

"That's impossible!" Bowser exclaimed. "If we get anywhere near it, then it's going to scream at us, paralyze us, and then acidify us!"

"Pay attention, dudes," said Marut. "It's about to take down another tree!"

As soon as Marut said that, The Suffering swung two of its arms in vicious hooks. With a loud snapping echo, the tree Arka Knight stood on whipped to the side and flopped over. The wild tree forced all the other elemental wielders off their spots and to trees farther back. Arka Knight hopped onto a low branch and jumped back up to the height of the others just before The Suffering could try and swing its arms at him.

"I hate what it's doing to this jungle," Daisy said. "We've got to come up with something quick."

"It doesn't matter at this point," said Neva. "The jungle's falling apart from all the rain anyways. We just need to figure out how to beat this monster. At least it doesn't have any true ranged attacks."

"Yeah, but our ranged attacks aren't effective against it," said Bowser. "So it's a standoff until we can get up close."

"But we can't get close!" Daisy exclaimed in frustration. "Damn, this is so restricting!"

"I'll try something with this," Warra said, activating his Alkemei Inpei. After his pendant glowed for a brief instant, he completely disappeared without any trace other than his thin silhouette in space. And even that appeared inconspicuous.

"Wow, this Alkemei's working much better on you than it did on Cractus," said Marut. "I don't think I can even see you at all!"

"Well, look how gigantic Cractus was compared to me," Warra said. "Oh wait, you can't see me now, can you?"

"Nope!" Marut and Ramona both replied.

"Wait, I didn't even notice he had an Alkemei!" Andrew snapped. "So you mean to tell me I'm the only one here without one?!"

"Yes," Arka Knight replied with nonchalance. His flat response made Neva, Bowser, and Marut laugh.

"What're you thinking about doing, Warra?" asked Daisy.

None of them heard the Kruna of Water say anything. Daisy called out his name again, but he still didn't reply.

"He's gone already, isn't he," Daisy muttered.

Athelstan pointed down at The Suffering, who got set to take another swing at one of the tree trunks. Just before it did, Warra became visible right behind it and slashed his Tidal Swordstaff upwards full force at one of The Suffering's arms. The swipe with his blade cut just below the elbow of the ghoul's top right arm and lopped it off.

But as Warra got ready to strike again, he had to back away and clear distance between him and the ghoul. Neon green acid poured out of The Suffering's open wound and splattered on the ground next to its severed arm. By the time The Suffering turned around, Warra had activated his invisibility again. The Suffering let out a wail of agony and cried out as green fumes billowed out from the point where its limb used to be. The ghoul grabbed its head and screamed its paralysis howl even though it couldn't get to any of the elemental wielders in the trees. It then had a seizure in increasing torment, toxic fumes continuing to flow out all the while.

"It literally sounds like it is in an intense, endless cycle of pain," said Ramona. "It's as if thousands upon thousands of voices are crying out in terror every time it opens its mouths."

"No living thing should ever have to go through whatever that fiend is going through," said Dasy. "No non-living thing should either. I can't even imagine..."

"Especially for the souls trapped within," added Arka Knight.

"You know, I'm still sensing a whole array of other energy signatures," said Ramona. "Including King Boo's."

"But he's nowhere near here," said Andrew. "None of them are."

"Then they're all a part of The Suffering," said Arka Knight.

After the elemental wielders saw a few tree limbs shake in ascending order, Warra became visible kneeling on one. "Now even I can't get down there," he said. "Those gases look like they're just going to keep coming out of its body, and now it's dripping acid from where I cut its arm off."

"But at least you showed how we can destroy it," said Arka Knight. "The Suffering is resilient against elements but weak when it comes to direct hits. And since getting anywhere near it will mean death now, we have only one viable option."

Daisy's expression turned grim, for she knew what Arka Knight meant. She clutched the gem of her Alkemei Orianthi in her hand, the Pendant of Reanimation she had used only one other time. But before she did or said anything else, The Suffering took another swing at one of the trees, this time smashing the trunk of the tree Marut and Ramona stood on. Both Kruna escaped the falling tree, Ramona leaping onto the limb of an adjacent one and Marut hovering in the air with his Pendant of Flight active.

"Kruna of Earth!" Arka Knight barked. "The dead animals underneath the marsh; revive them!"

"Guess I don't have a choice, huh?" said Daisy.

"Oh, you have a choice," said Bowser. "It's just that if you don't use it, we're going to run out of life preserver trees!"

The Suffering raised its deformed right leg and smashed it into another tree, the one Neva stood on. Its strike cleared trunk from underneath the tree and made it drop down on its bottom, creating a jolt on contact that knocked Neva off balance and sent her plummeting to the jungle floor. Marut tried to swoop in and catch her, only for The Suffering to grab hold of the loose tree and throw it up into the air where it smacked him away from the battle scene.

As Marut got caught up and tangled in a thick vine far off from the action, Neva dropped flat onto the jungle floor and lost consciousness on contact. At that instant, Andrew darted down the limbs and branches of the trees to the floor in front of Neva. Daisy descended through the trees as well, coming to a stop just behind The Suffering, who had turned its attention to Andrew and Neva.

 _C'mon, c'mon_ , Daisy thought. She clasped her hands together and pointed her index and middle fingers up, trying to concentrate on using her power and not on her friends' peril. _Orianthi!_

Daisy activated her Pendant of Reanimation and focused her control down under the ground of the jungle. Her influence and life force awakened several corpses and bodies from within the earthen terrain as The Suffering stalked towards the two vulnerable Kruna. Andrew picked up Neva and accelerated backwards with her, but got stopped in his tracks once The Suffering let out yet another wail of paralysis. The toxic haze continued spewing out of The Suffering, threatening to snuff out Andrew's and Neva's lives the closer the ghoul lumbered.

Bursts of water and light rained down on The Suffering from above but proved no more effective than they did earlier. Andrew backed up with Neva in his arms until he felt a thud hit him from behind and realized that he had walked into a tree. As he turned to run to his right, he got pelted with another paralyzing cry. The Suffering continued lurching towards Andrew and Neva, unrelenting in its pursuit and getting ever closer.

 _I'm gonna have to let you go,_ thought Andrew, looking around the jungle. He grimaced trying to force his body through The Suffering's immobilizing shriek. _There's gotta be somewhere I can throw you behind where it won't get to you..._

The Kruna of Shadow looked behind him to see The Suffering trudging closer and closer in its cloud of corrosive haze. _And then I'm gonna have to take my chances,_ he then thought.

The Suffering screamed yet again, immobilizing Andrew before he even got to distance himself from the ghoul. Any chance of throwing Neva behind the trees and into the bushes somewhere left with the chance of escaping. The Suffering had moved within ten yards of the two Kruna, and its fumes of death even closer.

"Ohh..." Ramona groaned. She shut her eyes, gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists in expectation of the worst. Bowser, Athelstan, Warra grimaced and scowled as they and Ramona watched from above in the trees, all four of them and Arka Knight helpless to do anything to stop The Suffering. Marut had snapped free from the vines and flew back to the scene, but he knew he couldn't dive down to grab Andrew and Neva in time. He would get caught too if he tried. Another debilitating roar from The Suffering locked Andrew into place, but the Kruna of Shadow made one final adjustment to hunch over Neva and put his back to the ghoul.

The next several moments felt so quick to Andrew, he didn't even realize anything happened. Because nothing happened. The next thing Andrew knew, he had feeling back in his body and could move. When he looked behind him, he gasped in awe of the sight of something born out of an abhorrent, grisly horror movie.

The Suffering could not move any closer to Andrew and Neva, for eight pairs of partially decayed arms had erupted from the ground and grabbed hold of the ghoul's legs. Daisy stood way back behind the abomination with her Alkemei Orianthi glowing. The Kruna of Earth held her left arm up and pointed two fingers skywards, coinciding with the ascension of eight zombie Ringosuki Monkeys from underneath The Suffering. Andrew carried Neva away from the danger and got behind a nearby rock to peer out from.

When all the undead Ringosuki emerged from the ground, they wrapped themselves all around The Suffering's legs. Twelve skeletal birds crawled out from the marshy jungle floor and went airborne, circling around the agonized monstrosity and taking turns diving in at it. The Suffering struggled and wriggled against the grapples of the zombie monkeys and swung its arms to hit them off, only for Daisy to bring more of them to the surface.

"Oh my gosh..." Ramona mumbled, sick in the face. "What am I watching?!"

"This is only going to get more disturbing, I'm sure..." murmured Warra.

The zombie Ringosuki dug their hands deep into the left leg of The Suffering and ripped it free from its torso. Knocked off balance from the sudden limb loss, the ghoul fell over on its back. More acid and toxic fumes poured out as The Suffering screamed and wailed as hard as it ever had. Some of the undead monkeys and birds faltered and disintegrated under the effects of the corrosive fluids and gases, but the decreasing number of reanimated bodies just meant that Daisy could now bring up more to replace them.

And so she did. Ten Tobawani Alligator corpses burrowed up from around the jungle and closed in on The Suffering. Andrew watched two of the zombie alligators crawl past him just inches away from his feet, neither of them even paying any mind to him or Neva. The last of the Ringosuki zombies pinned The Suffering to the ground until all the undead Tobawani joined them before faltering and breaking down. While the skeletal birds continued their aerial attacks on the downed ghoul, the alligators bit into and ripped apart the Suffering's acid-leaking, gas-spouting body; all while The Suffering screamed and cried without end.

In a macabre display, the alligators and The Suffering experienced simultaneous destruction. The zombie Tobawani tore The Suffering's body apart into dozens of disheveled chunks, but they themselves went under and broke down from the acid and fumes The Suffering's body released. The other elemental wielders descended from out of the trees to join Daisy on the ground as the grotesque event unfolded. Before long, only a few of the skeletal birds remained and flew around in circles over what had become a massive pile of decayed bodies and rotting, mottled limbs.

When that pile began to sink into the jungle floor from the spilling acid, Daisy directed one of the remaining undead birds to pull out the Crystal Tear from The Suffering's forehead. She then had the bird drop it by her feet to let the rain wash it off a little before anyone touched it. With that, Daisy willed the reanimated birds to land and return back under the ground before deactivating her Orianthi.

The Suffering's acids ate away at its own body now that it had all flowed out and escaped from its containment within. As The Suffering's body melted, a bright wavy flash of white light oozed out and up through the treetops before spreading out in all directions. The Kruna heard thousands of voices coming from the light from the time it shined to the time it faded out and dissipated.

"These past ten minutes have been all kinds of wrong," said Marut. Andrew carried Neva far from the sinking gaseous pile of acid and dead bodies on his way over to the group.

Taking a deep breath under the accumulated strain and energy drain of her Alkemei usage, Daisy knelt down and picked up the Crystal Tear at her feet. She handed it to Ramona, and, as promised, Arka Knight tossed his over to the Kruna of Light as well. Counting the one from Arka Knight, the Kruna had acquired seven Crystal Tears out of their mission through the Monsoon Jungle.

"Excellent use of your Orianthi, Kruna of Earth," said Arka Knight.

"I didn't enjoy one second of that, you know," Daisy replied, turning to walk up to Arka Knight. "This is not a power someone in my position should have. This feels so...twisted and wrong; this pendant is not ethical at all. I...I should not be tampering and playing with the dead like this – it's a mockery of real, natural life... This isn't noble, this isn't befitting of a Kruna, this...it's disgraceful... This feels like cheating!... Why did you give me this Alkemei?... Why did you ask this of me?"

Arka Knight didn't reply right away. Daisy turned and paced away from the brown-clothed Shy Guy in angst, adding only, "I'm waiting on a response."

"We survived because you used that ability, Daisy," said Warra. "Don't curse it."

"That's the second time your pendant has saved us, Daisy," said Bowser. "Clearly, good has come out of using it."

Daisy sighed and looked away as she gripped her forehead through her cloak hood, trying to relax. She was silent for a little while, but when she turned back around, she seemed more at ease; even if only a little. So many thoughts and wonders filled her head.

"Hey..." Arka Knight called out to Daisy. "Thank you for destroying The Suffering, Kruna Daisy. You did well here... Don't get swamped by rain that doesn't fall."

Daisy didn't get a chance to say anything or ask what he meant, for Arka Knight spun around into a brown twist and disappeared in a warped blur. The Shy Guy's energy signature vanished just as quick. With Arka Knight gone, the attention turned to Neva, who still lay unconscious in Andrew's arms.

"Is she okay?" Ramona asked.

"Nothing seems broken," said Andrew. "I mean, I'm not a medic, but...I hope nothing's broken..."

"She did have a pretty high fall, but the ground's soft from the rain," said Warra.

"Then she oughta be fine," said Daisy, walking up to her. "She is kinda fragile, but I wouldn't worry. It just seemed like an awkward landing."

"Hey, I think she's waking up," murmured Andrew. The others came closer to look in. Neva's eyes drifted open. She looked around, quiet and calm.

"See? Just a little shock is all," Daisy said with a soft smile.

"Welcome back," Andrew said to Neva. "Are you alright?"

"I think I am..." Neva asked. "What happened? All I remember was that I fell on the ground...and The Suffering was on the ground..." She then paused and wondered why she was floating before realizing the Kruna of Shadow's hold on her was what kept her suspended off the jungle floor. "Andrew...did you save me?" she asked.

Before Andrew said anything, Athelstan cut in and sounded off. "Oh yeah! You should've seen him! He shot down like a lightning bolt as soon as he could and got you away from that six-armed freak of nature!"

"He did?" Neva asked as Andrew scowled at Athelstan.

"Yup! That was all him!" Athelstan said. "He didn't drop you or let go of you for one second! You didn't even come close to touching the ground once he picked you up."

"I think you owe him a big thanks, Neva," said Daisy.

"What? No! Thank Daisy!" said Andrew. "She's the one that destroyed The Suffering, not me."

"But she didn't pick Neva up and run with her to get her away from it, did she?" said Bowser.

"Wha- Bowser?!" Andrew shouted.

"And she wouldn't've survived without him by the time Daisy reanimated those creatures from under the ground," added Athelstan.

"That's true," said Daisy. "I was working as fast as I could."

"But I wouldn't've been successful in doing any of that if Daisy hadn't used her Orianthi!" Andrew snapped at Athelstan.

"But you went down and grabbed Neva before I even got ready to use it, you big softie," said Daisy.

"Jus-shut up!" shouted Andrew.

Everyone else burst into laughter; except for Neva, who blushed and beamed from what she had just heard. Their work done in the Monsoon Jungle, Bowser and Warra both activated their radio transmitters to call for the Koopa Cruiser. The Kruna then began to make their way out to the other side of the jungle to finally leave the dreary land of endless rain.


	22. Chapter XXII

Longing:

The Koopa Cruiser didn't arrive back at Rainbow City until sometime near midnight. Thanking Waluigi and Toadette once more for their help, the Kruna Yura put away their now dried rain cloaks and went straight to the Rainbow Suite to retire for the night. Every last one of them felt drained to varying degrees, so they had no qualms with going right to bed.

When they reached the third floor of the Rainbow Suite, the Kruna exchanged good wishes and praise for each other before they split to go to their respective bedroom doors. Fatigue prevented them from staying out too long. One by one, the elemental wielders went into their rooms until just Daisy, Ramona, Andrew, and Neva were left. Then Daisy and Ramona entered their respective rooms, leaving just Neva and Andrew standing outside in the dim hallway. For a while, neither of them said anything. He stared at her just as she stared at him. Their rooms diagonal from each other, neither of them made a motion to open their doors. Whether it was the low lighting or something else, their sights locked on to one another in tunnel vision.

"Goodnight," Neva murmured, waving her hand.

"Goodnight," Andrew replied, just as quiet.

Even though they both said that, neither of them moved right away. They kept gazing at each other until finally, Andrew turned and went through his door. Neva went through hers after she saw his door close.

Ramona took the day's Crystal Tears out and put them in the box from her nightstand with the rest of the them to bring the tear count up to twelve. Before she took off her armor and equipment for the night, she went to go stand in the mirror. She gazed at her reflection, the image of an elemental warrior staring right back at her with her ruffled hair, scratches, bruises, and increasingly callusing hands. For a while, she wondered if that was even her own self that she saw in the glass. A handful of months ago, she had been in college for a degree in literature. Being an author or a novelist was a far cry from where she stood now.

Across the hall, Athelstan looked out his window as he took off his gear. Similar thoughts ran through his head. He had a simple, if not mundane, life as a historian and archivist back in Kallantown. The wonder and mystique of the Kruna, the Comet Observatory; everything that he knew now had eluded him back then before he made that trip to the Stone Shrine to join Daisy, Bowser, and Warra. Now, as he viewed the lights of Rainbow City, he wondered just how much there really was to the universe that wasn't physical, tangible, or even logical or explainable.

Marut slipped out of his armor and stretched out on his floor before he went to lay down. He wondered what his Uncle Satoru would do or think knowing his current role. His uncle didn't want him in such a dangerous position in the first place; and while Marut wanted to think about how his uncle would be so impressed and proud of his missions and adventures, he also thought how disappointed his uncle might very well be to know that he had failed in preventing the Earth's downfall. He then wondered if the world would've been better off if he had just stuck to flying aircraft back in Nimbus Land. Even with the dispiriting muse, he turned over in bed and cast the thoughts aside in assurance that everything would turn out fine somehow.

Warra sat in front of his mirror and tugged on his lengthy ponytail to re-tighten it as he looked at his new pendant. He saw the Alkemei Inpei as just another tool for him to work with in getting their job done, much like water wielding was as a guard on the island nation of Mekarsari. He frowned when he remembered he only had his guard duties waiting for him there. With his father, sister, and girlfriend all having been dead since before he became a Kruna, and his unborn child who never got to see the light of day – not to mention his failure to save his entire guard team from a herd of Chain Chomps – now just a memory, the thought crept into Warra's head that he is just as much at fault for the state of the world now as he was on his ill-fated day, irrespective of what he did or didn't have control over. He wanted now more than ever to set things right in the world, and he knew he could not live with himself if he failed these teammates of his too. If he did fail yet again, he would be no better off than the souls that were trapped in The Suffering.

Neva lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. Regardless of the Twilight City of this world or the one of her own time, there was nothing left for her in her hometown. With her family dead, and much of her recent life spent opposing King Sarasa during his imperial-like actions, the eighteen year-old elemental wielder had no reason to return to Twilight City and nothing holding her down. She had no attachments anywhere to prevent her from going wherever she wanted when her tenure as a Kruna ended.

Neva rolled off her bed and walked over to the dresser. She pulled out from one of its drawers a small notebook she had been carrying with her, then sat back down on her bed as she went through the pages containing unfinished songs she had wrote. Very few, if any, had happy lyrics. Most of them were bitter and angry in some sort of way. Going through them made her feel eerily lonely.

Bowser stared in his room mirror, seeing a contorted image of his Giga Soul looming over his reflection. Seeing The Suffering's agony made him wish he could've taken the Giga Soul out right then and there and fed it to the six-armed, mouth-eyed, toxic abomination. He wanted the Black Mages to just pull it out of him and be done with it already, for he was losing patience. Every extra moment it spent in him, he feared it made him that much more liable to eventually succumbing to it. Though he kept the Giga Soul down and suppressed, it still lurked in the background of his psyche. The Monsoon Jungle trip had been the harshest on him so far, but he didn't let any of the others know. Part of him wished he could tell at least one of the other Kruna about his handicap. He trusted them, but he didn't know how well they would react to him having something so monstrous trapped inside his being. They all seemed so tolerant, but he did not ever want to come close to being seen as a villain or a monster by anyone ever again. He swore he would leave that life of hate behind, and yet the presence of the Giga Soul threatened to drag him back if he failed to keep it in check for whatever reason.

Andrew sat on the end of his bed, twiddling his fingers and tensing his arms. No way he would have said it to any of the others, but he had come out of a very bad place mentally before he teamed up with them. He had aspired to work with and train athletes back home in Christmas Village, one of many places that commonly held sporting events; but before that, he didn't believe he had a place anywhere in the world. Even now, he still questioned his worth to any of his teammates. The more he tried to improve his powers and abilities, the more powerful he felt he needed to be. The last thing he wanted, the greatest pain he could ever have, was for him to be ineffective, useless...unnecessary. To live as an unwanted and expendable mistake, as he viewed his coming into the world; that, to him, was a fate worse than death.

Daisy lay in her bed, fiddling with her Alkemei Orianthi. The Kruna Yura had spent all that time training, yet when it came down to it, she had to use the pendant's reanimation powers in battle twice just to survive, let alone win. In her mind, she could hear Master Terran, Geno, Grekka, Elkon, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Polari, King Sarasa, Marissa; all of them in one way or another either declare her usage of the pendant as a wicked crutch or proclaim her too weak overall to be even a mediocre hero. Anger welled up, built on a desire to prove herself, a need for more power, a drive to live up to her Kruna title, and an even greater will to establish her worth. She didn't care about why she felt any of it, but in her mind, she knew that she had to feel that way in order to undo Marissa's damage and end the witch's dystopian reign.

Nonetheless, the aggressiveness and the hostility of Daisy's feelings disturbed her. She did calm herself down, but she couldn't deny how she felt. Eventually, she got comfortable enough to the point where she could begin to doze off for the night. She already decided she would not lay there dwelling and brooding about it. She rolled on her back, spread out her arms and legs, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

Bowser, on the other hand, needed a little extra help to relax enough to fall asleep. He could feel his body cramping up in need of water and went to get a bottle of it out of his room's minifridge. Opening its door, he found he had no water left. That meant he had to go down to the dining hall and get some before they closed for the night.

Bowser opened his room door, a gentle sigh escaping him when he stepped out into the hallway. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Neva standing outside of Andrew's door, ready to knock with one hand and a book held in her other hand. But when she noticed Bowser step out, she glued both her arms behind her back and turned to make it look like she had been walking down the hall...backwards.

"Neva?" Bowser asked. "What are you still doing out here?"

"Uh, I-I-I, I was just...j-just going to bed, is all..." Neva said, darting back to her room. She opened and closed her door in a flash.

Bowser stared at Neva's door in confusion. _What was that all about?_ he thought. _That wasn't because of me. She never acted like she was scared of me before... What a weird one she is._

* * *

Midmorning the next day, Rosalina and Polari had gathered the Kruna Yura in the main meeting room of Rainbow City Hall on East Island. They instructed the eight elemental wielders to take their Crystal Tear search to Delight City and its suburbs over in the northeastern portion of the western world. The trip would take them the closest to the Mushroom Kingdom – and consequently, the Arkana Force Field surrounding it – they've been since popping out of the Chronos Aeon time portal.

Daisy, Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, and Marut had been to Delight City before when they sought out the Water Shrine, but none of them had been to the city's northward suburbs, the Crescent Moon Village. The Kruna Yura all remembered what Rosalina had told them before about the smaller of the two cities. It was the location of the last mission of the Kruna Chitan, the Kruna team Mario and Luigi's mother, Marietta, led before dying in that very town.

Since Toad and Alden were busy optimizing performance on the Koopa Cruiser, the Kruna had to wait until later on that evening to make their trip to Delight City. The two blacksmiths assured faster flying speeds for the Koopa Cruiser, improved fuel efficiency, and increased maneuverability once they got done, all upgrades that could only help the Kruna as their travels took them further away from Rainbow City. That meant they had at least a good five to six free hours to work with before Toad and Alden had the airship ready to go.

Bowser ran around the sky island citadel in search of one of the Black Mages; specifically, Naraka or Solovar. He managed to find the former perusing through some books in the library all the way on the other side of Rainbow City. When asked about any new potential solutions for eradicating the Giga Soul, Naraka couldn't tell Bowser that he had any.

"No, I can't say we made any headway in that respect," Naraka stated. " _But,_ I do believe we may have some leads as to the whereabouts of the Gate of Time that could send you back to your time period."

Bowser perked up. "Is that so?"

"Hopefully, within the next couple days, we'll have a better idea of where it is, if not a definitive location," said Naraka. "I'll have to converse with Rosalina and the Lumas some more. Stay on standby for when we figure it out, for we'll likely need you to go check it out right away."

"After we come back from Delight City," said Bowser. "We're going down there tonight."

"That should be fine," replied Naraka. "Like I said, it should be a day or two before we really get to the bottom of this mystery."

* * *

Marissa Arkana walked through the doors of a Toad Town Starbeans Café in the suburbs of Mushroom City. She groaned as she got behind four other people in line; two toads, a Skalfer, and an older koopa. The red Shy Guy behind the counter waited on the older koopa to order, making no effort to hide his boredom even though the morning had only just begun.

"Meh..." Marissa muttered to herself. She frowned and slumped in her spot in the line, eyeing the old koopa up front still peering mindlessly at the menu on the wall.

"Well, um..." the koopa muttered. "I want a...no...I think I'll...well, no..."

"Meh..." Marissa grumbled again.

"Please, take your time sir," the Shy Guy cashier said.

"Oh, I've already been here for five whole minutes," the koopa said. "I really should make a decision...but, I can't decide between the Cheese Land Croissant or the Hoolumbian Combo...wait, does the Chuckocinno come with a free bagel?"

"Your choice of bagel, pastry, or muffin, good sir," said the cashier.

"Oh wait," the koopa said. "What about the...actually, can you tell me which of these on the menu have the lowest sugar contents?"

Marissa palmed her face and grimaced. "Oh my me – why didn't I come here earlier like I said I would..."

Ten more minutes passed; ten, painfully slow minutes for the demon witch overlord. The koopa still hadn't made a decision on the order. The others in line didn't seem to care much, for they were glued to the screens of their electronic tablets.

"Brain dead _fools_ ," Marissa whispered to herself. She then giggled to herself with ascending volume. "All the more easier to control."

"You know, I really don't know if I'm even hungry anymore," said the old koopa, walking away from the counter. "I think I'll go take a seat at a table and figure out what I want to order."

Marissa's eyes opened as wide as they could go. She nearly choked herself trying to hold in the verbal explosion that almost escaped from her mouth. And she almost did scream out in fury, but then she realized that the line would at least be moving again.

The two toads and the Skalfer got their orders out quick. The toads got their coffees, and once the Skalfer got his bag and drink and walked out of the line, Marissa marched up to the counter. As she stepped in front of the cashier, she let out a loud, maniacal laugh.

"Hello, our grand lord and master," said the cashier. "What would you like today?"

Suddenly sober, Marissa replied. "Hey, Fred. Let me get a large Teeheespresso."

Fred hit some buttons on the cashier computer. "Do you have your club card with you?"

"Huh? Oh, right," Marissa said. She checked her dress pockets and didn't find it in there, then she took off her hat and reached around inside. When she thought she had it, she pulled it out of her hat, but it turned out to be a rabbit instead.

"What the-" said Marissa. She threw the rabbit across the room and kept looking in the hat for her card. Still, she couldn't find it. "I don't think I have it on me this time."

"That's okay – you should still be in the system, I'm sure," said Fred. "Same address, right?"

"Yes! And the place is wonderful! I'm thinking about maybe doing some interior redesigning on it though to make it feel much more gothic and fierce, without losing its homeyness or looking too much like an insane asylum."

"Sounds nice as always, my lord. That'll be ninety gold coins for the Teeheespresso."

Marissa looked dumbstruck when he said that. "NINETY?! Well that's highway robbery right there! What's with the price hike?"

"Sorry, Lord Arkana, but ever since you tightened up the rations from the Capital Gardens, we've had some bean shortages! And since the outside world is lacking sufficient agriculture, we can't import. We've had no choice but to cut back on production and increase the prices!"

Marissa grumbled and took off her hat again to shake out gold coins onto the counter. "Bleh; frickin' economics and...frickin' politics..." As she shook the coins out, another rabbit fell out and landed on top of the coins. "Wha- would you get out of here?!" the witch screamed.

Marissa trotted out of the Starbeans moments later with her Teeheespresso. She sipped out of the cup on her way down to the corner of the block and got ready to unlimber her Dominion Scepter for a ride; but as soon as she reached behind her back for it, a white blur rushed out from underneath the ground in front of her. She stumbled back when the blur hit her cup on the way out and made half of the coffee spill out onto the pavement. The demon witch narrowed her eyes at the wasted coffee before she looked up and saw a disheveled, maddened King Boo even more irate than the last time she saw him. This time, King Boo had not a single Mark of the Witch anywhere on him.

"You have _spilled_ my overpriced Teeheespresso," Marissa spat with a scowl.

"GOOD!" King Boo boomed. "You spilled my soul! I owe you a LOT more back!"

"How did you get free?" Marissa hissed. "Who even let you through the force field?"

"I fazed through it like I can faze through everything else!" King Boo shrieked.

"Oh yeah," mumbled Marissa. "You know, somehow I couldn't account for anything like that when I put that force field up. Kinda just hoped nobody would ever figure that out."

"FOOL!" shouted King Boo. "You inept demon scum! You are not fit to dominate this world!"

"Wow, calm your marshmallow bod, King Boo-Boo," Marissa said, grinning. She giggled and then tried to do her best impression for what she said next. "Hey, King Boo-Boo! How 'bout that pic-eh-nic basket?"

"How dare you sit there and make a mockery of me like that!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh. I'm just having a little fun, gosh."

"Fun?! FUN?! _FUN?!_ You fed me into that hellish cesspool of torture and pain! DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT FUN! I'll frickin' kill y-… I hate you so much."

"Yeah – seriously though, how did you even get free from The Suffering?"

And then King Boo told her how he got free. He told her everything that happened involving his release from The Suffering, and he flew away as soon as he finished. But Marissa didn't bother chasing him. She stood there, a mixture of amusement and absolute rage mixing on her face. Her blood pressure rose and showed through her contracting arms, shoulders, and neck by way of her dilated veins. And then she laughed. She laughed slow. And hard. It didn't sound right at all. It sounded wrong.


	23. Chapter XXIII

Search Through Delight City:

The Koopa Cruiser soared west through the nighttime sky en route to the Delight City region in the western half of the Earth. Toad and Alden had taken a little longer than they thought and didn't finish the ship's upgrades until sometime past nine o'clock. When Rosalina asked the Kruna Yura if they still intended to make the trip, they opted to do so. Rosalina then assured them they would get the next several days off when they returned. The Kruna couldn't think about that too much though, for they still had the mission in front of them to get through first.

Once under the Nirvana Barrier and into the darkened skies of Delight City, the Kruna opened the hatch in the Koopa Cruiser's cockpit and dove out. Waluigi and Toadette steered the airship back up through the mystical red and purple cloud barrier as the Kruna opened up their Sail Gliders relatively early. Though they had decided on a spot to land before they jumped out the Koopa Cruiser, Delight City began to look far more different than it did from the ship the closer they got to the ground.

The city built on the bay didn't appear like much of a city at all. It resembled something out of a post-apocalytpic story more than it did the bright and brilliant metropolis it used to be. The closer the Kruna sailed, the more they saw the crumbled, destroyed, and broken buildings and infrastructure of Delight City.

"We should look for a clear street next to the bay!" Daisy yelled out.

The Kruna angled their glide out in the direction of Pristine Bay and aimed for the street running up and down along the length of the beach. They diverged and gave each other enough room as they hastened their dropping speed. Once in line with the length of the street, they descended in their glides to touch down on the asphalt into running stops.

Having made their landing in the middle of a three-way intersection, the Kruna turned their backs to the beach and surveyed the shattered city ahead of them. Abandoned, ruined, stripped; the once glorious and grand Delight City now existed only as a memory, replaced with a dead metropolis. The Kruna didn't show much reaction at all and kept what they did show muted, for they knew by now that being distraught about a circumstance like this would not help in remedying the issue.

"Looks like a bomb went off here," said Athelstan. "A nuclear bomb. Or Marissa did this."

"Probably one of the many defectors and separatists that rebelled and opposed Marissa," said Bowser, studying a skyscraper in the distance. "I would not be not surprised if she did in fact wreck this place."

"At this point, should we be surprised about anything she does?" said Daisy. "Ramona, are you detecting any Crystal Tears?"

"I'm picking up multiple signals," said Ramona, scoping with her swordstaff. "There's at least two here in the city, and there's one signal coming up north towards the Crescent Moon Village."

"Then we know there's at least three Crystal Tears in this region," said Bowser.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm sensing we're not the only ones here," said Andrew. "Forget about how empty this place may look..."

"We should go straight," said Ramona. "There's nothing out on the beach."

The eight Kruna trotted up the road to head into the city, going past broken windows, blown out buildings, and sections of destroyed street. Every step they took echoed off the walls of buildings with no interference from any other noise. Parked cars and karts sat along the sides of the road in poor condition, rusted and busted. The turn on the left at the first inland intersection they reached led into a road that had ripped and bent upwards a good hundred feet off ground level. They would find similar disturbances and deformities in the roads ahead as they continued further into the city past what used to be a high school.

"I hate seeing a school torn down like that," Andrew said to Ramona.

"I know," Ramona replied. "Especially when you remember how much we enjoyed our time in high school. That cuts deeper."

"Wait, you guys actually liked high school?" asked Daisy.

"Oh yeah, it was great!" Andrew said. "Even though it was mostly just Ramona and I doing our own thing and then everyone else, it was the fastest four years of all time."

"We definitely enjoyed it," said Ramona. "It was fun. The whole time there was so authentic and memorable."

"I'd do it all over again if I could," said Andrew.

 _Oh, crap!_ Neva shrieked in thought. _I just realized I never finished school!_ _I was still in ninth grade when King Sarasa tore through Twilight City! I should've had my diploma like, last Summer!_

"Oh, here's a good story," said Andrew. "This ought to lighten the tone some. So there was this guy in our sophomore class. I'm not gonna say his name or anything for anyone to hear because he probably isn't proud of what he would do – his name's Mickey Abato – but this guy, who will remain nameless, would walk into English class maybe two days out of the week and skip all the other days. But there was this one time when he's there and the teacher wants him to read a passage – and he goes 'Nah, son, I ain't tryna read,' and then he just gets up and walks out the room! He's not even caring one bit, teacher's looking like she's about to crack diamonds with her head, and we don't know what happened to him after that sophomore year ended. So, whenever someone did something like that and was a jerk and just infuriated somebody else, we said that they 'micked' them, and that the person on the other end of it 'got mick.' Like when Polari is being mick by scolding and nagging us, or when Daisy and Marut got me mick when they ate all the fish out of the Rainbow Suite diner the other day, when I _explicitly_ said to save me some."

"You didn't show up 'til the diner started closing down!" hollered Marut. "We thought you changed your mind and skipped dinner or went somewhere else!"

"I'm a certified Pisces-phille, and you savages raided the place to fill those bottomless pits you call stomachs!" said Andrew. "I asked for one fillet. One. Not three, not four, not five, not even two – one. I was gonna go light that night!"

"Actually, I was there," said Bowser. "Waluigi took the last few."

"Alright – that guy just hates me," said Andrew. "One of the few things I look forward to eating, and he swipes them. Always tryna mick me. Ramona, we need to bring the 'mick' bit back. We'll probably forget about doing it though the moment a monster dragon-ogre pops out from around the corner."

The group knew Andrew was joking, but they peered all around the intersection they passed through just to be sure. At this point, they could walk into anything, get ambushed by anyone, or even discover a dangerous stalker tailing them. The last part was especially true considering the presence and unknown location of the Dark Sentinel, a robot they had been fortunate enough to not encounter since before their initial return to the surface. Further adding to their vulnerability and disadvantage, the eight year time skip made previously known areas like Delight City seem like new and completely unfamiliar territory.

Neva suddenly stopped walking and froze in place. "Hey, do you guys hear that?"

The other Kruna halted their movements to listen in to what their ice friend had pointed out. Though they couldn't tell for sure, what they heard sounded like motors. As they listened, the sounds of the motors increased; but only to a certain extent, after which the hums and roars faded away.

"That sounds like fun," Andrew said with a sarcastic grin.

"You know, you scare me when you ask for trouble like that," Ramona said to the Kruna of Shadow.

"No telling who it could be," said Warra. "Stay alert."

"Shouldn't we always know to stay alert by now?" said Daisy.

"Yes, but I mean extra alert," replied Warra.

Another road deformity in front of them prevented the Kruna from going straight through the fifth intersection they reached, so they went left in accordance with Ramona's Motomeru Scope. A short distance down the southbound street, they went past a side store without a door. The building had experienced minor damaged compared to most of the other structures around it.

"You guys think there's anything useful in that store?" asked Marut.

"Doubtful," said Daisy. "But we can check."

The Kruna walked in though the doorway into what appeared to be an item shop back before Delight City's demise. The inside of the store looked trashed and raided. Whatever was left over lay in the partially busted glass display counter by the register. The Kruna went up to it to try and see what was inside, if anything, but the lack of lighting and shadows made it difficult to see through the dust, ash, and other fine particles caked onto the glass.

"This counter's dusty," said Marut. Just as Ramona made her swordstaff function as a flashlight, Marut took a deep breath and blew over the glass countertop...right in Andrew's face. The Kruna of Shadow shielded his eyes and backed away, while the others waved at the stirred up dust clouds to get them to disband.

"Dude! You just blew dust in my face!" snapped Andrew. Just a couple seconds after he said that, he sneezed; though, no one would've noticed if they weren't looking at him when he did.

"What was that?" Athelstan said. He and Marut both cracked up at the Kruna of Shadow, who stared back at them in confusion.

"What?" Andrew asked.

Marut stifled his laughter just enough to say, "You sneeze like a girl!"

At just about the exact same time, Daisy and Andrew both said, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Um..." Marut mumbled. He couldn't come up with anything good to say, so he turned and dashed out the door in flash.

"Good, we need somebody on watch outside anyways," said Daisy, redirecting her attention back to the counter. As soon as she got her head around, she saw Neva bust through the glass with her bladestaff and start ogling the exposed goods.

"Neva!" Daisy shouted.

"What?" said Neva. "It's not like anyone's here to care, right? If this stuff'll help, we oughta just take it!"

"Technically, that is both vandalism and stealing," stated Warra.

"What are ya – a cop?" replied Neva. "Did you not hear what I just said? Nobody's here – who cares? It's called 'scavenging!' "

"I'm just hoping those motor sounds weren't coming from cars," said Ramona. "We're looking pretty bad snooping and scavenging around in this place right about now."

"Bah – there's nothing useful here anyways," grumbled Neva, turning away from the counter. "Just some recovery items that're probably expired and some weak elemental tools. Whoever raided this place first must've taken all the good stuff and left this garbage."

"HEY!" Marut yelled from outside. "We got trouble!"

Daisy, Athelstan, and Andrew ran outside to join Marut while the others looked out from the store windows. From farther up the street, Bandits, Snifits, and Spear-Masks drove into view, two raiders to a kart in Wild Wings and Flame Flyers. The two dozen total raiders spanned across twelve karts, the rear passengers all armed with Bob-omb Launchers.

Before any of the Kruna outside even made a move, the raiders fired Bob-ombs at a distance from where all the elemental wielders could see at first were tiny, sparked balls. They didn't realize what the raiders had fired at them until the Bob-ombs got to within seconds away. On instinct, Marut spun around into his Dome Rotation to deflect the incoming projectiles. The swirling air shield lifted the majority of Bob-ombs into the sky and off to the side, where they exploded on the tops of the nearby buildings. The other ones split behind and in front of the assembled Kruna, creating obscuring explosions but not harming anyone.

Athelstan kicked the club of his right boot into the ground in tandem with a raise of both arms, elevating the portion of the road in front of him high overhead to turn it into a large ramp. The karts drove through the explosion smoke and didn't have enough time to react to Athelstan's manipulation of the street. All the karts dashed up the ramp and shot off it into the air, sailing way over the Kruna on a trajectory taking them far down the other side of the street. Five of the karts lost balance and crashed onto the road upon landing or into nearby buildings. The other seven karts made hard U-turns once they hit the ground and sped back in the Kruna's direction.

Andrew erected a wall of thick shadows in front of him and his counterparts while Daisy knelt and charged her fist with seismic power. When the karts all drove through the shadows, Daisy hit them with a surprise Shotgun blast. None of them could escape the Shotgun's sweeping span of impact. Nearly all of the raiders spun out and flipped out of the karts; and the two who managed to stay in their karts turned tail and drove off, much to the dismay of the rest of their group.

"Well that wasn't very nice of them," said Daisy.

"Guys, one of those karts had a Crystal Tear!" Ramona shouted as she and the others ran out from the store.

"Marut, let's chase after them!" Daisy shouted.

"Why don't you die, and we'll go after them!" a Bandit snarled, taking aim with his Bob-omb Launcher. Five other raiders took aim with theirs and fired at the Kruna, but Ramona countered with a light shield to protect them. The light shattered like glass after taking the full force of the six Bob-ombs, after which Bowser threw out two Fanning Torch fireballs through the explosions. Though the Krnua couldn't see through the fumes and clouds, they heard the fireballs both hit raiders.

"I'm going for the tear!" Marut hollered, zooming into the air with his Alkemei power.

"I'll leave these jokers to you guys!" Daisy said to her friends. She got set to run through the diminishing smoke to chase after the fleeing karts and primed and focused herself for her sprint. "Here we...GO!"

In an instant, Daisy pushed her arms back and sprang ahead in a fierce run. She let Marut's flight guide her, knowing he had the overhead view of the city's layout. As for the still scrambling raiders in front of the other Kruna, they readied their launchers again now that they had a clearer line of sight. Strangely, each of the raiders began to faint one by one.

"Hey, what are y'all doing?!" a Spear-Mask barked from behind a flipped Wild Wing. "Don't fall asleep when we're busy at work! What's the matter with-"

And then he fainted too. None of the Kruna had any idea why the raiders were dropping like they all had heat stroke; nor did they notice that Warra had vanished. They just saw all the remaining raiders freak out and panic as they continued to drop off until the Kruna of Water appeared right behind the last one standing and chopped him in his neck. All the Bandits, Snifits, and Spear-Masks either passed out or rolled on the ground in disorientation.

"Effective incapacitation with your Alkemei, Warra," said Ramona.

"I can do that when it's just a gang of mooks," said Warra. "Not like I'm relying on it. It was hard enough to sustain just now anyways. Now then, should we go after Daisy and Marut?"

"Yeah, but why don't we just walk?" said Bowser. "They can come running to us."

"Or we can try and grab that other Crystal Tear here," said Ramona.

"Actually, let's do that instead," said Bowser.

As the six Kruna moved down the street and past the wreckage of the raiders and their karts, an injured gray Snifit crept out from a nearby building and aimed its snout at Warra. Fortunately, Bowser saw him through his Alkemei Kracielle's vision enhancement and turned around just as the Snifit released a burst fire of bullets. Bowser blocked all five of them with the fat, curved blade of his Pyro Scimitar and breathed a fireball in the Snifit's direction to counter. The other Kruna turned and watched the explosion of fire drift from the point of contact into the air above the buildings.

"A little _overly_ done," said Athelstan.

"Underhanded delinquent," Bowser grumbled at the embers and flame wisps.

* * *

"I see them up ahead!" Marut yelled down to Daisy from the sky. "Shortcut with a left, and a right, and then another left!"

Daisy followed Marut's directions, dashing through the Delight City streets and drifting through the intersections on her own two feet while the Kruna of Air surveyed ahead from above. From what Marut saw, the rogue Wild Wing and Flame Flyer were moving further in towards the inner city.

"Keep at it, dude!" Marut shouted. "They haven't gotten too far away!"

Daisy put a little bit more speed into her breakneck pace and blazed down a straightaway street. Marut then popped back out ahead of her in the sky, therein acting as a mobile beacon for her to follow. Wherever Marut turned, Daisy turned right after; and he made plenty of them.

"Marut, what's with the zigzagging?" Daisy yelled. "I can't reach top speed if I gotta keep leaning around and drifting all over the place!"

"I'm just following them!" hollered Marut. "Don't worry – you're actually catching up some now!"

After a couple more turns, Marut straightened out and soared up a wide street. He didn't make any extra movements to either his left or right. Daisy could see the faint outline of the two karts dead ahead in the distance as Marut swooped down between the buildings to fly just a handful of yards off the ground.

"Daisy! You gotta run faster!" Marut shouted, kicking his flight into high gear. "You're too slow!"

"No I'm not!" Daisy shouted back. Without breaking stride in her run, she focused her energy and transformed into her Nova Form. Her skin gained a glossy sheen, her hair spiked out in front of and behind her, her irises turned golden, the black talons appeared under her eyes, and her energy production doubled all in a transformation that now took no longer than two seconds.

Nova Daisy rocketed through the streets with the speed boost from her power-up and kept pace with Marut and the fleeing karts. Soon, she got in line with Marut in time to get ready to take a hard left turn. The two Kruna cracked around the intersection corner to stay on track with the runaways. Daisy on the ground and Marut through flight, they sped along at an increasing rate to close the gap between them and the karts ahead. Another right turn, another left, a straightaway through two intersections, then another right, then a straight through three intersections, then a chicane and a cut through a roundabout; and the space between them and the raiders dipped under three seconds.

"If they decide to split, go after the Wild Wing," Daisy shouted to Marut. "I'll tail the Flame Flyer!"

At that moment, the Bandit driving the Wild Wing caught sight of the two Kruna in his mirrors and panicked. He honked his horn to get the Spear-Mask's attention next to him and pointed back behind them. When the Spear-Mask saw Daisy and Marut, he hit the accelerator and turned off on the next right with the Bandit. The Kruna took the same exact turn and started closing the distance some more.

"It's only drivers!" Daisy yelled. "They can't fire at us!"

"Split, man!" the Spear-Mask barked. At the very next intersection, the Bandit drifted left and shot down the street. Marut twisted up into the air at the turnoff and looped own with an extra burst of speed, leaving Daisy dashing straight through by herself to chase the Spear-Mask.

Marut's boost from his aerial maneuver gave him enough added speed to erase the gap between him and the Bandit in mere seconds. The Bandit freaked out once he saw the Kruna of Air coming up on him, but he couldn't do anything on the long street he had turned onto. The next thing he knew, Marut had snatched him up out of the Wild Wing and dropped him to go skidding along the ground. The kart drove with no driver down the street for a while before it flipped over and rolled numerous times until it smashed into one of the dead trees in the street's grassy median.

Daisy closed in on the Flame Flyer she chased, cutting around every turn that the Spear-Mask made in the kart. Just as she got to within two car lengths, the Spear-Mask reached under his dashboard and pulled out a Bob-omb. He looked at Daisy and laughed as he lit the Bob-omb to start its internal timer.

"No wait, stop!" Daisy shouted. "You have to stop!"

"Hah! Why?!" the Spear-Mask replied. "Because I can blow your brains right through your stupid hair?!"

"No – I mean stop the kart!" Daisy yelled, putting a skid on her mad run to slow down. "At least watch where you're going!"

"Huh," the Spear-Mask mumbled as he looked in front of him. He might have caught a glimpse of the downed building running the entire width of the road just before he drove right into it. When Daisy screeched to a stop, she saw a single explosion from the impact of the kart with the fallen building, followed by a second explosion from the kart's engine and gas tank. Almost immediately after that went off, the Bob-omb blew up and added to the absolute carnage of burning metal and incinerated debris. Another reaction inside the eruption of hot death set off a fourth detonation that blasted the body of the Flame Flyer into the air on fire.

Daisy stared at the combustive reds and billowing blacks from the hellish, flaming scene as a Crystal Tear rolled along the asphalt halfway to her. _What an awful way to go,_ she thought. With a solemn deep breath, she powered down out of her Nova Form and went to go pick up the Crystal Tear. She then turned and ran back the other way to go find Marut.

* * *

Bowser and the other five Kruna wandered through the streets as Ramona scoped for another Crystal Tear in the vicinity. They stalked into an area of Delight City they had not been through yet in this time, but that Bowser, Warra, and Athelstan had been through before with Marut and Daisy. The group stopped and looked at the opening in the stretches of city buildings where a tall flight of wide stone stairs led into a rundown monument.

"I remember that," Warra said, pointing up the stairs. "This was one of Delight City's biggest banks."

"And where we ran into those Mario and Luigi doppelgangers," said Bowser. "Man, those guys annoyed the crap out of me."

"We could use the layout of its ruins to get onto the rooftops," said Ramona.

"Now why do we need to do that?" asked Bowser.

"Because my swordstaff's glowing with this upwards tilt," said Ramona. "So the Crystal Tear's probably on the roof somewhere."

"Good enough for me," said Andrew. He sprinted up the steps and leapt onto the many piles of the bank's broken infrastructure until he reached the topmost protrusion of ruble. From there, he took out his Sail Glider and made a long jump onto the roof of a building of nearly equal height across the street. The other Kruna followed and did the same to get to Andrew's position. Bowser, the last one to come, almost fell short of the roof even with his Sail Glider out, but he curled up his legs to eke a landing and join the others.

"Okay, this platforming ninja stuff is getting ridiculous," said Bowser. "Do you forget how big I am?"

"There's a lot of roofs to search," said Ramona. "But it should be right around here somewhere."

"Split up then," said Warra. "This will be quick."

The six diverged and leapt from rooftop to rooftop. It didn't take long for Bowser to find the Crystal Tear nestled in an old bird's nest on top of an air vent seven buildings into the block. In fact, he probably would've missed it if not for his Kracielle, for it had gotten buried deep in the nest's build.

"Found it!" Bowser hollered to the other Kruna, holding up the tear. "That _was_ quick! I bet Daisy and Marut didn't get theirs this easily!"

* * *

Just a little while later, the Kruna regrouped with Marut and Daisy at an intersection close to where they had originally separated. Daisy gave the Crystal Tear she had to Ramona, adding to the one Bowser found on the rooftops. No immediate threats were present in the dead city; and as Ramona scoped around, there were no more Crystal Tears close by either.

"So where to now?" asked Daisy.

"There's just that lone signal likely out past Delight City and into Crescent Moon Village now," said Ramona, scoping. "Seems like it's somewhat mobile."

"That means we're done here," said Warra. "So we have to head northward now."

"So we're just gonna leave the city like this?" asked Ramona.

"What else can we do?" said Bowser. "The place is not only abandoned, but far beyond repair. The only thing we can do is make sure the Delight City of our time doesn't succumb to the same fate."

"What's the best way to go to get to CMV?" asked Marut.

"We could cut through the city," said Warra. "But then we could get lost – and possibly run into more trouble. We should probably go back out to Pristine Bay and travel along that street running up and down the beach. I'm thinking a road like that could take us straight there, and with fewer obstructions."

"Alright then, let's get to it," said Neva. "It's getting _really_ dark now..."

"Must be well into nighttime in this part of the world," said Daisy.

"Aw man, I remember what happened the last time we were down here at night," murmured Ramona.

"Yeah, we had to deal with that Dark Sentinel robot," said Daisy. "But we haven't seen it in a while, so Marissa must not have found out that we're still alive."

"If we can keep a low profile, then she won't find out," said Warra as the Kruna began to walk across the intersection.

* * *

Just an hour later, the Kruna Yura came off from the coastal roadway they traveled on and arrived at the southeastern gate into the Crescent Moon Village. Warm-colored lightstones lined the ground along the fencing and walls in set increments. Lightstones almost never went out, but the torches and lit lanterns both outside and inside the village boundaries raised concern.

"Are there actually people in here?" Marut wondered aloud.

"If there are, they could be hostile," said Warra.

"Let's just go inside and get a better look around," said Daisy, passing through the gate. The others followed her in.

Crescent Moon Village held up much better than its urban counterpart. Its old-world, gothic build and aesthetic showed its age and its contrast in relation to the former glory of Delight City, but the village had stayed in otherwise excellent condition. Heavy on the meld of colonial and gothic architecture, the town sported many two and three-story buildings made primarily with metal and brick. Most of the buildings also had balconies on their upper floors consistent with the village's theme. The paved sidewalks and walkways took up all the available ground space the streets didn't use up. The roads consisted of cobblestone and featured lampposts along the sides; also lit. Again, paired with the plentiful amount of torches and lanterns flared and flaming, concern arose on whether or not the Kruna were intruding on the town inhabitants with their presence. Yet, they saw no one and sensed very little; something, but not much.

"Not a bad looking place," said Andrew.

"Seriously, is this village abandoned?" said Athelstan. "It certainly doesn't look like it – but then again, there's nobody here!"

"There doesn't seem to be anybody around, no," said Daisy. "But we're all definitely sensing something."

"There should not be this much lighting active if no one's here," said Bowser.

"Now it seems like I'm picking up two separate Crystal Tear signals here," said Ramona. "One of them is stationary. The other is moving towards the still one."

"Then we'll intercept the one that's moving," said Daisy. With her, Warra, and Ramona leading in front, the Kruna began their search through Crescent Moon Village under the cloak of the dark Nirvana Barrier night.


	24. Chapter XXIV

The Mafio Bros Return!:

The Kruna Yura cut around several corners through the Crescent Moon Village streets, getting closer to the first Crystal Tear source Ramona's Motomeru detected in the region. Daisy went to dash around another corner but immediately reversed after not taking more than two steps past the building on their right. She ended up backing into the others and urged them to get back behind the building while she peaked out from its wall.

Around the corner, Petey Piranha trooped through the street. He wore a red helmet, a leather jacket over a white shirt, and some tattered, red and white polka dot pants. The massive Piranha Plant's presence made Ramona's Alkemei reach its maximum detection level.

"What do you see?" Warra whispered.

"Really big Piranha Plant," Daisy replied. "C'mon! Before he gets away!"

The Kruna ran out from their cover and chased down Petey Piranha. The big, semi-anthropomorphic plant popped the collar of his jacket, added a little groove to his step, and made a smiling head bob, likely thinking of some sort of music.

"Hey! Stop!" Daisy barked at Petey. When Petey turned around, the Kruna ceased their movement and spread out along the street. Petey didn't appear to show any worry or hostility.

"Weird seeing you out here, Petey," said Bowser. "This is about as far out from Isle Delfino as you can get without crossing the ocean."

"Whatchu been sniffin'?" Petey said, surprising Bowser and Daisy with his voice. "Isle Delfino done been gone! Marissa tore that place up! Hey – y'all got some food on ya? Piranha Plant starving over here, man."

"You're actually talking?" Bowser half-asked. "With words?!"

"Fascinating," said Athelstan. "That creature can talk!"

"Whatchu mean I can talk?" said Petey. "Yeah, I can talk! Whatchu think I am? Some little baby Piranha Plant hiding in a pipe? Hey-yo – tell them damn Deku Babas, that we was here first!"

"Uh, are you...alright, Petey?" Daisy asked.

"What the- of course I'm _all-right_!" Petey snapped. "Ever since Lord Marissa done gave me that magic potion, I been a whole new Piranha Plant!"

"So you're working for Marissa then!" Andrew said, crouching into position to attack.

"Nah, mane," Petey replied. "She went and captured me and used me to test that stuff out. Then she just let me go. Now I know about positrons and valence and terminal velocity and how to find epsilon and delta limits."

Marut squinted at the Piranha Plant in confusion, muttering, "Huh...?"

"Open your think tank, cuh!" Petey barked. "I got smart! I got way smart! Too smart for y'all to handle! Especially you, over there lookin' like a souped-up Kokiri – go back to Hyrule, ya spindly-monkey-limbed fool. You probably got picked last in sports wit' yo' clumsy-lookin', Lanky Kong arms."

"Hey, why ya picking on me? I didn't even do anything!" Marut hollered.

"Wah, 'I didn't even do anything' – I don't give a damn about none of that!" snapped Petey. "Why don't you tell me why you sound like the green boy from that one show who could turn into birds and gorillas and dinosaurs? You gonna turn into a dog, man? You gonna turn into a pterodactyl and lay dinosaur eggs? What's it gonna take for you to turn into a yoshi so I can ride you off a cliff? Ha-hah... Hey, did you try to steal Christmas, man? Needed a Christmas tree to put your Triforce on?"

Marut stared at the giant Piranha Plant, visibly shocked and dejected. A short whine escaped from the Kruna of Air's open mouth as he stood there speechless.

"Don't worry Marut," said Athelstan, reaching for his swordstaff. "I bet this guy's just trying to pick a fight!"

"Nah, I ain't gonna fight none of y'all," Petey said, grinning. "I'll jone on y'all, though. I got me a bunch of weird-looking, misfit chumps in front of me now. Y'all like some life-size, action figure-looking kid's meal toys, bruh. Y'all some Final Fantasy lookin-fools that got budget cuts, man. Get yo' budget cut, ramen noodle-salary, government cheese-eating selves outta here! Y'all would get eaten by a yoshi and make him lay brown eggs. Don't nobody want no brown eggs! Don't nobody walk into a store and specifically ask for brown eggs!"

"I think that potion he took did more than just make him smart," Bowser said to his teammates.

"Oh, it made him smart alright," muttered Daisy.

"Is that jewelry y'all wearing?" said Petey. "You's supposed to be fighters and you wearing jewelry? You gonna get that crap snatched off yo' necks; be caught tryna look pretty on the battlefield. What's wrong with you fools? Y'all look like you'd fall into every single trap in a video game when them dudes is saying to you straight in yo' face, 'It's a trap!' Y'all tryna use bombs wisely and y'all done blew yourselves up tryna barrel roll in karts! Y'all some stupid, brain dead-looking headass fools, man."

Andrew sighed, muttering to himself, "And so now, _this_ is happening..."

"Heh heh, 'now this is happening' – hey, shut up, man," said Petey. "Y'all got this edgy-lookin' fool tryna look like a grape drink. Yeah, that's right – grape _drink_. You ain't good enough to be grape _soda_ or grape _juice_!You look like one of them rappers who try to sing their raps; sounding like you confused about what you supposed to do when you recording."

"Do...do you even have eyes?" Andrew asked, dumbfounded.

"Hey, are you the dark side, man?" said Petey. "The skin under your eyes look so dark man, people thinking you putting makeup on. Insomniac, daywalker, psycho-lookin' fool – stop spending all yo' time in the gym and get some sleep, and maybe you won't have people thinking you using eye shadow! Boy, lookin' like a grape popsicle you take outta the freezer on a hot summer day. You be meltin' all over the place; be tryna avoid the sun like a vampire. Man, if y'all don't get 'Count Blueberry Iced Tea' on back-"

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" snapped Neva.

"What the...yo, look at this little short girl in the skirt," said Petey. "Y'all's got a fighting munchkin on your team! You look like you're four-ten – in millimeters. HAH! Any shorter and people gonna wanna make you a garden gnome. You gonna walk up to fools and be tryna fight them and they waitin' for you to be all like, 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?' Still using a booster seat, man? You need a step ladder to climb stairs! Man, get back on to the schoolyard wit' yo' hopscotch-skipping self, Sailor Senshi reject-lookin' fool. The moon gonna punish _you_! Lookin' like you on some Chemical X medication – but sugar, spice, and everything nice done skipped over you though!"

"I'ma kill him!" Neva screamed, launching herself at Petey. She pulled out her bladestaff mid jump and got ready to strike, but as soon as she got close to Petey, he began banging his head back and forth. Petey's back and forth bouncing head smacked Neva back near where she jumped from.

"Ow..." groaned Neva, clutching her face.

"Ha-hah! You don't like that, do you?" Petey boomed. "Go get yourself lost in some grass, pint-sized little brat."

A bolt of shadow energy flew through the air, aimed at Petey's throat. Almost as if he didn't even care, Petey batted the energy blast upwards with one of his arms. "Purple boy, you 'bouta go in a barrel for _pig_ _é_ _age_ ," Petey said.

Andrew then rushed at Petey and unleashed a chain of punches and kicks at the Piranha Plant, only for Petey to dodge and block all of them. In spite of the Kruna of Shadow's great speed and ferocity, Petey defended with smooth fluidity and grace behind his movements.

"He seems a lot nimbler than he looks," said Athelstan.

"He's just using his leaf-arms to block!" Neva groused. "Cheap vegetable!"

As Andrew kept trying to hit Petey, the Piranha Plant kept taunting him. "Boy, you lookin' redder than a bottle of salty ketchup. Whatchu on, man? What's with all this super-fast stuff? Actin' like you done had three gallons of coffee, and these are your jitters. I told you man – you need to go to sleep! Your purple ain't hiding your black eyes! Do you be lookin' like you got mugged every day?"

"Why can't I hit you?!" Andrew growled.

Petey then blocked an overhead punch from Andrew and pushed him off, throwing the shadow wielder off balance. With an opening, Petey stepped forward and smacked Andrew in the face with a slap from his free arm. Andrew spun around a couple times before he flopped onto the ground in a daze.

"I _told_ y'all I ain't tryna fight!" Petey snapped. "You gonna have me cleaning up _your_ mess!"

"How you holdin' up over there, Shady?" Athelstan asked.

Andrew got up, holding the large red spot across the left side of his head. "Well, getting toyed with by a plant is making me feel pretty nubs!"

"Hey, big and tall brotha-man," Petey said to Athelstan. "You look like a slice of burnt toast. Standing over there lookin' like some muscle-bound thug. You lookin' like you eat three square meals of straight bear meat every day. I bet you pound down them bear claws too, and I don't mean the pastry – I mean actual bear claws!"

"There's all kinds of things wrong with what you said," commented Athelstan.

"You like them farm boys that get super buff and have to walk in through doors sideways," said Petey. "You'd probably hug somebody and then get charged for manslaughter. Hulk-lookin' fool going, 'HOO! HAH! HUH! Do the monkey with me! Come on!' Like you 'bout ready to Falcon Punch through Titans before they eat everyone in your city! Go ahead and get yo' Survey Corps on, muscle man! Show me your moves! Street Fighter lookin' boy – get yo' Hadouken throwin'-ass back, man."

"He may not be trying to fight, but he sure seems like he's trying to start something," growled Andrew.

"If you jump at him again, you're just gonna end up with a redder face," Bowser said to the Kruna of Shadow.

"Yo man, y'all really trippin' me out with yo' giant turtle-dragon boy over there," Petey said, making Bowser groan. "Tryna be a porcupine with all them spikes on yo' shell. Hey how come nobody gets to use your shell at Moo Moo Meadows? If I hold out a red cape, are you gonna come charging at me? Too early for Halloween wit' yo' failed mascot résumé. Did you drop outta Monsters University? Smellin' like you ate a bunch of Cheep Cheeps _whole,_ boy. Wit' yo' wild Pokémon lookin-ass self. Put you in a ball and throw you out my pocket sayin', 'I choose you!' Frickin' Blastoise-Dragonite-Charizard hybrid-lookin' fool."

"I liked you better when you didn't talk," Bowser muttered.

"Fool, I _am_ the talk!" Petey hollered. "Me and my boys's 'bouta be rich! Soon as we get more of them tear-lookin' crystals!"

"You're talking about the Crystal Tears, right?" said Daisy. "We're actually looking for them right now. Sorry, but we need those!"

"That's too bad, 'cause we's looking for some too!" Petey replied. "And we taking them all! As much as we can find – unless you got some coins you wanna spend? I've got one on me right now to sell."

"How much are you pricing them for?" Daisy asked.

Petey paused for a moment before saying, "Five."

Daisy looked around at her teammates and shrugged. "Okay, we can do tha-"

"Hundred."

"Well, that's gonna be a little too-"

"THOUSAND."

Bowser scowled. "You're saying 500,000 coins for all your Crystal Tears?"

"Nah, fool!" Petey Piranha replied with a laugh. "I ain't like that! Geez."

"Oh, okay," Bowser replied, more relaxed. "That's great to hea-"

"500,000 per tear," Petey Piranha then said.

"WHAT?!" Bowser grunted. "That's crazy! Who's gonna pay 500,000 for something half the size of someone's thumb?"

"People that got the money!" Petey replied.

"Frankly, the options are pretty limited in this world with Marissa in charge," said Warra.

"Hey – you with yo' girly ponytail-lookin' self!" Petey hollered at Warra. "Ain't nobody talking to you! Lookin' like a bubblegum j-pop singer. Got people singing ' _You look like a high school prom queen!_ ' Lookin' like you just walked out of a beauty pageant and gonna go call up all yo' girlfriends. You look like that one girl from the Southern Water Tribe – get yo' punk little water-dancin' behind on gone to Ba Sing Se! ' _Walking 'round, smellin' like bog all day!_ ' How you supposed to hurt somebody with water? Dudes can just drink all yo' attacks! And you tryna tell me I'm supposed to be scared by water? Man, what you need to do is go wash my kart. Make yourself useful, man. Ain't nobody worried about you splashin' water on them. Whatchu think this is? Marco Polo?"

"First of all, long hair for men is common where I'm from," said Warra. "Second of all-"

Cutting himself off, Warra made a quick palm strike forward to launch a burst of water at Petey. In response, Petey spat out a sticky, slimy wad of brown goop to counter. Both attacks clashed and mixed together, falling on the ground in a mucky mess.

"Second of all, you still suck," Petey said, laughing. When Warra sent a larger, more forceful water burst at Petey, the Piranha Plant jumped up and flapped his leaf wing-arms to hover over the attack and let it pass under him. Petey kept laughing as he floated back down to the ground in a slight spiral.

"I really wish we had some weed killer for this guy," Neva growled through her teeth.

"Hey – you over there; tryna hide!" Petey said to Ramona, who flinched when he called her out. "Yeah, you. Twig-bodied, preppy-lookin', knock-kneed fool. You look like you gonna fly 50 miles away if somebody breathe on ya. Stick figure-lookin' – whatchu doin' on the battlefield with yo' fragile lookin' self? This ain't for no weak-hearted, wet-noodle, Coco Candy eatin' scarecrows like you! Your hair look like it's tryna eat yo' head off your body. You look like a teacher that everybody likes having because they can come in and fall asleep, and you're too scared to do anything about it. Get yo petrified, bookworm-lookin' scaredy-cat, cannibal hair headass outta here!"

"Why are you so mean?" Ramona whimpered.

"You might wanna drink some water to flush out all that salt!" Andrew yelled at the Piranha Plant.

"I ain't talking to you, purple mouth!" snapped Petey. "I already wrecked you! Don't make me come over there and wreck you again! I'ma turn you into grape jelly, boy! I'ma be drinking your wine after I smash you, boy! You gonna be forced into them grape packets at the waffle houses, boy!"

"Alright, Petey – you've officially lost it," said Daisy.

"Look at this redhead girl in the black," Petey said. "Yo' head look like a pumpkin somebody tried to turn inside out and got bored with halfway through. Carrot cake-looking headass got carrots growing out yo' skull. You 'bouta get a bunch of rabbits hoppin' on you tryna bite through yo' scalp. You gonna have Bugs Bunny taking that left turn right through yo' face. Your voice sound like a preteen boy that got a cheese grater stuck around his neck. Soundin' like that stretchy pirate with the straw hat. I ain't never heard nothing hurt my ears more since that fairy-fool that kept screaming 'HEY! LISTEN!' Makin' me wanna tear that thing's wings off. Hearing you talk makes _my_ throat hurt! You sound like you can saw a tree down just by talking to it! Get yo' bootleg Raggedy Ann lookin'-ass back, man; and shut up!"

"Why don't you fight us or shut up?" Daisy yelled. "You've been yapping your mouth this whole time! Now, we don't _have_ to run a lawnmower over you, but we sure could use a salad right about now! So c'mon then! You got two choices! Make it quick!"

"Nah, man," said Petey. "I'm done here! I got my fill. Tore through all eight of you suckas. I'm ditchin' y'all. Go ahead and stew with yo' blown up selves. I ain't wasting no more time here."

"Hah!" Daisy boomed. "Like you're getting away from us!"

Petey's chest gurgled and shook. The Piranha Plant took a huge breath and then hawked up a steady flow of goopy mud at the ground around the Kruna. Once their feet got caught in the mud, the Kruna couldn't move. Try as they might, they could barely even lift their feet up.

Petey then flapped his leaf wing-arms and flew into the air, drifting away to leave the Kruna stuck in the muck binding them to the cobblestone pavement. "Enjoy the mud, PIGS!" he shouted before flying away.

Neva chilled the mud around the Kruna and froze it to a point well beyond becoming hard. Athelstan then activated his Odina to get a strength boost and slammed his fists down on the frozen muck. He proceeded to free the others from the mud in a similar fashion, leaving behind chunks and shards of rock hard, glass-like frozen mud all around their feet.

"Thanks, Athelstan!" said Ramona. "You too, Neva!"

"Follow him!" Daisy yelled, pointing at the airborne Petey Piranha. "He didn't get too far away! C'mon!"

* * *

Petey flew towards the opposite end of Crescent Moon Village and made a landing in front of the garage of a larger, mansion-like house. He waddled over to the voice intercom between the four garage doors and held the button down as he leaned in to speak into it.

"One of y'all need to open these doors, man," Petey said.

"Is that you, Petey?" an urban-accented voice asked.

"Yeah it is," said Petey. "I got one of them crystals out of Delight City."

The garage doors opened up, allowing access inside into what appeared to be a massive, three-level automotive workshop housing several karts. When Petey came in, two mobsters in fedoras and black pinstripe suits marched down the stairs from the indoor balcony. The lights of the workshop reflected off the lenses of their shades.

Petey handed the Crystal Tear to the guy with the green tie, who took out a metal case and unlocked it through three different keyholes. When he opened it up, he placed the Crystal Tear inside with the three other ones already there. Just as swift, he closed, sealed, and locked the case up tight as soon as he got the tear secured within.

"Excellent, fellas," the guy with the red tie said. "We are well on our way to dominating this whole planet! We'll get the riches, the fame, the power-"

"And the babes," the green tie guy said. "Definitely can't leave out the babes, Max."

"The babes were implied, Lewis," said Max. "Remember boys; the more we find, the more leverage we have! Every one of these things is priceless; nothing on Earth like them, each one distinct from the other! Once we sell these and get our fortune, everyone on this forsaken planet will come to us for their salvation. Peasants of the world, one at a time, please!"

"You know, we can hear you!" Daisy called out.

Petey and the Mario and Luigi doppelgangers flinched when they heard her voice. The three looked over at the workshop entrance and saw the Kruna Yura standing just inside the open garage doors. Max and Lewis held no fond memories of the elemental wielders from their prior encounter eight years ago.

"How did y'all break free?" Petey snapped. "Oh nah – y'all really asking for some now."

"Looks like the Mafio Brothers are back at it," said Bowser, tightening his Blazer Claws.

"Oh great, the freak show and his geeks return!" Max spat out. "And to what do we owe the displeasure?"

"Well, besides the three ladies," Lewis mumbled to Max. "Nothing displeasurable there, am I right?"

"Aren't you guys supposed to be in jail?" said Athelstan.

"No no – I think you meant prison, Athelstan," said Warra.

"Well, when the whole world goes to hell, facilities like those just don't hold up the same," Max said with a wicked chuckle.

"Hey there, foxy hearthrob!" Lewis shouted at Daisy, giving her a sly, lecherous simper. "Eight years has done you some good, hottie."

"Oh boy," Daisy grumbled to herself, crossing her arms.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?"said Lewis. "I don't know how you're still standing after that, because you are _drop dead gorgeous_! Wow, what a package! _Handle with care_! Why don't you ditch the misfit outcasts over there and come ride with the big boys-"

"I will end your life," Daisy flatly said.

"DE-nied!" Andrew yelled at Lewis.

"Ooh, that needs to go on a highlight reel!" hollered Marut. "You got slammed down!"

The other Kruna tried to muffle their laughter, but Max and Petey didn't. The two cracked up at Lewis as his face turned a deep red. Max and Petey even fell on their backs and still kept laughing.

"Ergh – fine!" Lewis snapped at Daisy. "I never liked oversized Amazonian ditzes anyways!"

"Still just 5'9''," Daisy said. "I've gotten no taller – and neither have you."

"Shut up, will ya?!" yelled Lewis. "Why don't you just scram and get out of here! This is our base, not some bargain hotel! What do you numbskull clods even want anyways?!"

"You know what we want," Daisy said, pointing fingers. "The Crystal Tears! We're taking them!"

"And did you just say _your_ base?" asked Bowser.

"Yeah, that's what we said!" Lewis yelled. "These is our headquarters here, see? And y'all are trespassers!"

"You're the trespassers," said Bowser. "Villages and towns like these are not yours to just take over."

"Too bad! We claimed this warehouse for our own!" Max barked. "We did! Us! Nobody was here! We're not giving it up!"

Marut got really animated when he stepped forward and said, "Aren't you guys worried about the legend of the Yūrei ghost?"

"The Yūrei ghost?" Lewis repeated.

"Yeah, dudes!" replied Marut. "He's a pirate! And if he sees you leave your treasure and valuables unattended, he'll swoop in and snatch 'em all!"

"Those ghost stories are a load of bull!" said Max. "Besides, we never let our Crystal Tears out of our sight!"

"And they're protected!" Lewis added, holding up the metal case. "Locked and bolted down so that suckers like you can't put your grubby paws on 'em!"

Suddenly, Lewis felt a jolt on his arm holding the metal case. Against his will, the metal case wrenched free from his grip and floated across the room. Athelstan grabbed the case and split the bindings off it with a sharp wave of his free hand. The top of the case creaked open.

"What the hell kinda voodoo is this?!" Lewis cried.

"A straight metal case wasn't a good idea with me around," said Athelstan. He closed the case, leaving it unlocked, and flipped it to Ramona. "Guess you haven't come across many stone wielders who had any metal skill."

"Alright, that's it!" Max hollered. "Lewis! Get Mecha Rex out here!"

"Certainly!" Lewis said, pulling out a remote from inside his jacket. "Time to clean up some garbage!"

With a press of a button, the floor between the Kruna and the mobsters split. Out from the hatch in the floor, a metallic, mechanized Rex dinosaur floated up by way of its jet pack and foot rockets. The floor then closed to allow the fourteen-foot tall robot to land in front of Max, Lewis, and Petey. Mecha Rex opened its mouth, revealing razor sharp rows of carnivorous teeth. As a whole, the robot looked exactly like a Rex – just a larger version made of metal instead of flesh.

"Meet the best in dystopian robot technology!" shouted Max. "Population control of pests like you is a cinch with this bad boy on the prowl!"

"How did you get your hands on something like this?" asked Athelstan.

"I built it," said Petey. "That's right, fools! I built this while y'all was still tryna figure out how to stack blocks!"

Athelstan rubbed his chin as he surveyed the Mecha Rex. "While certainly an achievement given the lack of resources available in this world, it seems kind of underwhelming."

"What?" Petey griped.

"I'm just saying," Athelstan replied. "It's visually impressive, but it looks kind of mediocre in terms of performance and effectiveness. I mean, this is a big machine to have to control with just a single remote that only has a D-pad and a few – rather unorthodox – buttons."

"Shut up, man!" shouted Lewis. "I'm in complete command of Mecha Rex with this remote here! _And..._ " He paused just long enough to pull out a wireless attachment of what appeared to be a controller for his remote. "With my joystick and remote combo, I'll have Mecha Rex make combos on you!"

"Tell 'em about the special features!" Petey bellowed with a grin.

"I got a touch screen tablet in my pocket that I can attach both my joystick and remote to!" said Lewis. "The tablet is linked to Mecha Rex through wireless communications! This I'll allow me to control Mecha Rex from anywhere I go!"

"And, the tablet also got a built in gyroscope," Petey added. "Plus, it measures your heart rate, counts how many steps you've taken, and has a timer you can set that'll shut down yo' Mecha Rex if it's been on for too long!"

"Don't forget that the tablet's also got a camera!" said Max as Lewis took it out and propped it up to face Mecha Rex and the Kruna. "We can record whatever drubbings our Mecha Rex carries out and then post the videos on the top social media sites!"

Neva, who – like Andrew – had been trying hard to cover up their increasing snickering, said to him under her breath, "This isn't happening right now!"

"And finally, the coup de grâce!" Lewis hollered, holding up his remote and joystick combo "Motion controls! OH YEAAAAAH!"

Mecha Rex swiped with both of its claws at the same time, although no one in front of it had even got near it. Lewis lowered his controllers, muttering, "I didn't mean for it- that wasn't supposed to register as..."

"Hah!" Petey boomed. "Do you fools see now why y'all's crazy to think you can compete with this souped-up dream machine?"

Athestan shrugged. "You can soup it up all you want – if you don't boost the performance and power output, it's not going to get you much further. I hope you don't have any plans of commercializing this in its current state-"

"Yeah, we do!" Max declared. "Once we got the money and the mass production, this'll be just one in a long franchise of must-have products!"

"Why would any regular person need a huge robot dinosaur?" Bowser asked.

"Manual labor, obviously!" Max snapped.

"And you can battle other friends' robots with the battle buddy app we're making!" added Lewis. "OR...if you got someone you want sleeping with the Porcupuffers...heh heh..."

"Well, demand aside, let me ask this," said Athelstan. "Is your control setup compatible with other robots?"

"Uh...no," said Petey, scratching his head.

Athelstan threw his arms up in disappointment. "That's like, the easiest thing you can do! At least tell me there's backwards compatibility with older robots!"

"Umm...nah, we ain't got that neither," Petey mumbled.

"Hey, nasty walking glob of muscle!" Lewis barked at Athelstan. "Quit trying to make us look bad!"

"What?" Athelstan said, putting his hands up. "All I'm saying is if someone wants something with stronger power, better controls, more versatility, and an overall less gimmicky feeling, they'll want to look elsewhere."

"Well I say your opinion is wrong, and you're stupid for thinking that way!" yelled Lewis.

"I say it's time to test out our new weapon!" exclaimed Max. "Waste 'em!"

Mecha Rex lumbered ahead closer to the Kruna. The robot opened its mouth and roared a hard, compressed growl, letting smoke and wisps of fire escape from its throat. Hatches then opened up in its shoulders to reveal mounted rocket launchers and Bullet Bill cannons. Even the Mecha Rex's lower legs split open to pull out and equip shin guards that reached all the way up past its knees. It then opened up slits in its arms to lock in a pair of wing blades that replicated the small wings on its jet pack.

"I'm not wasting my energy on that," Daisy said, arms still crossed.

"And they're too busy laughing," Ramona said, referring to Neva and Andrew.

"You really only need one person here," said Athelstan. "Two tops."

Bowser stepped to the front of the Kruna. "I'll scrap it. I'm getting a little annoyed with it looking down at us like that."

Daisy smirked a little. "Try to at least make it entertaining for us."

Bowser flashed a grin. "It's not my fault if it falls apart within the next two minutes."

Mecha Rex aimed its shoulder-mounted projectiles at Bowser and fired them. Bowser got set to defend, Blazer Claws extended and at the ready. The robot would have shot them off at the Kruna of Fire had Max not jabbed his elbow into the side of Lewis.

"What are you doing, man – you're gonna blow up the whole joint!" Max snapped at Lewis. "What are ya?"

"Alright, alright!" Lewis grumbled. He took his remote and joystick and began punching the air with them. Mecha Rex through out similar punches, but Bowser didn't have much of an issue dodging them. The robot dinosaur's limited arm reach made it hard for Lewis to get it to hit the Kruna of Fire.

"Maybe you made this replica a little too much like the real thing!" Bowser called out. The koopa evaded another short-reach punch from Mecha Rex, then he stepped into the next one and caught it in one of his palms. Bowser took his free hand and slashed that Blazer Claw at Mecha Rex, ripping away a chunk from the dinosaur's torso. An up-close breath of fire pushed Mecha Rex and made the robot stagger off balance. With a quick swinging motion though, Lewis got the Mecha Rex stable.

"Ha-hah! Is that all you got, flame head?" said Lewis. "Have some of this!"

Mecha Rex opened its mouth and spit out waves of fire. Bowser countered with fires of his own, and their two waves of flaming breath clashed. Though evenly matched for a little while, Bowser put out an extra pulse of energy and intensified his fire just enough to overcome that of Mecha Rex's. Again, Mecha Rex stumbled around on contact, but Lewis kept it upright with another swing of his controllers.

"I'm coming for ya, ya overgrown Halloween piñata!" taunted Lewis.

Bowser took out his Pyro Scimitar swordstaff and got into defensive position as Mecha Rex tromped towards him. As Mecha Rex advanced, Max dove down on the floor in front of the propped up tablet and grabbed it to speak into its camera. "Take note, kiddos! This is how blazing and hardcore Mecha Rex is! _And_ how hardcore _your_ Mecha Rex will be! If you're squeamish, I advise you to look away right now because things are gonna get real messy!"

Max turned the camera back around at the scene just to see Mecha Rex throw out a jab that Bowser easily batted away. With a spin underneath and to the robot's open side, Bowser scooped his swordstaff up in a powerful vertical slash. After a little sway, Mecha Rex put out another jab with its opposite arm just for Bowser to block that one too.

"Ack! Frickin'...motion controls!" Lewis grunted.

"Don't be a moronic moron, you moron!" Max snapped at Lewis.

"I didn't mean to jab!" Lewis barked back. "I wanted to grab! I did it twice!"

Mecha Rex leaned in and opened its mouth at Bowser, who backed off the moment he saw the head get near him. The robot snapped its jaws together in a chomping motion, only getting in a bite on the air.

"Alright – that time, I wanted to jab!" said Lewis.

"Why do you even have a jab function when its arms barely reach out past its head?" Andrew shouted.

"Hey-shut up, ya blackberry and grape sundae!" hollered Lewis.

"Gimme those controls!" Max barked at Lewis, snatching the remote and joystick from him.

Mecha Rex then began a mad loop of left and right slashes with its arms. Problem was, Bowser was far out of its reach. When Mecha Rex started to move, Bowser turned and went to the side. The battle scene then devolved into the Kruna of Fire backing away from a lumbering robot dinosaur that kept hacking away at the air with its claws.

"I got-yas now!" Max screamed, laughing.

Bowser continued turning and backing away in the workshop, showing little effort trying to avoid Mecha Rex's slashing. The robot dinosaur threw out the exact same two alternating slash strikes one after the other. While Ramona and Marut began to titter and chuckle, Neva and Andrew fell on top of each other in roaring, uncontrollable laughter. Daisy couldn't decide whether to laugh or be disappointed and annoyed with the mobsters and their robot.

"You got more attacks than that, you know," Petey said. "Stale moves spamming fool."

"He keeps...moving away!" Max responded, still swiping with the controllers. "I'm trying to set up the combo!"

"So EFFECTIVE, MAX!" Lewis exclaimed, grabbing the controllers back. The controls registered a specific motion when Lewis reclaimed them and made Rex swing its tail. As Bowser tried to go around Mecha Rex, the dinosaur's tail caught his feet and tripped him up. Lewis didn't even realize what motion made Mecha Rex use its tail like that, but he liked the result.

"How ya like that, unicorn horn shell!" Lewis hollered.

Bowser made the mobster eat his words when he led with his shell as threw himself at Mecha Rex. The clang of heavy metal sounded when Mecha Rex hit the floor from Bowser's tackle. Bringing up his Pyro Scimitar, Bowser jumped on Mecha Rex and struck the robot's torso four times in succession. The inner body and circuitry exposed, Bowser flared fire around the blade of his swordstaff and jammed it straight into the opening he had cut out. He then jumped off and let the flames wreak havoc on Mecha Rex's deep hardware, putting an end to the robot dinosaur.

"Snarky little NUTJOBS!" Lewis screamed.

"I can't believe Mecha Rex lost to these cretins!" yelled Max.

"I guess that just goes to show how well a machine stacks up against a real living being!" said Daisy.

"How did y'all amateurs lose this?" Petey said to the Mafio Bros.

"Those guys are insane, that's how!" Lewis snapped. "Let's hightail it outta here!"

Petey flapped his arms and floated off the ground. Max and Lewis each walked up to him and grabbed one of his legs as he kept rising higher. Soon, Petey had the two mobsters suspended in air with him. The extra weight made him have to flap harder to stay up and prevented him from going too high.

"Get out of the way, ya sideshow freaks!" Max barked at the Kruna.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Bowser asked, his swordstaff now back in his hands.

"We ain't dealing with ya anymore!" said Lewis. "Not now! We gonna make like a tree and leave!...sss!... I messed that one up, didn't I?"

"Eh-no," said Athelstan. He backed up to one of the garage doors and got set to attack. Warra, Neva, and Marut moved over to the other garage doors and did the same thing, effectively preventing Petey, Max, and Lewis from making an escape.

"Ah, just let them go," said Daisy. "They're no trouble to anybody."

Athelstan cocked an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Daisy nodded. "We can't really do anything with them right now even if we wanted to. When we get this world fixed, they're going straight back to jail anyways."

In compliance, the Kruna removed themselves from the openings, granting Petey and the Mafio brothers a clear path out of the workshop. As Petey flew out the doors with the two mobsters hanging onto his legs, Bowser, Marut, and Warra looked around at the workshop's various parked karts in bewilderment.

"Um, dudes," Marut said to the mobsters. "Why are you flying out like that when you can just take the karts?"

Petey stopped in midair. Max and Lewis glanced at all the parked karts, a wave of embarrassment flooding over them.

"Why _are_ we doing this?" Petey wondered aloud. He then yelled at Max and Lewis, "Get yo' hands off me!"


	25. Chapter XXV

The Chase is Back On!:

The Kruna Yura stood outside the auto workshop as Max, Lewis, and Petey rolled out in Jetsetter karts. Before the three got to pull off and leave Crescent Moon Village, Daisy came up and put a fist down on Max's hood to stop them and grab their attention.

"Maybe now, you guys can get a chance to rethink your lives," said Daisy. "At least _try_ to stay out of trouble. And don't go looking for any more Crystal Tears."

"Sorry there, ya redheaded psycho," said Lewis. "But there's plenty of other crystals like those out there that we can take! Those can't be the only four in the world!"

"So get your grubby earth wielder clawsoff my hood before you scratch the paint, dirt woman, and get out of the way!" yelled Max.

Daisy shrugged and stepped aside from Max's kart. "Suit yourself. But just know that if you find any at all, we'll be right back on your tail. And we'll just take them from you again."

Lewis jerked in his seat and trembled a bit at her response. Likewise, Petey felt a nervous sweat bead on his head and grunted with irritation.

"If we sees ya again, you're dead!" hissed Max. He, Lewis, and Petey then hit the gas on their karts and sped down the Crescent Moon Village streets. Just as they drove away, Ramona handed Athelstan the empty metal case she had emptied the four Crystal Tears out of. The Kruna of Stone then wound up and threw the metal case at the fleeing karts, adding a little elemental influence to give it more distance. When Petey felt the case hit him in his helmet, he looked back, scowled, and stuck up one of his leaf arms at the Kruna.

"Oh, you better hope y'all don't see me again!" Petey shouted back. "You gonna get it! I ain't playing with y'all, ya hear? I ain't playing with y'all!" He, Max, and Lewis then rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

"Wow," mumbled Marut. "Easiest mission ever. I feel like we barely did anything here!"

"Because we didn't, really," said Warra.

* * *

The Kruna marched out of the northwestern gate of Crescent Moon Village and headed out into the fields. With no Crystal Tears left in the region, Bowser and Warra had signaled for the Koopa Cruiser shortly after Max, Lewis, and Petey fled the village. They expected the airship to arrive somewhere in the northern fields soon.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting really sleepy," said Ramona.

"It's probably because we've been out here for much of the night," said Andrew.

"Rainbow City's got to be well into the morning hours right about now," said Bowser. His breathing had become noticeably heavy and strained. His lagging movements showed similar signs of fatigue. _No, not now..._ the koopa thought. _I had done so well up 'til now! And we were almost out of here too..._

"Jet lag sure sucks, doesn't it?" asked Athelstan, giving Bowser a light jab in the arm.

"Yeah, it sure does," Bowser uneasily replied. "Jet lag..."

"But as soon as we get back up there, we'll have some time off," said Daisy. "Maybe ten or twenty minutes from now, we'll be in the clear, and-"

She stopped talking and froze in her tracks to listen in to the loud, low sounds now thumping her eardrums. The others started hearing it too. Daisy then glanced at the sky and wondered if that was the Koopa Cruiser coming down, but she didn't see any airship.

 _No, the Koopa Cruiser never sounded like this_ , Daisy thought as the thuds increased in volume.

"Something dark is coming up from behind," said Bowser. "It's glowing red too-"

A thick red laser then shot through and struck the ground behind the Kruna, the shock from the ensuing explosion scattering the eight of them. Scrambling to their feet, the Kruna peered in the direction of the attack and saw their aggressor lurching towards them from over some distant hills; the Dark Sentinel, a mechanized abomination they had not encountered since they had left Sarasaland. The monstrous, 24-foot tall, crab-clawed, red-shining black scorpion robot trudged at the Kruna with increasing speed.

"Oh boy; looks like Marissa found out we're here!" said Andrew.

"We're gonna need to make a run for it!" Daisy yelled as the Dark sentinel charged another bright red laser from its pulsating eye.

The Kruna took off and sprinted away the moment the robot let its superpowered energy blast loose. The laser smashed and blew apart the very spot they formerly stood in and sprayed debris in all directions. Without a hitch or hesitation, the Dark Sentinel altered its course and marched straight at the fleeing Kruna.

* * *

"So King Boo wasn't bluffing after all," Marissa said as she stood on the top balcony of her castle. Through her Malocchio Eye, she viewed the scene developing in the northern Crescent Moon Village outskirts. Her whole body twitched and quivered with simultaneous exhilaration, and fury.

"Oh, goodee!" Marissa cheered, jumping up and down in a giddy fashion. "Finally, something exciting is happening on this forsaken rock! But damn it – why won't you eight just die already?! I feel like I've already killed you all at least twice by now! I mean really!"

* * *

"Waluigi! Toadette!" Warra said into his radio transmitter. "Do not come down here – I repeat, do NOT come down here!"

"What? Well how do you guys expect to get back up then?" asked Toadette.

"It's the Dark Sentinel," Warra replied, looking back as the Kruna ran. "It's chasing us. So don't try to pick us up, or else you could get spotted, or even shot down!"

A laser flew by overhead, just barely missing the Kruna as they scooted down a small hill. The Dark Sentinel kept up the chase and increased its tracking speed, readying another laser to fire. Bowser twisted around and got his Pyro Scimitar up to block and deflect just as the robot shot off its blast. The shock that resulted from swinging at such a potent laser almost knocked the Kruna of Fire over.

"How did we get found out?" Warra wondered aloud. "How did she know we were here?"

"It had to have been when I transformed," said Daisy. "I must've gave out too strong of an energy signature. But I didn't stay in Nova Form much longer than a handful of minutes!"

"I don't get it," Marut said to Daisy. "She didn't know we were still alive before when you were in Nova Form..."

"Well for one, we all were weakened at that point," said Bowser. "Our powers were too faint to pick up in the first place. But now, that disturbance from her Nova Form was like putting up a flashing neon sign pointing right at us in a desert!"

"But Nova Form doesn't produce that large of a spike," muttered Daisy. "I should know! That can't be it."

"What are the odds of her just spotting us by chance?" asked Warra. "I don't know what would make her want to suddenly decide to look for us when under the belief that we're dead."

"Hey, what's that big red light shaking on you?" Marut asked Daisy.

"It turned on a targeting sight!" exclaimed Andrew.

"Huh?" Daisy grunted. She immediately cut away from the group on reflex. Just seconds after she split, two lasers shot at the ground only inches away from her. Andrew whipped around and pushed a sphere of dark energy at the Dark Sentinel paired with a light burst from Ramona, but neither attack managed any damage or effect on the robot.

Bowser and Marut tried to rain down fire and slashing winds on the Dark Sentinel, only to find their attacks ineffective as well. Daisy cracked her body around and threw a punch at the ground to jolt parts of the grassy terrain up in front of the Dark Sentinel with the intent to damage, but all she did was slow it up some. That didn't even help much, for the robot charged and fired off another laser while it got around the protrusions. Marut leapt into the air to avoid the blast aimed at him and sustained his flight through his Alkemei Furaito.

Neva backpedaled and fired off a string of ice arrows at the Dark Sentinel's glowing eye and would've struck it had the robot not moved its tail and claws in to block. The fact that the Dark Sentinel actually bothered to block this time gave Bowser a hint on where to attack. That hint then morphed into an idea that could get them around the Dark Sentinel's blocking appendages.

Just as Andrew went on one foot to setup another turnaround blast, his landlocked foot carried into a dip in the ground and threw him off balance. The stumble made him pull his shadow orb way off to the side, missing the Dark Sentinel altogether. As he hit the ground, the Dark Sentinel powered-up a laser from its eye and let it loose on the defenseless shadow wielder.

Ramona jumped in front of Andrew in counter stance and caught the laser with the blade of her Luster Swordstaff just in time. Her arms up and her blade down, she shifted her tool from her left to the right side of her body and slashed to redirect the laser's wave back at the Dark Sentinel. Unfortunately, even the laser didn't do any damage at all when it made contact with the Dark Sentinel's body.

"Warra, the eye!" Bowser yelled at the Kruna of Water.

Warra nodded and stopped running. His Alkemei glowed, and he went invisible and disappeared just moments later.

As Ramona helped Andrew back up, he said to her, "Why are you always saving me?"

"Because you need to be saved fairly often," Ramona replied as they backpedaled away from the incoming Dark Sentinel.

"Whaaaaa-tever," Andrew said, getting his hands up to ready another shadow orb. "Now, where was I..."

Suddenly, the Kruna heard a grunt coming from the Dark Sentinel. The elemental wielders stopped their movement and turned around to look. The robot had just swiped with one of its claws at something, but no one could tell what until Warra reappeared at a point far off to the side.

"The invisibility didn't work?" Bowser exclaimed.

"The robot must have thermal sensing and picked out Warra's body heat," said Athelstan.

"That wasn't the case back in Sarasaland!" exclaimed Daisy. "Does that mean Marissa upgraded it?!"

Marut looped in the air to pick up a burst of descending speed on his way to Warra. He snatched the Kruna of Water out of the way of the Dark Sentinel before the robot got to him and turned around to fly back to the other Kruna, who proceeded to continue running. Again, the Dark Sentinel followed in pursuit.

* * *

"Oh, this is too funny!" Marissa hollered as she continued using her Remote Viewing on the chase. "Run, run, little Kruna!"

In the midst of her laughing, something other than the Kruna and the Dark Sentinel came into her mindsight view. As soon as she noticed it, her laughing slowly came to a scowling, confused stop. What she saw, she had never seen before at any point in time.

 _What is_ that _thing suspended in the air?_ Marissa wondered.

* * *

"I hate how this robot seems so impervious to attack!" Daisy yelled.

"The weak spot has to be the eye," said Bowser. "That's the only point on its body that it made any concerted effort to block and protect."

Warra dropped out of Marut's hold and pulled out his Tidal Swordstaff in a midair Iaido swing. The growing water slash headed for the Dark Sentinel in line with its eye; but again, it blocked with its claws. The Dark Sentinel recoiled out of the defense with a quick laser shot at the middle of the fleeing Kruna. With no time to spare, Ramona jumped and countered the counter blast with another deflection off her swordstaff.

Daisy backflipped to the rear of the group and got a fist up and focused with earth power upon landing. When the Dark Sentinel got close enough, she slammed her fist down on the ground to send up a frontal Crystal Smash. Much to everyone's surprise, the attack that normally pierced and shredded targets did nothing to the Dark Sentinel. In fact, the crystals themselves broke and fractured when they hit the robot's body. The only positive from the move was in Dark Sentinel getting stuck in the crystalline mess, buying time for Daisy to return to the group and for the group to increase their distance before Dark Sentinel eventually broke free.

"We can't attack it, because it just keeps defending," said Neva. "So we just gotta keep running!"

"Don't remind me that _that's_ what we're doing," muttered Daisy.

"They can't be serious!" Bowser grunted, looking up.

The other Kruna glanced up as well and saw the faint silhouette of the Koopa Cruiser descending through the air. It shined lights down on the ground to look for the eight elemental wielders in the dark night. The airship steered and aligned itself with the Kruna as it descended, but it didn't get a chance to come too far down. The Kruna found themselves heading into an area with more trees and hills. Despite the Koopa Cruiser's presence, the Dark Sentinel paid it no mind and kept its focus on the Kruna. As it chased the Kruna through the field with increasing amounts of scattered trees, the Dark Sentinel slowed up just enough to knock over and bulldoze through any and all trees in its way.

"There's another stretch of open plains past this small forest," Toadette said through Bowser and Warra's transmitters. "If you can get out into the clearing fast enough, we can come down and open the hatch for you while the Dark Sentinel's stuck in the trees!"

"You heard her – let's go!" Daisy yelled.

The Kruna picked up the pace and cut under and around the trees in the area to get to the open field as quickly as they could. Finally, they had an advantage working for them in being able to slip by the trees where the massive robot chasing them could not. Once the Kruna burst through the densest portion of the grouping of trees, they exploded out into the open field and saw the Koopa Cruiser coming closer and closer to ground level.

The Dark Sentinel got held up trying to mow through the last bunch of trees, giving the Kruna some extra breathing room. With a window of opportunity to make an escape, the Koopa Cruiser got down to a point just off the ground and decreased its speed only enough to allow the Kruna to catch up. Once within several yards of the Kruna, the airship opened its hatch and extended part of its platform out from under the open doorway as a bright flash flared behind the elemental wielders. Bowser saw through his Alkemei Kracielle the explosion and fire engulfing the trees back behind them as a result of the latest Dark Sentinel laser blast.

"Make a jump for it!" shouted Daisy. She sped up and made a long jump onto the platform with the entrance into the Koopa Cruiser. One by one, the other Kruna leapt and got into the airship. Marut flew in as the last one once everyone else had made it on, and Athelstan closed the hatch behind him.

"We're all in," Warra said through the transmitter. "Head up! Head up!"

The Koopa Cruiser began to ascend and increase its speed just seconds before a laser grazed by underneath it. The distance between the airship and the Dark Sentinel made for some lag and prevented the robot from getting a more accurate shot as it fired off another laser, but that didn't stop it from continuing the chase. Much like it did with the Kruna at the Bloodfalls, the Dark Sentinel hovered off the ground with magical power and turned its legs into propellers to attempt taking the pursuit into the air.

* * *

 _So that's their ship,_ Marissa thought. _Kind of interesting that it just comes out of nowhere. Real suspicious... But if they think they can get away, they are sorely mistaken! Dark Sentinel will track them anywhere underneath my grand cloud barrier. They have nowhere to hide._

* * *

The Kruna Yura came out from the elevator and entered the hub cockpit of the Koopa Cruiser. They split and checked the back windows, the central map, and the radars up near Waluigi and Toadette. Though hard to tell, especially considering how well it blended in with the dark environment, the Dark sentinel tailed them; its red glow the only thing making it conspicuous.

"Doesn't look like we're out of the woods yet," said Warra. "Dark Sentinel is still trying to follow us from behind."

"Marissa might be watching us," said Daisy. "Turn on the cloaking device."

"Let's get a little higher first," said Waluigi. "And we need to get further away from that robot anyways!"

"Use the boost!" exclaimed Toadette.

A red flash flared out the back windows, paired with a strong jolt of the Koopa Cruiser. Toadette and Waluigi had to yank on their control yokes to keep the airship on track. Ramona and Neva looked out the rear windows and saw the Dark Sentinel putting its laser to work again. It charged another burst and fired, hitting the ship a second time.

"Increase power to the G-Diffuser and the electromagnetic shields," Waluigi said to Toadette.

"It's gonna keep firing at us until we get away," Toadette said to the Kruna. "We need two of you in the rear gunner units!"

Marut and Athelstan ran past the elevator and went straight for the ladder in the room opposite the diving hatch. They slid own onto the lower level and dashed to the end of the main middle hallway. They split there at the divergence; Athelstan to the left and Marut to the right. Each of them bolted into the respective gunner cockpit at the end of their side of the hallways and activated the units.

Marut and Athelstan each got their headsets on from their respective booths and buckled into their seats as another laser blast hit the Koopa Cruiser. The rear gunner booths sat in the feet of the airship's legs just underneath and offset the rockets and outer engines connected to and branching off of either koopa leg. Designed to deal with enemies on the sides and behind the Koopa Cruiser, the rear gunner booths had a clear shot at the Dark Sentinel.

"It's never easy, is it?" said Athelstan as he pulled the levers of his joysticks.

"Sure isn't!" Marut replied, pulling a lever on both of his own joysticks.

A slot in each of the cruiser's feet opened up through which short cannons extended out from. The two Kruna jerked their joysticks to line up the sights of their booths with the Dark Sentinel just as the robot got ready to attack.

"Don't wait for me to say anything!" Athelstan noted as he jammed his thumb on the top buttons of his joysticks. "If it's in your cross hairs, just fire!"

Green shells shot out of the cannons in burst fire, one at a time, four shells a second, traveling at a rate of nine hundred feet per second. The shells peppered the Dark Sentinel; and though they shattered on contact and didn't seem to harm the all but invincible robot, they slowed it down and disrupted its laser blast. When the Dark Sentinel fired, it missed the Koopa Cruiser by a notable margin.

"If we can keep hitting it, it'll be out of range in no time!" said Athelstan. "Just gotta keep shaking it up!"

"Hold on, bro; it's shifting around now!" replied Marut.

The Dark Sentinel dipped under the line of green shell fire and careened in a barrel roll alongside the incoming projectiles. Evening out its pace with the airship, the Dark Sentinel kept maneuvering around Marut and Athelstan's fire as they tried to adjust their aim. Despite its awkward looking movement, the Dark Sentinel proved to have superior aerial mobility.

"We can't crossover the cannon's aim too far past the ship's tail!" said Athelstan. "If it gets on your side, I can't fire at it, Marut! Same thing the other way! So contain it if you can!"

"I'm gonna try a homing missile to see if it can stun it long enough," said Marut.

"Good idea – but don't waste 'em!" replied the Kruna of Stone.

Both of the gunner booth cannons retracted back into their slots and slid inwards to make way for the glowing second canons that took their place. Once secured, Marut and Athelstan turned on their targeting screens to lock on to the Dark Sentinel. It took a moment for them to key in on the robot because of its now erratic movement, but they fired at it as soon as they did. The canons shot a larger, slightly slower red shell rocket each and then went on standby to reload.

Unable to evade the homing red shells, the Dark Sentinel took the hits as it came out of a tight barrel roll and jerked in a violent twitch. Its power and flight malfunctioned and shut off, causing it to lose speed and drift down in height. The robot's disabled state was only temporary, and it revved right back up to its previous altitude as soon as it got its power flow restored; but not before the Koopa Cruiser got much further away.

As soon as the red shell cannons reloaded, Marut and Athelstan fired them again. The glow from the Dark Sentinel had become barely visible as the Koopa Cruiser increased its distance from the monstrous robot. The Dark Sentinel got off one more laser blast before the red shells hit it and stunned it again, only for its shot to miss. In a matter of moments, Dark Sentinel had disappeared from view.

"I tell ya what – Toad's a mad man!" exclaimed Athelstan. "He swore this would work; and damn it, it worked!"

"Right on!" Marut hollered. "Got out of that one!"

"Great job, you two!" Toadette's voice said through their headsets. "We've gotten close to the Nirvana Barrier base layer. Activating the cloaking device now!"

* * *

"HUH?!" Marissa screamed. "Where did they go?!"

The demon witch stood in utter befuddlement. Not only did the airship in her Remote Viewing fend off her Dark Sentinel, but not more than a few moments after it did, it warped and disappeared in its entirety. The airship left nothing behind and no trace whatsoever.

"How? How?!" cried Marissa. "They just vanished into thin air! Okay – what just happened?!"

Marissa scowled in a crazed fit of shocked fury. She could have sworn she had the eight Kruna right where she wanted them. And yet, they got away. The next thing she knew, her Malocchio Eye saw her Dark Sentinel flying around in an aimless fashion with no distinct sense of direction. The robot had no sight at all of the Kruna's airship and did not know where to go.

"I'll get my number one hunter on the job to track them down with Dark Sentinel," said Marissa as she attempted to initiate a telepathic link with one of her archfiends. _If they think they're home free with their meager moral victory, they'd best think again!... Dark Marauder! Listen up! I need you to track down eight RECAAAAALCITRAANNNNNT...elemental wielders. I don't know if you came across them yet, so I will project their likenesses into your mind. Don't worry about capturing them if you just so happen to kill them on the spot._

Marissa got no response.

 _Dark Marauder?! I am talking to you! Listen to me! You can't_ not _hear me when I'm speaking directly to your mind!_

Marissa still received no response. She waited a little longer, but still...nothing.

 _DARK MARAUDER!_

After a short wait, Marissa gave up on trying to contact the archfiend. She growled as her hands and shoulders twitched while she began to refocus her Malocchio Eye's Remote Viewing down to the Sunset Wilds. _No...don't tell me!_ Marissa said in thought. _Did_ they _destroy Dark Marauder too? If that is the case, then they likely are the ones responsible for Dark Summoner's fate, if not Kokoro. But how?! Those miserable plebeians were reduced to but a mere fraction of their powers the last time I saw them!_

A minute or two later, she got the Sunset Wilds in her view and searched over and through the desert, plains, and mountains that made up the region. She scanned as much as she could see, but she failed to find anything resembling her archfiend for much longer than she expected. Eventually, she saw the decaying, mottled corpse of Dark Marauder abandoned in the desert's mesas.

 _How long have those eight been slithering around without me noticing?_ Marissa thought, cutting off her Remote Viewing. _It's unthinkable! I should be able to see everywhere on the planet! The Dark Sentinel deactivated after I saw it blast them into the Bloodfall's abyss! And then King Boo tips me off and I reactivate the robot, and what do you know – it goes homing in right on them as soon as it detected their signatures in Delight City!_

Marissa turned around to enter her castle and leave its top balcony, her brain already trying to formulate ideas on how to deal with the confirmed, revived threat to her hold on the planet. But stealing her focus even more than that, figuring out how they survived – and by extension, how they bested and outlasted three of her archfiends – wracked her mind to no end.

 _Where have you been hiding all this time?_ Marissa wondered in a deep frown. _Not that I should be worried. Your fates were sealed the moment you popped out of my Chronos Aeon portal into this time. You're just prolonging your end, elemental fools._

Marissa then eased into a slight grin. _Although, more archfiends certainly aren't out of the question... Or even better yet, perhaps someone_ other _than ghouls and demons..._

* * *

The Koopa Cruiser climbed out from within the Nirvana Barrier and emerged into the free sky above. Under the clear, calm moonlight, the airship flew on track for a return to Rainbow City. Within the cruiser, Marut and Athelstan had already rejoined the others in the cockpit room; and every last one of them looked tired and worn out.

"My gosh," mumbled Daisy. "How are we ever gonna beat that thing?"

"Maybe it's unbeatable," said Ramona. "And all we can really do is just avoid it or hold it off?"

"Nothing is unbeatable," said Andrew. "Like Bowser already pointed out – its eye might be the weak spot we need to target should we cross paths with it again. Right, Bowser?"

The Kruna of Fire didn't say anything. He fell over just as the others looked at him. With a loud thud, Bowser flopped face down on the floor and didn't move.

"Bowser!" Ramona screamed, running over to try and get him up. The other Kruna stared in shock as he failed to show any semblance of consciousness.

"What happened?!" asked Warra. "Did anyone see anything hit him?"

"There's no one else aboard but us!" exclaimed Toadette, looking back at the Kruna. "No one could've snuck on!"

Ramona kept nudging Bowser, but the koopa would not get up. He had gone limp and had no sense or perception of the world around him. Waluigi and Toadette kicked up the speed of the Koopa Cruiser and added the power of the airship's boost to their flight to hurry back to Rainbow City as fast as possible.


	26. Chapter XXVI

Still a Long Way to Go:

Bowser opened his eyes only to find himself floating in a contorted purple and gray void. He couldn't see anything else around him, nor could he feel anything other than increasing fatigue. There he drifted; not falling, but not heading anywhere. Just drifting in a void, laying back on nothing, unable to move or feel even his own body.

 _You're no king..._ a grizzly voice boomed with a deathly low bass. _You're a fool..._

Bowser heard the voice, but he didn't react. He knew who it was. He knew what it was.

 _You thought you could suppress me and make like I don't exist? You forget that I am stronger than you._

As the voice spoke, Bowser continued to drift in the void. He did not move. He did not respond. He did nothing.

 _Why are you helping these humans? Have you forgotten what they've done to you? What they've taken from you?..._

 _And yet you fight with them..._

 _You fight_ for _them..._

 _You're brainwashed..._

 _Relinquish control to me, and I will make everything as it should be..._

* * *

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Ramona as she and the Kruna all looked at Bowser. In Central Island's Rainbow Hospital, the koopa Kruna of Fire lay under intravenous therapy in a large bed with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. The Kruna Yura, Waluigi, Toadette, and Rosalina stood around Bowser as time moved well into the early morning hours. They had got him off the Koopa Cruiser and to the hospital as soon as they docked.

"His vitals are in a fritz," said one of the two Noki nurses. "It's very strange. We can't pinpoint the cause."

"The best thing we can do is let him rest," Rosalina said. "That's all we can do; for now. We'll check on him when the sun's up, but let's leave him be for the night."

"But what's wrong with him?" asked Daisy. "Is it some sort of disease or something? I mean, he practically collapsed on the ground without any warning!"

"Hmm?" Rosalina mumbled, her expression becoming animated. "You mean...you don't know?"

Rosalina directed the group out into the main lobby and then out of the hospital. And there, she then told the Kruna Yura and friends everything involving Bowser and his meditations. She told them all of the Giga Soul the Kruna of Fire held within him, how much it had weakened him trying to sustain itself, and how being under the Nirvana Barrier exhibited strange effects on it that seemed to exacerbate it. The Kruna, Waluigi, and Toadette listened to it all, paying no attention to anything else.

"That's so horrible," said Ramona. "The poor guy... I feel so bad for him."

"He never told us that!" exclaimed Daisy, swiping a fist at the air. "Not a single word! Damn... Why didn't he just tell us what was going on with him? What was stopping him?"

"Your potential reactions, it seems" said Rosalina. "He was scared...that all he worked for and all the progress he had made would get thrown out the window."

"What? No way!" Andrew assured. "That's our koopa! So what if he's got some issues – who doesn't? We'd never turn our backs on him!"

"I know how much he has changed," said Daisy. "He didn't have to stay silent and try to hide this!"

"We can pick up for him whenever he needs to pull back!" insisted Marut. "And we'd be glad to do so! He's still a bro! Monster Giga Soul or not!"

"We would have understood if had just said something," murmured Warra.

"Then you must also understand what made him want to stay silent," said Rosalina. "Though I do see why he kept quiet, I wish he didn't..."

"But the one thing I don't get is what exactly is a Giga Soul?" asked Neva.

"It is an entity of pure malice and rage," Rosalina said. "Origin: unknown. Though, we do know that it existed as far back as Osiris and the Shadow Queen; but no further. Throughout the centuries, the parasitic spirit has went from host to host to sustain itself. It aims to try and take over weak-minded or vulnerable vessels for immediate control, but someone like Bowser can subdue it and prevent it from overriding them."

"And the meditations are supposed to help get rid of it, right?" said Athelstan.

"They are," said Rosalina. "Bowser's power should be kept intact and free from the influence of the Giga Soul with the help of the meditations, but I was hoping it would have been gone by now. The Giga Soul has never successfully been eradicated because of how persistent and resilient it has proven to be. I fear that may possibly be the same case here." She sighed and gripped her face in discomfort. "We need to find an alternative means to getting rid of it in case the meditations don't, but we also need to search for leads and hints to the Gate of Time's whereabouts."

"You know that I'm gonna help ya out with the gate search," said Athelstan.

"Me too!" said Ramona.

"And I'll help as well," said Warra.

"That would be wonderful," said Rosalina. "With the Black Mages assisting too, we should cover a veritable amount of ground. You three can come up to the Comet Observatory after you get some sleep."

"What about me, huh?!" asked Marut.

"Ehhh...nah, don't worry about it," said Athelstan. "It's just going to be us going through a bunch of archives and corroborating data. There's a lot of paperwork and reading involved. Historical, detective kind of work. You guys just be sure to keep an eye on Bowser every once in a while."

"We'll try to be there as early as possible, Grand Elder," said Warra.

Rosalina bowed and smiled. "Thank you, Kruna Yura. You'll be breaking from your surface efforts for the next several days while we try and get all this sorted out, so rest up and recuperate. There's still a long way to go before we can get any resolution in all this. May the stars shine down on all of you."

"And we shall receive them," Daisy said, bowing with the others.

* * *

Though the rest of the Kruna went in the direction of the Rainbow Suite to retire for the night, Neva didn't go with them. She had dashed up the streets on another route to catch up with Rosalina, who had headed in the direction of the bridge to Northwestern Island. Rosalina stopped and turned around when she noticed the Kruna of Ice coming at her from behind.

"Neva, I thought you had gone with the others," said Rosalina.

When Neva caught up with her, she asked, "Is Bowser really going to be okay through all of this?"

"Yes, Neva, he'll be fine. Don't worry about him. He'll be back on his feet soon."

Neva glanced around a little as thoughts raced through her head. "How much has he really changed? How easily can it happen?"

"He has changed a lot," said Rosalina. "Or a little. It depends on your point of view and how you want to attribute his history to who he is. Anyone can change; whether for the better, as in Bowser's case; or for the worse, as in Marissa's case. As for how easily, no one can say for sure. There's so much that can influence that. What I can say is that change can come through a conscious decision, or it can come without any knowledge or awareness of it."

"To anyone?" mumbled Neva.

"To anyone," said Rosalina, starting to walk again. "Go on ahead and get some rest, Neva. It has been a long night, I'm sure."

"Actually, I've been wanting to ask you something for the past couple days..." Neva said. She followed Rosalina at her side with her hands anxiously clenched behind her back. "Um, about...well...uh...I don't really mean this for me or anything...but..."

"You can ask me anything. I am a cosmic being free of judgment."

Neva blushed. "Right, well, um, like I said; not that this involves me, but...uhhh... The way I'm trying to put this might seem kinda...well, no wait; what I'm trying to get across..."

"Oh, for Luma's sake, Neva; just spill it," Rosalina said with an innocent smile.

Neva flinched, dumbstruck in the face by Rosalina's gentle and blunt remark. _What kind of a response was that?_ Neva thought. _I thought you're supposed to be prim and proper!_

"Did I say something wrong?" Rosalina asked.

"Uh...no!" Neva replied, trying to relax. "Just uh...well, where does romance fit in a Kruna's life?"

"Wherever it can fit," Rosalina said as-a-matter-of-factly. When she didn't say anything more, Neva just stared at her as if the Elder of the Cosmos had lost her mind.

"That's it?" asked Neva. "You have _nothing_ else to say on that matter?"

"Well, if you're coming to me for advice, I don't really have much to offer. Maybe you should talk to Daisy and see how she feels. Maybe she'll feel the same way about you."

In an instant, Neva's face lit up to the point where her pupils vanished and her open mouth took up two-thirds of her face. Her hands twitched as she screamed, "I'M NOT ATTRACTED TO DAISY, YOU MORON!"

"You're not?" Rosalina blankly replied. "Huh...I don't really pay attention to that stuff. I just guessed."

"WHAT MADE YOU GUESS THAT?!" Neva hollered. Moaning with grief, she started waving her arms. "Seriously – what could have possibly gave you that idea?"

"Well, you two typically are not shy about establishing physical contact in casual settings. I figured you and her either had some sort of sibling-like chemistry, or you just really liked her."

"Wha- Are you trying to say that... DO YOU THINK I'M...no, never mind that. That's not the point, heh heh... Besides, I already mentioned I was speaking in a general sense and that this has nothing to do with me."

"Well, truth be told, Neva; as a cosmic being, I personally have no interest in such things. I oversee the cosmos and the stars. I apologize if I misread your preferences."

Neva sighed and slumped. "Yeah...it's fine..."

"As far as Kruna are concerned, the topic of romance is a blurry gray area at best," said Rosalina. "Generally, Kruna have avoided romantic love. For a while, Kruna were actually expected to forgo amorous feelings or relationships in favor of their duties. Too easily in the beginning, Kruna had been put in danger or manipulated because their adversaries had went after their loved ones. I'm not saying that such a relationship can't happen, but it was widely frowned upon back when Kruna were numerous and plentiful."

"Oh," Neva said.

Rosalina noticed the Kruna of Ice's dejected, wide-eyed stare, feeling the need to further expand on her statements. "However, that's where the gray area comes in. We do our best to preserve liberties and freedoms. So, there are no actual rules or restrictions against romance. It is just liable to be an inconvenience, a distraction, and an exploitable vulnerability."

"I understand," said Neva. "But if a Kruna fell in love, what would be the best way? Who can a Kruna fall in love with?"

"That's a tricky question; and another reason why Kruna tended to avoid this matter," replied Rosalina. She stopped walking when they reached the bridge to Northwestern Island, prompting Neva to stop as well. "If a Kruna is in an intimate relationship with someone other than another Kruna, then he or she runs the risk of creating distractions and abandoning the team at inopportune times. The elements are in balance when all eight are present. You must not jeopardize your team with inappropriate absences or a lack of focus on the task at hand. On the other side of things, if two Kruna become lovers, then they run the risk of disrupting the team dynamic, particularly if things don't work out between them. Dissension is prone to follow; and just like that, the team is broken. Kruna are at their best in unity and harmony. If one is not fully with the whole team, there is no unity. Do you see now why love is a dangerous thing for those of your position?"

Neva nodded. "Yes, Grand Elder..."

"I understand – the heart wants what it wants," said Rosalina. "But as a Kruna, it is up to one to put their duty, their team, and those they protect above all else. In the end though, the choice is ultimately theirs. Did that answer your question well enough?"

"Yes...Grand Elder... Thanks..."

* * *

The following afternoon, Athelstan, Warra, and Ramona entered the Comet Observatory's Cosmic Archives and found the Black Mages with Rosalina and Polari going through its many isles. When Rosalina noticed the three Kruna, she stopped and came over to greet and brief them. The Black Mages also gave greetings as they came near, though Polari stayed busy searching through the records.

"Glad to see you all here," said Naraka.

"Let's review what we're trying to figure out," said Rosalina. "For one, we need to look for anything that could point to the whereabouts of the Gate of Time. We also need to figure out how we can neutralize and destroy the Giga Soul within Bowser. From what we have gathered so far regarding the gate, we've come to the conclusion that a civilization of light wielders existing before the dark ages of the Shadow Queen – and later, Osiris – may well be behind the Gate of Time's creation."

"We are lacking names, locations involved, and exact time periods," said Solovar. "But we are almost certain that it is a light wielder civilization due to their heavy involvement in life and time in the world's early periods of civilized and societal growth. There are mentions in several texts of a light wielder society that disappeared under mysterious and relatively abrupt circumstances that is said to have advanced far ahead of the other societies of their age. Unfortunately, that's where most of what we have figured out stops."

"I have to say; I'm a bit disappointed," said Athelstan, scratching his head. "I mean, it's great you've figured out what you have, but... For as well as you guys keep track of things, you couldn't keep tabs on the Gate of Time?"

"We're not all-knowing up here," said Rosalina. "And the light wielders of the age in which the Gate of Time was created were very secretive. They had to be, dabbling and machinating deep into the intricacies of life and time as much as they were; all before I myself even came into being. This is ancient lore we are dealing with, long before we established recorded data. This old civilization of light wielders in question passed on very little of their knowledge before they disbanded and eroded."

"That's why it has taken us so long to make any sort of progress," said Tamara. "We've literally been going through things page by page."

"Should we also try and figure out a means to destroying the Nirvana Barrier?" asked Warra.

"We know that defeating Marissa will cause the Nirvana Barrier to dissipate since her Malocchio Eye is the link that is keeping it over the planet," said Rosalina. "And we know that defeating Marissa would be easier with the Nirvana Barrier's strengthening effects on her gone. But we also know that we will be left visible, vulnerable, and wide open to a destructive attack once the barrier goes since it is the only thing blocking her Remote Viewing from finding us out. So it must stay up until you can beat her."

Warra frowned. "That's right..."

"That's not to say we haven't thought about it," Polari said, speaking up from a few isles back. "It is possible that if we can create an interference with a power source that is on par with the demon witch's, then we might be able to disrupt or override the link it has with her Malocchio Eye and disband the barrier that way...in theory. But it would be too risky to try."

"Given the implications, we instead are keeping our focus on the Gate of Time and the Giga Soul," said Rosalina. "We need some way to extract the Giga Soul or force it out of Bowser's being. The Black Mages are working on trying to put together a new version of the Soul Extraction Ritual; but given the nature of such a spell, constructing it is no easy task."

"Such a high level, borderline forbidden class of spells is something Marissa worked with a lot," said Machula. "She did not allow us very much info or practice in that powerful of magic when we were with her. If she did, we'd might've already had the Giga Soul out of Bowser by now."

"As far as the Gate of Time, we know more than we did weeks ago," said Rosalina. "We strongly believe that these light wielders of this lost society are the ones behind the Gate of Time's construction, and if we can find out the location they once inhabited in the distant past, we may then be able to track down the Gate of Time."

"That's if it's in working order and not destroyed," said Tamara. "But you never know – because we don't know the extent to which they meddled with life and time or what they discovered about either one."

"It's possible they could have found out a way to create the Gate of Time as an object free of the decay from age," added Solovar. "In other words, the Gate of Time may, in fact, exist outside of time itself."

"That may be part of how it is able to bridge times and timelines together," said Naraka.

"And if that is the case, it brings into question just how advanced this light wielder civilization was," said Rosalina. "And it also brings into question just how much they knew of the things in our universe that we barely comprehend. So that's just about where we stand right now, Kruna Yura."

Athelstan took a deep breath and rubbed the palms of his hands together. "Well then, let's dive into this fascinating hot mess and see what we can discover!"

* * *

Deep into the late afternoon, Waluigi, Wario, DK, Marut, and Andrew entered the Rainbow City Gym after checking up on Bowser earlier. Though still unconscious, the Koopa King had recovered to a more stable condition. The nurses told them he would need a couple more days in the hospital, assuring them he'd be back to normal soon. Seeing Bowser in better condition gave them some relief and let them loosen up some for the rest of their day.

"What better way to spend a free day than to train!" exclaimed Andrew.

"That's right!" Donkey Kong replied. "But I'm still surprised Daisy's not here today. It feels kinda strange not having her in the gym with us."

Andrew shrugged. "Hey; when she said she'd be busy, I just left it at that. How ya feeling over there, Marut?"

"Still a little intimidated from all the heavy stuff in here, but I'm ready to go!" hollered Marut.

"And someone's not," Wario said, gesturing to the front doors. The group turned around and caught Waluigi trying to slink out of the gym.

"HEY!" Andrew barked, making Waluigi jump. "And just where do you think _you're_ going?"

"Oh, uh, I forgot my headphones for my M-Orb..." grumbled Waluigi.

"You always seem to forget those, don't ya?" said Wario. "Get back over here. You're not weaseling out of the rep work today, slacker!"

"Oh sure, get on me even though Daisy's not here at all!" snapped Waluigi.

" _She's_ consistent _– you_ are not," said Wario.

"But I really don't have my headphones," muttered Waluigi.

"Dude, just play it on the speaker," said Andrew. "There's not a lot of people here right now. You're not gonna bother anybody."

"Alright," said Waluigi, digging into his pockets. As the others picked out a power rack by the windows and got set to warm-up, Waluigi got out his portable music player and meandered over to the adjacent sill. He turned up the volume, set it down, and hit play; and just seconds later...it played. It played a raucous, country tune laden with acoustic strings and up tempo drums. Almost immediately, the others stopped their warm-up and stared at Waluigi and his M-Orb.

"I take that back," said Andrew. "What's with the banjo playing?"

"That's my crazy music!" Waluigi said. "This is what I use to get hyped! What – expected some heavy rock orchestra? TOO BAD, THIS IS WAH MUSIC!"

"Not this again," Wario muttered, palming his face.

"I feel like we're in a barn," mumbled Marut. "I didn't think this was the kind of stuff he listened to."

"We need Lubba or Athelstan here to make an awful joke about grass being blue," said Donkey Kong.

A couple of other humans and a few koopas spread around nearby turned and looked at the source of the music in time to watch Waluigi start swinging his arms like a mad man. "Oh yeah, now this is how you get things going!" Waluigi shouted. " _THIS_ is that good stuff! Alright, now I'm ready to do work!" He jumped around and busted out a dozen burpees before engaging in a frenzied set of jumping jacks. "I'm gonna show you chumps who the slacker is now! Walla-walla-bing bang! Walla-walla-bing bang! Walla-walla-bing bang! Hoo-ha-hah – Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! WAH! WAH! WAH! WAH! ALRIGHT – LET'S GO!"

* * *

Daisy stood in the middle of the Elemental Training Grounds' center field under the setting sun, concentrating and focusing on her earth power. Her eyes closed and complete focus directed within, she raised both arms out in front of her. She felt her energy stiffen and engorge inside of her as she shifted the concentration of her power to her right wrist.

 _There's something here,_ she thought. _I can do something with this...but what?_

She opened her eyes and gazed down at her hand. Swirling and rumbling seismic power flowing out, she confined and constrained it into a dense spheroid shape no larger than her palm. Its thumping sounds rang vividly in her ears.

 _It feels similar,_ she thought. _It's built in much the same way, but it can be different. Just...how?_

She thought back over every special move she learned or made for herself. The Flurry Punch, Crystal Fist, Seismic Wave, and Crystal Smash, among others; all potent and useful attacks, but none of them capable of doing what she had in mind to do with the orb in her hand.

 _I bet something like this could work for what I'm looking for, but how?_ Daisy wondered. _Is there some way I can make it so that this can bust through a defense?_

"Daisy! Hey, are you busy?" Neva shouted. The Kruna of Ice came trotting up from the entrance of the training grounds, disrupting her earth counterpart's inner focus.

Daisy turned to greet her ice friend. "Hi! Nice to see you and all, but you interrupted me when I was in the middle of something."

"Don't tell me that you're training!" said Neva. "We get some days off to recuperate, and that's the first thing you do?"

"Technically, I guess," said Daisy. "But I'm not actually 'training' nor have any intention of doing any. I'm just working with my elemental power."

"Is that what the huge vibrating marble in your hand is for?"

"Ugh... Of course you'd say something like that. What did you come here for besides to just be unnecessarily condescending?"

"Oh c'mon, you know I'm just kidding," said Neva. "Listen, there's something I need a lot of help with, and I can't go to anyone else but you. It's something serious..."

Daisy nodded, reabsorbing her collected energy. "Understood. What's up?"

"This is going to be tough to say," Neva murmured. "But I have to do something about this...because...I...I..."

"Yes...Neva?" Daisy said.

Neva stuck her tongue out and bit on it, while her eyes glanced here and there and everywhere. Daisy gave her a weird look in the awkward silence that developed, also noticing Neva's legs trembling.

"Are you cold?" asked Daisy. "Because you're shaking a lot, and I thought ice wielders don't normally get cold-"

"I'm not cold, Daisy..." muttered Neva. Again, a bout of silence ensued in which Neva made all sorts of weird gestures.

Daisy put her hands on her hips in confusion. "Then just say what's on your mind. Gosh, what's the hold up-"

"It's-it's the stupid shadow wielder on our team, alright?!" Neva screamed. She immediately covered her mouth and glanced around every which way to make sure there was no one else nearby who could hear her.

"What about him?"

"I-I...need him, with me... I r-really like him..."

Daisy shrugged. "I like him too. Andrew's a pretty nice guy to have around. What's the big deal?"

"No, you idiot... I mean I _really..._ like him. Like... _reaaaally..._ "

It took a moment for Daisy to realize what Neva actually meant, but then she did and understood Neva's jittery nervousness. "Ohhhhhhh," Daisy replied. "You mean... _Ohhhhhh_... Really?"

"Really..."

"Wow, Neva! What are you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know!" Neva snapped. "I was never good at dealing with this kind of thing! I never really had a crush on anyone but a few times, and I would just ignore it and the feelings would go away!"

"Why'd you ignore your feelings in the first place?"

"Because nobody back home liked me in general! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Well, if it's just a crush, then that means that it should just go away with time then, right?"

Neva shook her head. "I thought it would, but...this feels entirely different. I wish I knew what words to use here. And time...hasn't m-made..."

Daisy gazed at Neva and watched her face turn red. The ice wielder's eyes drifted to the ground as a soft smile snuck into her expression. It was the most calm, relaxed, and peaceful Daisy had ever seen someone who normally had been so fiery, ornery and irritable by default.

"How long have you been feeling this way?" Daisy asked.

"A couple months," said Neva, her face flushing even more. "Maybe longer. I don't know – I wasn't paying attention to the time, but...I know I didn't realize it right away."

"Neva..." murmured Daisy. "I would have never thought that you..."

"I know we have a mission to do, but...could you help me? Please? I don't remember ever feeling so strong of a want for anything else other than wanting to kill your dad – you know, when he was being totalitarian and before the whole Marissa thing. No offense."

"I get it," Daisy replied with a short laugh. "Don't worry. None taken."

"So will you help me?" Neva asked.

Daisy rubbed the back of her head and stared off into the distance. "Well, I mean, I wish I could, but this kind of thing is not really my forté. Sorry for being so inept! Man, if Peach were here, I bet she'd have a better idea of what to do."

"Please, c'mon! Daisy! I need something! I'm suffocating here. There's so much pressure. It's like everything is light and heavy at the same time. It's made me so jittery and fluttery and tired..."

"Well gosh, it's that bad?"

Neva nodded. "I don't know what to do. I'm not even trying to like him – I just...do. I...adore him..."

"Do you know if he feels the same way?"

"Nope. I can't really tell, but it hasn't seemed like it. Not unless I missed something... Am I just a foolish idiot in all of this? Just give it to me straight, Sarasa – is this just setting me back?"

"No, not at all! In fact, I feel like this is doing you a lot of good, however it ends up turning out. And I do hope it turns out well, for the both of you."

"Really?"

Daisy put her hands on Neva's shoulders in a show of assurance. "Really. I just might be able to help you out, but _you've_ got to get things going. That's on you. I can't help you with that. I can try and get you set up to make your move. Is that cool?"

"I...maybe," mumbled Neva. "I mean, I could, but...that seems...kinda frightening..."

"That's frightening to you? You can't say it's any more scary than Marissa or her archfiends, right?"

"Actually...yeah, it is... What would I even say to him? What if I say something wrong and mess everything up? Am I even ready for something like this? Is the air getting thinner up here to you?"

"Neva, don't panic! If you really like him, you won't hesitate when you get your chance and you'll know what to say. Just trust yourself, okay?"

"Uh...okay," replied Neva. After a deep breath, she snapped and raised her voice. "I swear, if you mention any of this to anyone else, I'll turn you into a dirt popsicle!"

Daisy gave her a salute, saying, "I'm not mentioning a thing! You have my word!"


	27. Chapter XXVII

A Brief Respite:

Athelstan, Ramona, Warra, and the five Black Mages searched through the records, tablets, and books of the Cosmic Archives alongside Rosalina and Polari. Two days in of nothing but scouring and inspection, they had found little to help progress their search for the Gate of Time. They had not made much progress with a spell for getting the Giga Soul out of Bowser either. A large part of the problem there, among others, was figuring out how to separate a spirit from its body.

"See, I thought there was an Alkemei that could do something like that," said Tamara. "I don't remember what it's called, but I know it's one of those rare ones, so there's only one in existence."

"Should we go on the hunt for it?" asked Ramona, flipping through the pages of a thick book. "I could detect it with mine. Though, I don't think I could look for a specific one."

"Finding yours was only possible because we had leads as to its likely whereabouts," said Naraka.

"But if it would work for Bowser, should we try looking for it?" asked Ramona.

"That's another problem, actually," said Rosalina. "That pendant that you're talking about could split the Giga Soul from Bowser, but it could also backfire and split Bowser himself from his actual body."

"How would that happen?" asked Warra.

"Alkemei Teota, is what it's called, I believe," said Polari. "It would allow the user to temporarily cast his spirit away from his body, but since the Giga Soul is its own consciousness, it could force Bowser's spirit out when he tries to use it and then shut him out!"

"So then we could just get Bowser to do that to it instead!" said Athelstan.

"But we'd only have one shot to do so," said Rosalina. "It's way too risky."

"Well hold on, let's think," said Warra. "If there were some way to combine the Teota and a spell, then we could do something where we could incapacitate the Giga Soul and then have Bowser use the Teota to force it out."

"I like that – let's look for that Alkemei," said Athelstan. "But the Black Mages should still try and see what kind of soul extracting spell they can come up with."

"In addition to something of a soul paralysis spell?" asked Solovar.

"Yeah, because we may end up having to use both of them," said Athelstan. "I can see a scenario where we have to use whatever a soul paralysis would be and then immediately after that use a soul extraction if the Giga Soul somehow still manages to force Bowser out of his own body."

"Quite the assemblage of brains here," Tamara said to Rosalina.

"Then what should we do first?" asked Ramona. "Go and look for the Gate of Time or go and look for the Alkemei Teota?"

"Whichever one we can find definitive evidence for first," said Athelstan.

* * *

The sun shining bright in the clear afternoon sky, Neva timidly traipsed over to Daisy to join her at the Elemental Training Grounds. The Kruna of Ice looked even more awkward than usual and appeared just as nervous. She made no effort to hide her curled up posture from Daisy, nor did she even seem aware of it.

"I can't tell whether your back is hurting or you're trying to make yourself even shorter than you already are," said Daisy. "How are ya feeling, if I even need to ask?"

"I spent all of last night writing a song about him," muttered Neva, twiddling her fingers. "You really didn't need to ask."

"You actually wrote a song?" said Daisy. "Can I hear it?"

"What?! No way!" Neva screamed, instantly shaking as deep red filled her head. "That's personal, private stuff, Sarasa!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down!" Daisy replied with an uneasy smile. "He should be here soon. I thought he would've been here by now. Maybe in the next five or ten minutes."

"So, uh, how are we gonna do this again?"

"When he gets here, you're going to have all the time you need to get out what you need to get out, because I'm going to have him here helping me. That way, he can't leave before you talk to him about how you feel since I'll have him occupied."

"Wait – just talk to him?"

"Yup!"

"And you're sure this'll work?"

"To be frank – no."

Neva 's mouth dropped wide open as she let out a tiny, angered squeal. "I...uh...wha-"

"But this is the most direct way," said Daisy. "So with that in mind, I feel like it's the best way. Just don't choke. Be confident! He's just a boy. Roll with it and look for an opportunity. And if you can't, I'll give you a _look_ to make a move. Or if you wanna pull him aside so that I don't hear anything, feel free to do that too!"

"Wait, what kind of look? What am I supposed to say? What kind of move?!"

"Hush up – he's coming!"

"But what do I do?!"

"Just do what you know you want to do! Don't overthink it!"

Andrew came walking towards Daisy and Neva, hands halfway in his pants pockets. As soon as Neva saw him, her eyesight blocked out everything else just to focus on the shadow wielder that gleamed in the sunlight. Daisy glanced at Neva and noticed her stare, further amazed at the Kruna of Ice's increasingly obvious tenderness and yearning for him. _Wow,_ Daisy thought. _To get to here from not caring about anybody else..._ _I have to make sure she gets this..._

"Hi, Shady," Neva barely said when Andrew got near.

"Hey, Neva," Andrew said with a smile. "I missed ya the past couple days!"

"Oh, uh, just; Rainbow City's a big place, you know?" said Neva. "It's great to see you again..."

"What took ya?" Daisy said to the Kruna of Shadow.

"I was at the hospital with Toadette and Marut," said Andrew. "They're still there with Bowser. No one knows when he's gonna wake up from that coma, but it should be soon."

"That's some good news at least," said Daisy. "I wanted you down here because I'm trying to put together a new technique. It's a bit of a work in progress right now."

"And you want _my_ help?" Andrew asked, mixing disinterest and surprise. "I'm not an earth wielder, you know."

"I thought your intuition could help provide me with some insight," said Daisy. "And since our fighting styles are the most similar on the team, being attack-heavy and all, who better to ask?"

Andrew smirked. "Okay, well when you put it that way, what did you have in mind?"

Daisy held out her right hand, palm side facing up. She concentrated seismic energy in the same manner used for her Shotgun and in much the same way she crystallized earth for her Crystal Fist. But for this technique, she refrained from closing her hand and instead kept it open as she tried to coalesce the power into a spheroid shape. The bright silver, tremoring glow of the orb looked erratic and unstable.

"I bet if I can get this compressed some more, I could use it as an attack somehow," said Daisy. "I'm stumped on where to go with it though. The more power I compress, the more damage it can do. With the Shotgun, I compress it and shoot it out in front of me like a fan. But with this, I don't think I want to have it escape at all."

"It almost seems to me like you want to combine attributes from both Crystal Fist and Shotgun," said Andrew.

"That's a good way to look at it," Daisy replied. "But I'm having a mental block as to where to go with it. I don't just want it to be another attacking option. I want it to be able to get around an opponent's defense. I want it to be _unblockable._ "

Andrew squinted his eyes as he leaned in and stared at Daisy's compressed orb of seismic power. "Hmm... Now when you say 'unblockable,' I'm not sure exactly what you mean."

"A stronger defense can block stronger attacks, right?" said Daisy. "I'm trying to figure out a way to make this so that it's an attack that no defense can block. It doesn't have to be strong – it just has to bypass the defense of the opponent. If they've got their arms up, or some physical or elemental shield, this attack has got to get around or just go through any and all of it. Preferably, I'd rather plow right through it."

"That sounds pretty broken if you can get it to work," said Andrew. "It's getting it to work that is the difficult part. I can see why you're stumped! How to do this..."

"I don't know about you guys, but an attack coming in all directions seems pretty unblockable," said Neva.

"No, that won't work," said Daisy. "Someone with an ability like Marut's Dome Rotation can block attacks from all directions at once."

"Are you sure that this is something that can even be done by a mortal?" asked Neva.

"I've got to find a way for this to work," said Daisy, reabsorbing the earth power in her palm. "Even if it's not today or before our next surface mission, I've got to add it to my moveset. We're going up against enemies now like the Dark Sentinel that are impervious to regular attacks and can block anything they need to. So if there's guys that can block any attack, I need an attack that can overcome any block."

"Well, remember when Dark Sentinel was chasing us in the sky, and the red shells slowed it down?" said Neva. "It didn't do any damage, but it shut it down for a few moments. I bet if we had a chance to attack it close-up while it was shutdown, we could've hit the eye it kept defending."

"A stunning attack..." Daisy murmured, staring at her palm again.

"It wouldn't get around a defense, but it could disable a defense," said Andrew.

"Maybe; but a robot and a living being are two different things," said Daisy. "I don't think you can short-circuit an organic body like you can a machine; not without a direct hit. Any stunning attack on a living thing would have to be landed to be effective. That means it can be defended against unless I did something special to it to make it so that it can't get blocked; which is what I've been trying to do. So really, we just went in a circle."

"So when you wanted 'unblockable,' you literally meant unblockable," said Andrew.

"Yeah, no gimmicks," said Daisy.

"See, Elkon comes to mind when you put it that way," said Andrew. "He attacked through spatial distortion. That's the only thing I can think of that can be unblockable without it needing to be the strongest attack in existence."

"That at least gives me some sort of blueprint to work from," said Daisy. "If I can somehow emulate that, then maybe I can come up with something similar that can have the same effect."

"Alright, then let's see what we can come up with!" said Andrew.

* * *

Marut and Toadette sat beside Bowser's bed in his hospital room, recently joined by Lubba and Toadsworth. Though in a more stable condition, Bowser had yet to regain consciousness. The nurse attending to him had determined it unlikely that he would awaken for the rest of the day.

"The poor fella's had it rough, huh," said Lubba.

"Master Bowser has done more than I could have ever expected out of him," said Toadsworth. "Both now and in the past. I am sure he'll overcome this. Princess Toadstool spoke highly of him before that day when Marissa swept through the Mushroom Kingdom. And to think that they had been quarreling for so long before. To come all the way from that..."

"Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that he's on our side and not against us?" said Toadette. "Even before when he was antagonizing us, he was always so confused and flustered and angry. He just seems way more at peace now ever since he changed. I hope we can get the Giga Soul out of him soon."

"Indeed, Mistress Toadette," said Toadsworth.

"He never seemed like a bad dude to me," said Marut. "I don't think he's really cut out to be one."

"Nah, just someone who lost his way for a little while is all," said Lubba.

"... Hey, did he just move?" said Toadette.

Sure enough, Bowser had stirred a bit in his bed and rolled about some as the group looked at him. The Kruna of Fire opened his eyes and glanced around the room a short time later. The last he remembered, he had fallen over in the Koopa Cruiser.

"He's up! He's up!" Toadette cheered.

"Am I dead?!" asked Bowser. "Are we all dead?!"

"What?! No! Far from it!" said Lubba. "You're at Rainbow Hospital. You've been here for at least a couple days now."

"Oh no," said Bowser, already trying to move from under his covers. "I'm getting the hell up out of here-"

Toadsworth waved his hands at the Kruna of Fire. "Master Bowser! You shouldn't rush-"

"Ah, screw that!" Bowser replied. "I'm not about to spend a whole week bound up inside any hospital! I'm checking out."

The nurse in the room rushed in front of Bowser and urged him to keep from getting up. "Sir, please remain in your bed and do not remove any medical apparatus until-"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" asked Bowser.

"But you really must stay until you're cleared and okay to go," said the nurse.

"I'm...checking... _out..._ " Bowser repeated, leaning in and crossing his arms.

"... Right, you're checking out," the nurse said. "Sorry for the misunderstanding..."

"That's quite alright," said Bowser, patting her on the head. He hopped out of bed, stripped the patches and tubes from his body, stretched out some, and headed for the door to the hallway. "C'mon, guys. The sooner I can get some fresh air, the better."

* * *

Neva and Andrew sat on a nearby bench watching Daisy fiddle around with another seismic orb as the sun started to come down and descend through the sky. They had been trying to come up with a viable attack with her that could potentially be "unblockable" for over a few hours. So far, they had not come up with much. Given the circumstances and requirements, they didn't expect a eureka moment right away. Although Daisy had tried using earth and crystal both, it seemed as though pure, immaterial seismic energy worked best for the nature of the attack she wanted. Andrew had suggested letting the seismic power flow out from the condensed sphere into an opponent as a possible way to override a defensive move. But still, that left a lot of open-ended uncertainty for the attack as a whole.

"When she gets a good beta going, we'll need Athelstan or Bowser here to test," said Andrew. "Maybe Warra and Marut too. I'm not much better at defense than Daisy is."

"But you are still a great shadow wielder overall, though," said Neva. "I mean...you are, yeah..."

"You know, if I had to be really honest, I always liked ice the best," said Andrew.

"Oh...really?" Neva asked, a little surprised.

"Ever since I was a kid. I don't know what it was about ice. I just really liked it. Maybe it was just the refreshing chill and the lack of heat."

"Ice is pretty _cool_ ," Neva said with an uneasy giggle. She felt more relaxed and comfortable when Andrew laughed too.

Daisy didn't move her head, but she shifted her eyes to peer at Neva and Andrew. _I can't tell if she did anything yet,_ Daisy thought. _I've given her a bunch of chances already. I hope she hurries up – I'm getting hungry! I knew I shouldn't've skipped lunch..._

 _C'mon, Neva,_ the Kruna of Ice thought to herself. _You've been sitting here with him for a while now. Don't let this chance pass by like the others! Just go on..._

"Yo, Daisy! I'm wondering – what about your inner third eye thing that Geno taught you?" Andrew called out.

 _Annnnnnnnd there it goes..._ Neva grumbled in her mind. _If this hasn't been the story for the afternoon..._

"I don't know," replied Daisy. "I think it was just something for me to counteract against Marissa's Malocchio Eye if she used one of its abilities on any of us. Geno didn't really show me anything else I could do with it."

"Well, maybe that's only because we didn't have enough time then," said Andrew. "Maybe you could utilize it now somehow in a different way?"

"Maybe I could," Daisy said, drawing her seismic energy back into herself as she turned to walk over to them. "But I think I've had enough of this for today. Coming up with new attacks has got to be one of the most tedious and mentally draining things elemental wielding has to offer."

"Yeah, I feel ya on that one," said Andrew, getting up from the bench. "But you're definitely onto something with this. I really appreciate you guys having me. Let me know if you need me again."

"Woah, wait; where are ya going?!" asked Neva, shooting off the bench.

"I'm gonna head over to Wario Ware Inc. in a little while," said Andrew. "Marut keeps smack talking me about some fighting game there."

"What- but that's in a little while!" exclaimed Neva, breaking out into a ramble. "That's not right now, right – you don't have to go right now, right – why are you leaving right now – where are you going right now?!"

"I need to go take a nap," said Andrew. "I was kinda dozing off a bit on that bench there. And I gotta make sure I get a chance to shave too. Some stubble's trying to work its way out. I'll see you guys around, okay?"

"Andrew, wait!" Neva called out just as the Kruna of shadow turned to leave. "I need to tell you something!"

"Sure, what is it?" he replied.

And she really was about to tell him how she felt, but then she remembered everything Rosalina told her and it made her pause. At that point, she didn't know what to do or say. Daisy and Andrew looked at her trying to speak and got confused as to why she just completely stalled out of nowhere.

"Hey, Neva? Why'd ya freeze up?" Andrew asked. He then let out a stifled giggle. "Hah, get it? Freeze up? I swear, that wasn't on purpose."

"Oh yeah, I get it!" Daisy said with a laugh. "Those sure don't come around very often, do they?"

While Daisy and Andrew laughed some more, Neva stood there with her blood boiling over in her head. _I oughta make you both freeze up!_ Neva yelled in her mind.

"Are you sure you don't wanna stick around with us for a little while?" Daisy then asked Andrew. "The sun's still out! I'm sure you could just save sleep for tonight! And, you know, some facial hair can make a guy look real manly! You can leave shaving for another day, right?"

"Nuh-uh – oh haiiiiil nah," Andrew replied with a light scowl. "Athelstan can walk around with the face scruff. I ain't tryna grow a bad guy beard or sculpt a Mario Bros mustache. This is what I hate most about being male; I don't know how other guys can put up with it."

Neva felt her spirit sink in defeat as the Kruna of Shadow walked away. She wanted to scream out and yell, but she couldn't come up with anything sensible to say. As Andrew got further and further away, Neva slumped and sulked more and more.

"Well, that didn't work..." mumbled Neva. "How did I screw this one up?..."

Daisy propped an arm up to hold a side of her face. "So the reason you're not running after him right this second is because...?"

"What – no, I-he's already leaving!" Neva snapped. "I can't just chase him down like some crazy stalker!"

"Why do I have the feeling that if you _don't_ chase him down now, you'll totally end up stalking him later?" Daisy said with a mocking grin.

"Hey, you're intuitive and feeling and stuff, right?" said Neva. "Maybe this is a sign that I should drop all of this and just ignore the way I feel! It was all a bad idea, because he's him, and I'm just me, and I'm having crazy thoughts, and he's not overreacting about stuff, and-"

Daisy slapped her face with the palm of her hand, shaking her head. "Oh, for the love of-"

Neva gasped when Daisy grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground. "Hey, what do you think you're doing, mud-crawler?!"

"You're welcome!" Daisy yelled. She pulled back the arm she held Neva with and got a running start before she launched Neva in Andrew's direction. Her throw dropped the Kruna of Ice out of a long arc of flight not too far behind Andrew, who whipped around to catch sight of Neva the moment he heard her grunt and roll along the ground.

"Oh my gosh – what just happened?" Andrew hollered, rushing over to help Neva get up. He grabbed her hands to give her a base to push off of as she returned to her feet in a wincing, grumpy grumble.

"The next time I see her, she's getting icicle acupuncture!" Neva said. Her attitude changed in an instant when she noticed her and Andrew's hands interlocked. Now mellowed out and calm, she looked behind her at Daisy, but she couldn't find the Kruna of Earth anywhere. Daisy had vanished.

"You can let go of my hands now," said Andrew.

Neva turned back around and gazed at their hands, not even aware that had been latching onto his. "Actually, no..." she then mumbled. "What if I said I didn't want to?"

Surprised and wide-eyed, Andrew replied, "But, why not?"

"Because, uh..."

"What's been going on with you? I swear, you've been really off-kilter for a while now. C'mon, you can tell me."

"I know I can tell you; it's just that I can't really figure out how to say what I want to."

"How about you just start with how you're feeling?"

"You're not making this any easier, stupid!" Neva snapped.

"How can I make it easier then?" Andrew asked.

Neva broke out in laughter and started swaying her arms back and forth, taking Andrew's into sway as well. In nervous hysteria, she replied, "I don't know! I've been meaning to talk to you about something, and I've just been so scared to do so...but, now that I'm holding your hands, I'm starting to not feel scared at all."

"I didn't think I had that effect on people," replied Andrew.

"No, silly!" Neva said. "I didn't mean that! I'm...why are you so difficult?!"

Andrew shrugged. "I dunno. Because easy is boring?"

From behind a tree not too far from where Neva and Andrew stood, Daisy peeked at the two of them. _Hmm... did I start that?_ she thought. _I sure didn't have any intention of playing matchmaker for anyone, but maybe I'm good at this! If all I have to do is throw people together, I could get used to that!_

After watching Neva and Andrew laugh with each other, Daisy chuckled to herself and turned to leave the training grounds through an alternate route. _I'll leave those two alone,_ she said in thought.

"Look," Neva said. "I know we're in the middle of something big and important, and I don't know why you would even consider this with someone like me, but, if you're not busy tomorrow-"

"What do you mean someone like you?"

"You know; I'm not pretty, and the top of my head is barely past your shoulders, and I've got to be the dorkiest goofball you've ever known-"

"The only thing true out of any of that would be that you're short, but go on."

"Could we spend the day together? On...like, a date?"

"You mean you and I?... I've never been on a date before, to be honest."

"Neither have I... But, then that's good, because then it would be a first for us both, right? What do you think?"

Andrew giggled, his face almost as red as Neva's. "I don't know – this is so sudden. But I'm glad you asked. I probably would've never asked you myself."

Neva perked up and moved closer to him. "Wait, so does that mean you like me?"

"I...guess it does."

Using the cover of a nearby building's wall, Wario, Waluigi, and Koops peeped out to look at Neva and Andrew. They were far enough away to not get noticed, but close enough to hear them. Waluigi and Koops ducked back behind the wall in laughter.

"Boy, did we have perfect timing," said Koops.

"Yeah! We were just supposed to go see Toad and Alden, but then we get _this_ instead?" said Waluigi. "I wish I had brought some popcorn so then I could throw up to this mushy dreck."

"Would you dolts just shut up?!" Wario hissed. "I can't hear them if you're running your mouths!"

"So then does that mean a 'yes' for tomorrow?" Neva asked. "You and me?..."

Andrew moved his mouth to say 'yes', but he froze just before he did. In an instant, his otherwise calm and happy expression had vanished and got replaced with one of angst and confusion. He let Neva's hands drop from his grasp and backed away a couple steps.

"What-what's wrong, Andrew?" asked Neva.

"I h-have to go," Andrew said, continuing to back away. With a swift turn around, he hurried up the rainbow streets at the quickest pace he could manage without breaking into a run. In utter shock, Neva stared at him and felt all her high spirits seep out of her body.

Andrew went past the building Wario, Waluigi, and Koops hid behind without so much as even noticing the three standing there. They looked at Andrew and then at Neva and back at Andrew again until the Kruna of Shadow had escaped their range of vision. They seemed almost as surprised as Neva.

"What just happened?" said Koops.

"I smell fried chicken!" said Wario. "Ol' dark meat over there got scared of getting put in the freezer!"

"Okay – what?" Waluigi muttered at Wario.

"Ah, let's go!" urged Koops. "We didn't see anything!"

* * *

"Can we take a break?" Ramona asked the group in the Cosmic Archives. She yawned as she laid her head down in her arms beside the geographical book she had been scanning through.

"Break? Why would you ever want to break from such a wealth of knowledge available at your fingertips?!" exclaimed Athelstan.

"I like reading and books as much as the next person, but this can get kind of dry, Athelstan," said Warra. "Might I add, even for a stone wielder."

"Maybe if you guys had the outlook of a historian, you'd see how juicy material like this is anything but dry!" replied Athelstan. "Like, did you know that koopas and humans came into being around the same time? Or that Joke's End of the Beanbean Kingdom used to be a thriving city before it froze over from the aura of all the bad jokes from their humorless populace?"

"Where'd you see that?" said Warra. "That can't be right."

Athelstan shrugged. "That's what it said in the book!"

"No way – let me see where you read that!" Warra insisted.

Ramona took out her left arm from under her head and used it to prop up her book as she stared at the large picture taking up one page where she had left it open. She had just entered a section dedicated to the Great Valley, an already familiar area to her. Flipping the page and looking at more pictures of the Great Valley, she wondered what it was about the area that was making her feel curious and intrigued enough to study the images of the stunning landscape with such focus.

Ramona's eyes then shot wide open as soon as she remembered her, Athelstan, and Bowser's confrontation with Elkon at the Light Shrine. The reincarnation of the creator of space had scolded them for intruding on the skyward grounds deep within the boundaries of the Light Shrine when they came to purify the Light Gemstone.

 _The least you can do is show some respect to this ancient civilization,_ Ramona remembered Elkon say. _The Light Shrine is not only the resting place of the Light Gemstone, but also the former citadel of a great civilization of ancients. These ancients were one of the most peaceful and thriving civilizations ever constructed in the past. However, some time before modernization, the inhabitants here mysteriously vanished along with all record of who they were. Their names have been lost in history, and no record of the reason for their disappearance was ever created. But these ancient peoples were known to have a great connection with many realms, both of the living and of the dead. They knew that this area had special connections to realms beyond the one we exist in now, and were consistently in contact with spirits and souls that had passed on through powerful spells that they had created. As such, this area was and has been acknowledged as the closest region in the world to the afterlife, even more than the region where the Stone Shrine resides. The ancients here in the Great Valley knew that this was by far the best place on the planet for them to be able to bridge between realms...to access the gateway between life...and death..."_

"Well isn't that something," Warra mumbled, closing the book Athelstan had handed him.

Ramona shot of her chair and ran over to tug on Warra's and Athelstan's shirts. "Guys, guys, guys! I just got an idea!"

And when Ramona relayed everything she had thought about regarding the Great Valley, the Light Shrine, Elkon, and what Elkon had said, Warra and Athelstan gestured for the Black Mages, Polari, and Rosalina to come over so that Ramona could tell them too.

"Elkon didn't say anything about time, but he did mention the connection the area and its old civilization had with spirits and souls!" Ramona said. "This could be the very society that created the Gate of Time! These people that created the Gate of Time could be synonymous with the people Elkon spoke of! And if it's the same civilization that dealt with life and time and created the Gate of Time, and if it's the same civilization that dissolved and disappeared, then the Gate of Time has to be somewhere there in the Light Shrine! Elkon would know, because he knew the ancient scriptures of the elemental shrines. And as a mortal reincarnation of a deity, he may have had some repressed knowledge of the ancient times during the existence of that light wielder society!"

"She may very well be right," Polari mumbled to Rosalina.

"I think you're onto something there!" said Tamara.

"And do you remember what the back of the Light Shrine looked like?" Ramona asked Athelstan. "All those bridges and buildings high up on those sky-high pillars and projections of land?"

"Yeah, they were practically a mile off the ground!" said Athelstan. "Now that I think of it, why would anyone build anything in a precarious environment like that where no one could get to by normal means unless...they were trying to regulate who they let in to their society..."

"Because they wanted to hide something..." murmured Warra in sudden realization.


	28. Chapter XXVIII

Return to the Great Valley:

Daisy burst through the Wario Ware Inc. doors late the next afternoon. "Marut! C'mon! We need to go!" she yelled.

"Hold on, I just got matched up online!" Marut replied, sitting on a couch in front of a TV in the back. "Let me just four-stock this noob from...'Your mom's bedroom'?!"

* * *

Marissa cracked up on the couch in her castle's TV room, almost dropping her controller. "Ah, that's always funny! Oh man, oh man...alright. I'm about to waste this low-tier main garbage."

Marissa then squinted at the TV screen a little harder. "He's from Rainbow City? What kind of a place is that? That sounds stupid! If you're gonna make something up, don't make it sound so girly and weird! You're probably just gonna camp out and spam your side-B the whole match. UGH... Please don't pick a dumb stage."

The witch then pulled up her on-screen keyboard to type a message.

* * *

"Just let me eight stock her!" Marut screamed as Daisy dragged him away from the console. "Did you see what she just texted on the screen?"

"She's just some random online bully!" Daisy barked. "You'll probably never see her in real life!"

* * *

"Choose your stage, man!" Marissa yelled at her TV. "What, did I get him mad and he ran off? It can't be the damned lag again. I fixed that yesterday! Oh wow – we didn't even start, and already, there's not enough popcorn in the world for his salt."

* * *

"No Johns, Daisy! No Johns!" Marut cried as Daisy pulled him out the Wario Ware Inc. doors.

* * *

Daisy threw the Western Island Docking Bay main doors open and pushed Marut inside. "C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! Move it, Speedy Feety!"

The two Kruna headed through the halls and entered the hangar bay the Koopa Cruiser rested in. The other Kruna were already waiting there with Rosalina, Lubba, Polari, the Black Mages, and Waluigi and Toadette. Machula and Maki had clipboards in their hands, likely containing notes of some kind.

"Sorry we're late!" Daisy exclaimed, shoving Marut towards the group. "You would not believe the traffic we had on our way over!"

"There's no cars up here," Marut grumbled with a frown.

"Where's the shadow wielder?" Polari barked. Neva jumped at the Luma's aggressively sharp tone.

"Oh, he's sick," Ramona replied. "He's going to hang back here and take it easy."

"Oh – WEEEEEEAK," Marut groaned.

"Better that than have him come with us and spread germs," said Athelstan.

Daisy glanced at Neva and gave her an odd look, to which the Kruna of Ice responded with a frightened shrug. Neva hadn't seen Daisy since the day before at the Elemental Training Grounds. Actually, she had kept to herself in her room all day and the previous night and hadn't seen anyone on the team other than when Bowser came to get her not too long ago.

"Interesting," said Polari, leering at Rosalina. "Very interesting..."

"Surely he'll be back in action soon," said Ramona. "His immune system's been rubbish ever since we were kids."

"Actually, now that I think of it, he seemed kind of off last night," said Marut.

 _I don't understand,_ Neva thought, squeezing her arms. _What did I do wrong? I hope I didn't just screw everything up... But what did I do? I thought for sure he..._

"Well, let's just get right down to our findings here," said Machula, looking at his clipboard.

"Thanks to Athelstan, Ramona, Warra, and the Black Mages' help, we believe we may have pinpointed the location for the Gate of Time," said Rosalina, holding up her map. "The Great Valley; specifically, deep within the Light Shrine, likely in an area you haven't explored before."

"All signs point to it being somewhere there," said Warra. "The ancient light wielder civilizations of old possessed expansive knowledge and insight on the workings of both life and time; more than anyone of this age knows. We had to go _deep_ into the Cosmic Archives for this just to find any bit of info on them. Most of it has been lost and kept hidden through time, on account of their existence before recorded data. It took some intuition largely on Ramona's part to give us the needed insight."

"What's interesting is that these ancient light wielders likely constructed the Gate of Time, but didn't seem to have a sufficient energy source to use," said Athelstan. "Not unless that is another one of the things that escaped history. But it wouldn't make sense to build something that they couldn't work."

"Unless they built it for future generations to use in dire times, knowing that eventually, it would come in handy as a crucial asset," said Machula. "It's possible they could have a connection to the Oracle of Fates, who, since the Oracle of Fates shed the Crystal Tears, may be the one being who is capable of even activating the Gate of Time. Or, they had the knowledge and foresight to know that eventually, some incarnation of the Oracle of Fates would in fact need the Gate of Time. But we don't know for sure, and we still have no leads as to who this generation's Oracle of Fates is."

"The best you can do for now is to go to the Great Valley," said Rosalina. "Try and find the Gate of Time, if it is there – and nothing that we've seen is telling us that it could be anywhere else but there."

"Alright, then let's get to it!" said Daisy. "Let's get moving!"

"You mean, like, right now?" Ramona asked.

"Yes, right now!" Daisy exclaimed.

* * *

The Koopa Cruiser soared west through the open sky, daylight gleaming off its metal frame. All the Kruna, minus Andrew, who hung back at Rainbow City, waited in the spacious main cockpit room with Waluigi and Toadette for their impending arrival at the Great Valley. Bowser had been moving around sluggishly, but otherwise seemed fine. The others still made sure that the koopa felt well enough and okay enough to proceed with their descent to the surface with them.

"Guys, I am fine," Bowser assured. "I am good to go! See?" He flared a wicked, although somewhat erratic, fireball in his hands to try and prove it.

"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Ramona.

"I'm sure enough," Bowser replied.

"Just remember, man," Athelstan said to Bowser as the Kruna of Fire disbanded his elemental mass. "Any time you need a break or need to catch a breather, just fall back and let us take over. Don't worry about it at all!"

"Yeah, dude," said Marut. "Just keep holding off that Giga-thing and we'll cover for ya, bro!"

"The last thing we need is for you to end up in the hospital again; or worse for that matter," said Warra.

"Look, I'm not just going to sit down and take it easy," said Bowser. "I'm going to do all that I can for the team with the stamina I've got."

"But you can't overtax yourself," said Ramona. "That's what we're worried about – not if you'll not put as much effort in."

"I'll do my best," said Bowser. "But it's hard to tell sometimes. Often, it feels as though I have it at bay. That's what it felt like the last time just after we outran Dark Sentinel. All I remember before I lost consciousness was a bout of fatigue and a lapse of some kind."

"Well then when you have another lapse like that, you need to stop immediately," said Warra. "You've got the other transmitter, so if you're by yourself for some reason and you feel something coming on, just radio for the Koopa Cruiser. Don't even worry about us. Did you hear that, Waluigi? Toadette?"

"We heard," Toadette replied. "And we'll try to stay on standby for as long as we can, but you know this ship doesn't have infinite fuel."

"Really, I still think you could've just stayed back in Rainbow City this time," said Ramona.

"How about, if anyone wants to try and baby me again, we _all_ go back to Rainbow City," said Bowser with a smirk. "I appreciate your concern, but nothing has changed; so please, don't think that all of a sudden I need my hands held."

Daisy walked over and stood directly in front of Neva, who had been sitting by herself in the back. The Kruna of Ice was fiddling with her hands and slouching in her chair when Daisy came up to her. Neva could tell that Daisy wanted to speak with her, and she had a good idea what about.

"What did you do to him, Neva?" Daisy asked.

"Nothing! I swear!" Neva replied. "I'd never want to hurt him!"

"Something happened – or else that's a pretty strong flu that'd come on in less than twenty-four hours!"

"Ramona said his immune system was poor! Maybe stress makes an already poor immune system even worse?!"

"And why would he be stressed?"

"I don't know-"

"Neva, if you did something stupid-"

"I didn't do anything stupid!-"

"We need him on the team-"

"I know, I know!"

"All _eight_ elements of equal power are needed for an Elemental Seal-"

"WILL YOU GET OFF MY BACK?!" Neva screamed, tearing up.

Everyone else in the cockpit turned and glanced at the back to catch sight of a frustrated Daisy eyeing a distraught Neva. Immediately, the room went dark as the airship entered into the Nirvana Barrier. It didn't stay dark for long though, for they soon found themselves in clear skies much earlier than expected.

"What happened?" asked Marut. "Did we really pass through that quick?"

"The Nirvana Aperture is over the Great Valley today," said Toadette. "So it looks like you guys will actually get some sunlight on the surface this time!"

The Kruna looked out the Koopa Cruiser windows at the land below them and saw something they hadn't seen in a long time. Not just the Great Valley itself, but the very sunlight shining and glistening off the surface world grass and casting shadows off the sides of earthbound hills. Even though the valley itself appeared more brown and gray than green and lush, it still looked golden in its captivating sheen and contours.

* * *

The seven Kruna Yura leapt out from the Koopa Cruiser after picking out a high hill to target for landing. As they soared down on their Sail Gliders, Daisy smiled and took a long, deep breath. _The surface air feels so much fresher and cleaner now that there's actual sunlight,_ she thought. _It's actually starting to feel a little like home..._

 _The Nirvana Aperture should give me a break on this trip,_ Bowser thought, looking around during his descent behind the others.

The Great Valley was still as vast as the Kruna had remembered from their previous trip there. Only Ramona, Athelstan, and Bowser had traversed deep through it though, as they had split from the others to go to the Light Shrine. Daisy, Andrew, Marut, and Warra had went to the Shadow Shine in Senka, but the wondrous environment of the Great Valley felt instantly recognizable to them despite not having seen much of it. The only real difference came from the damage the Nirvana Barrier had brought about on the land.

The Kruna all touched down at the top of a hill high off the floor of the valley, giving them a great, wide-reaching vantage point over the region. Not long after the Kruna made their landing, Daisy let out a big exhale and flopped on the ground. She laughed as the sunlight shone on her. The others looked at her with surprise and confusion, for nothing had seemed to provoke such a spontaneous response from the Kruna of Earth.

"Uh, why are you doing that?" asked Neva."I don't get what's so funny."

"Because we're on land, and the sun is out!" Daisy exclaimed. "This feels so awesome! Warm sunlight in cold late winter air, solid, non-floating ground under us, a peaceful, calm natural setting; sure most everything around us is brown and dead, but, doesn't it feel great to be here?" She sat up and added, "It just...it kinda reminds you of home, doesn't it? I know it's not exactly the same since we're just out in the middle of nowhere and it's over eight years later now, but...I really missed this."

"Me too," said Marut. "Being stuck in this time has felt so restrictive, like we're locked in a cage."

"It's hard not to miss something that you've been so far away from for so long," said Warra.

"I miss a lot of things about the past," said Ramona. "This is one of them."

 _I sure don't miss whatever 'home' would be for me_ , Neva thought.

"Regardless, this is our present," said Bowser. "And we're still going to be here for quite a while."

"Yep, still got quite a bit to accomplish," said Athelstan. "So let's get to it."

Ramona's pendant had been lit up for a while, but it now quickly increased in intensity with each passing moment. "Wow, we just got here, and my Alkemei is on the fritz!" she exclaimed.

"And I'm sensing something strong coming!" Marut added. "Aw man, I hope Dark Sentinel's not here!"

"We couldn't sense that robot," said Bowser. "So it can't be Dark Sentinel. Whatever it is is nearby, but it doesn't seem to be moving towards us, and I don't see anything suspicious through my pendant."

Daisy popped back to her feet and looked around the fields of the Great Valley. _Why do I feel like I'm sensing_ two _things?_ An intense scowl then came over her face. _One of those might be one of Marissa's archfiends, but I'm willing to bet the other one's Kokoro!_

"I'm sensing two powers now," said Warra. "Maybe they're two of Marissa's archfiends. But they're not together..."

 _That's not a second..._ Daisy thought. _That has to be a third..._

"Good," said Bowser. "We can deal with them one at a time."

"Well should we deal with them or look for the Gate of Time first?" asked Warra.

"We should look for those power sources," said Daisy. "The Gate of Time's not going anywhere if it's here, but those guys could be leaving the area, and if they have Crystal Tears, then we will have missed our chance to get them."

"It definitely seems like there's one source moving," Ramona said as she scoped with her swordstaff. "There's another Crystal Tear reading off in another direction, but it hasn't moved at all."

"Does it seem like the one moving is heading for the stationary one?" asked Warra. Ramona shook her head in response.

"Whoever it is doesn't know where to look then," said Daisy.

"I'm not so sure," said Ramona. "Now I've got two signals of mobile Crystal Tears, and then just a single static one...wait...maybe _three_ moving signals – what is going on out here?!"

"Look out over there," Bowser said, pointing at an open basin area far off in front of them. Some dark figure was lurking about, setting off Ramona's Alkemei the moment she directed the blade of her swordstaff in the figure's direction.

"There's one to go confront," said Athelstan.

"Alright – time to make some noise!" Daisy yelled. "Let's rock 'n' roll!"

* * *

A red-eyed demon with awkward, asymmetrical horns and a skeletal ghostly form made entirely of spindly, gappy wood and metal hovered through the lower Great Valley fields. The inferior half of his body extended into a cloak-like sheath with no apparent legs that made it look like a long flowing robe just barely touching the ground. He scanned the fields around him, both arms crossed behind his nightmarishly twisted torso. His right arm was a large, chunky blade from the elbow down. The razor sharp teeth in his crooked, colossal smile dripped and oozed clear, viscous fluid. Black smoke rose from his form without end.

"Where are you? I can senssssssssse your presence," the demon said in his choppy, heavily accented, sharp voice. He looked all around in every direction he could, sunlight shining off the gem of his Alkemei Pendant. "I've chased you down here to kill you, not to play hide and ssssssseek."

Whoever the demon was talking to, the person didn't seem visible anywhere. Being unable to find his target didn't detract from the demon's creepy grin.

"Come on out, Kokoro," the demon hissed. "You haven't a chancccccccccce of getting away thisss time. Lord Arkana is getting tired of your usssssseless rebellion, and I need a bonus on my paycheck."

"Looking for somebody?" Daisy's voice called out.

The demon turned and saw the seven Kruna Yura marching up from over a bank in the valley. Straightening out his hunched posture, the demon narrowed his gaze and widened his grin as the elemental wielders got close and spread themselves out.

"Ah, yessss, you must be the Kruna who are suppossssed to be dead!" the demon exclaimed in cheer. "The great Marissa Arkana warned me about you just about a week ago. I will enjoy unraveling your insides to rot and decay in a stew of your own blood and bodily juiccccccces..."

"Eww," Ramona murmured, equally as frightened as appalled.

"Great," Bowser muttered. "Now that Marissa knows we're still alive, she's probably alerted all of her archfiends to look out for us."

"Precccccissssely," said the demon. "But within the next hour, it won't matter."

"Yeah, threats and stuff; whatever," Daisy grumbled. "Did I hear you say something about Kokoro?"

"You interrupted my search for the rotten scoundrel," the demon said. "I had him by the neck, but he pulled a fast one on me and slipped through my grasp." He then crossed his arms and tilted his head. "What an interesssssting development. Now comes the question of whether I should go after Kokoro or stay here and deal with you lot. Oh, but where are my manners? I am Dark Usurper! And I specialize in handling...dirty jobsssssss..."

"What kinds of dirty jobs are we talking about here?" asked Athelstan.

"I uproot uprisings and insurgents," said Dark Usurper. "I seize control over such problematic operations and annihilate them into non-existence. Which means you seven are... Wait a minute...aren't there supposed to be eight of you? No matter! There will be no hope for you or your kind once even one of you perishes!"

 _That's not right,_ Daisy thought with a sharp frown. _I'm still sensing a third source of elemental power. But if one is this guy, and the other one is supposedly Kokoro, then why am I sensing another one aside from the rest of us?_

Dark Usurper raised his blade arm. "Kokoro can run for however long he wants! One of us _will_ catch him. But I believe I have a bigger prize in front of me. Behold, the Alkemei Rato!"

The very next thing any of the Kruna knew, they found themselves airborne, soaring away from Dark Usurper and hitting the ground hard. Nothing had hit them from all they could tell, unless the demon had somehow put up an invisible wall and threw it at them. Dark Usurper had more or less stayed put.

"How did he do that?" Marut hollered in annoyance.

"My Pendant of Repulsion propels unanchored objects and projectiles away from me," said Dark Usurper.

"Oh, that's just wonderful," Bowser griped. "I'm getting flashbacks of Elkon now."

"Let's put a wager," said Dark Usurper, allowing Crystal Tears to hover over his open palm. "My five Crystal Tears, or your livesssss!"

"Man, I wish Rosalina had given us a warning about this guy," said Marut.

"Keep distance and attack with range," Warra said to his teammates. "He'll probably try and use that pendant any time one of us gets within reach."

"Well I can't really do much of anything with that in mind unless I just flatten all of us with an earthquake," said Daisy.

"Oh, you got strong arms; you could sidearm some dirt at him," Neva said, aiming the crossbow of her bladestaff at Dark Usurper. Athelstan unlimbered his Stone Launcher and took aim as well just as Ramona and Bowser steadied the blades of their swordstaffs. The four Kruna unleashed an elemental barrage from their tools all at once, only for Dark Usurper to then repel it all with the use of his Alkemei Rato. The flames, ice arrows, light rays, and chunks of stone scattered in random directions, leaving Dark Usurper unharmed.

"A direct approach may not work," said Warra as his body faded away with the glow from his Alkemei.

Neva's Alkemei Hien lit up in a glow too. "Huh? Wait, can this copy other pendant's powers too?"

The very next instant, Dark Usurper flew at them, swinging his sword-arm at each of the Kruna, who blocked and dodged in turn to get away from his mad slashes. The archfiend grinned the entire time he swung his arm around and had an easy time controlling the pace of battle until he got near Neva. The Kruna of Ice tapped into her Alkemei to unleash the copied power from that of Dark Usurper's, launching the demon high into the skies overhead. Unfortunately for her, Dark Usurper recoiled on his way up with his pendant and pushed her and the other Kruna away not two seconds later.

Both Dark Usurper and the Kruna flopped on the Great Valley ground, all jarred from the repulsions; all except for Warra, who reappeared in front of the demon as he was trying to get up. Warra fired a highly pressurized burst of water at point-blank range to score a heavy, direct hit. Coming up from behind Warra, Daisy jumped over her water teammate having made a quick recovery and with her Crystal Kick forming in midair. Though she had expected to get hit by another repulsion, she still carried out her attack anyways and brought down an aerial axe kick of crystal on the still reeling Dark Usurper.

To her surprise, no repel counter came from the demon, and her devastatingly strong kick hit Dark Usurper with enough force to make him bounce off the ground and go airborne. Backflipping into the air, Daisy brought her arms back and clasped her hands together one on top of the other on her way to the demon. As soon as she got close enough, both arms thrust forward for a lethal double palm strike on her foe. The thud of contact echoed through the Great Valley as Dark Usurper barreled away with no control over his momentum.

"A little early for a finisher move!" yelled Bowser.

"She's just _that good_!" Athelstan hollered, pointing at Dark Usurper. The Demon lay far from the Kruna, dazed and immobile.

"No, he's not finished," said Daisy. "Maybe shaken up, but no way could two hits take down one of Marissa's goons."

"I'm surprised he didn't use his pendant on you that time," said Warra.

"I certainly didn't rush too much," said Daisy. "I ran up expecting to get pushed back myself, so I kinda half-assed the approach until I committed."

"He must have some sort of recharge time on his pendant," said Warra as Dark Usurper returned to his feet. Daisy and Warra both readied themselves for a likely retaliation. Warra paid close attention to Dark Usurper's pendant, which had dulled but then restored its glow after a handful of seconds.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Daisy asked as Warra moved to stand right in front of her.

"I'm providing protection," said Warra, holding up his Tidal Swordstaff in defense. "I think another repulsion burst is coming."

Dark Usurper raised his handed arm and activated his Alkemei to send a wave at the two Kruna, though Warra erected a barrier of water with the extra moisture present in the air and the ground of the Great Valley. As Dark Usurper pressed his push into Warra, the Kruna of Water pushed back with his wall of liquid. The two forces equalized and clashed, disbanding Warra's water but keeping him and Daisy safe. Just as Warra expected, Dark Usurper's pendant went dim.

"I'd say he's got about a ten-second recharge time on his Alkemei," Warra whispered. "Maybe as quick as five if he uses a weaker push."

"So it's go time now!" Daisy replied, slipping out from behind him. Exploding into a sprint, she rushed at Dark Usurper with an arm lowered and tearing through the ground.

"You could not have picked a more direct approach," Warra muttered with a facepalm. "Just because his pendant has to recharge doesn't mean he's defenseless!"

And indeed, Dark Usurper proved Warra right. Right before Daisy ripped her arm free for an earthen uppercut, Dark Usurper's body bent and twisted out of her reach. The demon wrenched back around and wrapped his rope-like torso around Daisy's body and applied constrictive force to clench and trap her in his binds. Daisy winced and grunted as she felt her lungs compress.

"Time to put the ssssssqueeze on," Dark Usurper hissed.

Marut, Warra, and Neva all charged at Dark Usurper to try and get the demon to release Daisy; but every time they advanced to swipe at him, Ultima Staff or otherwise, Dark Usurper shifted his spindly form to avoid contact. Dark Usurper then sprouted extra limbs from his back and extended those to latch onto Neva and Marut too. Bowser, Athelstan, and Ramona ran up and joined Warra, only for Dark Usurper to use his pendant on all four of them to knock them back.

"Can't move at all!" exclaimed Marut.

"Too tight," Neva cried. "Help..."

"Pathetic showing," said Dark Usurper. "I expected more from what are supposed to be ' _elite_ ' elemental wielders. Perhaps you'll all be better off with your entrails emerging from your orifices."

"Again, eww," Ramona mumbled.

"Oh c'mon now!" hollered Athelstan. "Is that really necessary?! How about we just get a cold beverage and talk it out?"

"I've got a better idea," Daisy managed to grunt out. Pulling together enough power, she counterbalanced the compressive forces Dark Usurper put on her; and with one mighty roar and flex of her body, she tore through and burst free from Dark Usurper's hold. The archfiend cried out in terror and pain from his mangled limbs, but the Kruna of Earth wasn't finished yet. She stepped in and jammed one of her elbow's into the demon's neck, knocking free his Alkemei in the process and causing his grasp on Marut and Neva to fail. Daisy, Marut, and Neva all gasped for air while Dark Usurper tried to regain his senses.

"Okay, well I guess I'm not going to be needing this," Bowser said, disbanding the fireball he was about to throw at Dark Usurper.

"Way to take it to that pillock, Daisy!" Ramona cheered.

"Thanks, Daisy," Neva said. "I didn't know what to do there. I honestly thought that would've been it for me."

"I couldn't let my two favorite k'nuckleheads bite the dust!" replied Daisy.

Dark Usurper normalized his body back to his base form and raised his sword arm out to his side. Still grinning, he brought his sword arm across his torso and tilted his head way too far to one end of his body. "I have plenty of ways to exterminate lives."

Daisy smirked and relaxed her stance. With a fold of her arms, she left herself open to attack. In the span of the next ten seconds, Dark Usurper's grin broadened even more and then instantly collapsed into a frown. He reached for his neck and tried to grab his Alkemei before noticing it wasn't attached to him anymore. He then looked around and saw the other Kruna moving closer.

"Now you have to try those ways without your pushy pendant," said Daisy.

In just a matter of moments, everything came to a complete stop. The Kruna halted their movement when they heard an engine, followed by an explosion. The sound of the engine kept increasing in volume as time passed.

"That's a motorbike," murmured Athelstan.

"Out here?" said Neva.

"Yes," Bowser said, turning his head to the left. "And someone's tailing it."

"Both their energy signatures are distinct and potent," said Daisy.

The Kruna all looked in the same direction Bowser did. Dark Usurper also glanced in the same direction too. They waited as the figure on the motorcycle got closer and closer and then noticed the blur of light following and shooting at it.

Soon, the pink Dolphin Dasher got close enough to make the figure on it discernible, presenting nothing short of a surprise for the Kruna. Suited up in a white jumpsuit with small, asymmetrical armor over her upper body, hips, and legs in pink, gray, and yellow, Princess Peach Toadstool rode her bike up over a hill and bounced into a drift in evasion from another in a series of light bursts. The bottom edges of the longsword and gray pentagonal shield attached to her bike grazed the Great Valley grass and dirt with the insane curve of her drift.

"Is that really Peach?!" shouted Bowser.

"It is!" Daisy yelled, though in an intensely angry tone. "And guess who's behind her!"

Once close enough, Kokoro became visible as the source of the light bursts. He charged massive and powerful rays of light as he chased down Peach, firing off another in a string of however many of the elemental blasts he had let loose on her already. The constant pressure from Kokoro forced Peach to drive slow and curve her bike's path way too much to create any distance, therein allowing the Soul Stealer to keep up with her on just his two feet. His latest blast blew a huge hole in the valley ground that Peach just barely steered clear of.

"Hey! Kokoro!" Daisy called out.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me," grumbled Kokoro.

"Ride through us!" Bowser yelled at Peach with a wave in. "We'll cut him off!"

Peach nodded and hit the accelerator on her bike. Irritated, Kokoro fired another, bigger light burst at Peach. Luckily for her, Ramona ran up and cut it off with a deflection off of her Luster Swordstaff.

"Sorry there's no time for pleasantries!" Peach shouted as she rode through the gap the Kruna gave her.

"It's fine – just get out of here!" Daisy yelled. She kept her gaze locked on Kokoro, though Bowser turned and watched Peach race away. As soon as Kokoro made a jump to try and bypass the Kruna and stick with Peach, Daisy leapt up and cut him off in midair.

"Would you just get out of my way for once!" Kokoro screamed, throwing a punch. Daisy smiled and shifted to the side as she batted his fist away. Incensed, he then shrieked, "Don't you get cocky with me!"

Kokoro initiated a chain of punches and kicks that Daisy dodged and countered with some of her own. Before long, they soon got to a point in their exchange where their rapid movement slowed down their falling speed until Daisy got in a hit on Kokoro that stopped his attacks. The Kruna of Earth then grabbed him by his shoulders and slung him at the ground with a hefty heave. What would've been a nasty collision with the Great Valley floor did not come to fruition, for Kokoro caught himself and absorbed the momentum on contact to prevent such a crash. The Soul Stealer paid no attention to Daisy when she landed, instead focusing his attention on Peach's silhouette before she disappeared in her bike over the horizon.

"She's gone now!" Kokoro snapped. "She has a Crystal Tear! Why didn't you maim her instead of go after me?!"

"Because she's a good friend of mine," said Daisy. "Unlike you."

Kokoro scowled, but he didn't stay to fight. He turned tail and took off in frustration, though not in the direction Peach had fled in. Daisy would have gone after him had Warra not yanked her by the arm the moment he noticed her make a move.

"Let him go," Warra said. "We've got something else we need to be doing."

"Dark Usurper's gone!" Ramona cried.

"What?!" snapped Bowser.

The Kruna looked around and saw no sign of Dark Usurper. No one seemed to have noticed him leave. Though the demon was gone, five Crystal Tears lay in the grass in front of the Kruna.

"He fled too, it seems," said Athelstan. "But it looks like he stayed true to his word and held up his end of the deal."

"Bowser! You weren't watching him?!" Neva snapped. "You're the one with the seeing pendant!"

"I'm sorry..." Bowser said. "I missed that. Guess I was just a little too awestruck..."

"At least Kokoro didn't notice Dark Usurper leaving the Crystal Tears," Ramona said with a giggle as she went to collect the five pieces of crystal on the ground.

"Hey, look at this," Marut said, trotting up to an object lying in the grass. Daisy and Neva walked over to the Kruna of Air and looked at what he pointed out. Dark Usurper's Alkemei Rato lay abandoned on the ground, partially obscured by patches of green and brown grass. It had proved to be a powerful pendant in Dark Usurper's use.

"What do you think we should do with it?" asked Marut. "Should we take it?"

 _Hmm...maybe I can give the pendant to Shady as a gift!_ Neva thought. _He doesn't have one, and he's the only one in the group who doesn't._ _Maybe that could make it so he's not as upset at me!_ She held her face and blushed as she imagined what Andrew's surprise might be like if she brought him back the pendant.

And then Neva's jaw nearly dropped off her face when she saw Daisy smash the pendant to bits with a swift heel strike. Whatever mental scenario Neva had in her mind vanished in an instant, destroyed along with the Alkemei Rato.

"D-Daisy..." Neva sputtered out. "W-why did you do that?!"

"That pendant was way too powerful," said Daisy. "If that ever got into the wrong hands, it would mean a lot more problems for the world. That, and it's just not a fair tool to have. It'd be dishonorable for any of us to use such a cheap Alkemei."

In shock and disappointment, Neva slumped and sighed. "Of course," she whimpered.

"Don't feel so down, Neva!" said Daisy. "I know it could've helped us out, but it's best that we go on without such a power. We don't need it to beat Marissa."

"Yeah; whatever..." mumbled Neva. "... Can't believe this...stupid little..."

"Alrighty then," said Athelstan. "Now that all that craziness is done with and out of the way, Gate of Time?"

"Gate of Time," Daisy replied.


	29. Chapter XXIX

Light Shrine Secrets:

The sunlight had all but disappeared by the time the seven Kruna Yura made it into the upper Great Valley. They did not have too long to go before reaching the Light Shrine, and they didn't sense anyone else around at all on their way there. It was just them, the fields, the hills, and the increasingly darkening, somewhat ominous sky.

"Oh no, is the Nirvana Aperture moving away already?" asked Ramona.

"No, I don't think so," said Bowser. "Looks like it's just some normal cloud cover higher up."

The Nirvana Barrier was visible far off in the distance; but as for the immediate area, a cluster of storm clouds had formed overhead of the barrier's hole. No rain developed from it, but it created a sharp contrast of gray clouds with golden sun rays as it brought in blustery drafting gusts.

"It sure does feel lonely out here..." Neva murmured.

"We are in the middle of nowhere," said Marut. "I wonder where Peach was heading?"

"Or where she came from," added Bowser.

"I'm just glad that she's still alive," said Daisy. "And now that I know she survived these eight-plus years, I feel a little better about her being out here. We'll see her again, I'm sure."

"Don't you think it was kind of odd that we could sense her?" asked Bowser. "And so prominently, at that."

"Yeah, it was," said Daisy. "We could barely sense her back in our time, even if we were just across a baseball diamond..."

The cloud cover remained when the Kruna arrived at the entrance to the Light Shrine. Ramona, Bowser, and Athelstan saw for the second time the great wall that spanned the gap between the two northern mountain ranges. The double doors that led inside looked the same as they did the first time the three passed through them.

"This is the Light Shrine?" asked Daisy.

Bowser nodded. "Wait 'til you get a look at the inside of it."

"I can feel that someone's definitely in there," Daisy said. "Someone strong."

"Then that means we need to stay alert," said Warra.

The organic, golden-brown meld of translucent material making up the interior of the Light Shrine gave off a much more eerie impression compared to the last time Ramona, Bowser, and Athelstan were there. The cave-like, asymmetrical layout and the metallic floors resembled nothing any of the Kruna had ever seen in any building or construction ever. The walls themselves appeared to capture an infinite low glow to keep the shrine lit without any discernible source of power.

"I didn't think the Light Shrine would feel so creepy," said Neva.

"I have to agree with you," said Ramona.

"Feeling pretty spooked right about now," said Marut. "I'm waiting for something to jump out from a pillar or shoot around a corner..."

"I am keeping my breath shallow," said Daisy.

"Any big room we can find in here would be a good place to look for the Gate of Time," said Bowser. "And if not, we'll have to go into the outside portion of the shrine and check there."

It seemed as if every hallway they went through and every turn they made felt like a dive off of a mile-high cliff. Whether it was the eight year time skip, the presence of some other entity lurking around inside, them being down a man, both the speculations they brought in with them and formed as they moved through the construct, or some combination of all of the above, the Light Shrine felt gravely unsettling.

"Why does this feel so scary," Ramona said in a huff.

"Because we don't know what we're dealing with," said Warra.

"For all we know, we could be stumbling into territory we were never meant to mess with," said Bowser.

"I feel like we're being watched," said Ramona. "And whoever's watching us is not only angry that we're here a second time, but that we brought you guys with us, Daisy."

"Okay, well now you're sounding paranoid," said Daisy, rubbing the center of her forehead. "But I will say that my inner eye is feeling a little strained for some reason."

"You're talking about that thing Geno taught you, right?" asked Marut. "Maybe it's reacting to something in here?"

"Or something's reacting to your eye and that thing's bearing down on you, trying to tell us that it doesn't want us here," said Ramona, starting to tremble.

"Are you going to be that frightened the entire time we're in here?" Bowser groaned.

"Maybe," squealed Ramona.

Traversing through the Light Shrine halls, the Kruna Yura scouted any and all rooms they came across. They did not find anything even remotely related to a Gate of Time; as far as they could tell. Almost all the rooms they entered had writing and text written on the walls and in discarded, abandoned documents, but they couldn't read them. Everything had been written down in some sort of ancient language. In one large room in particular, they discovered a whole drawer full of tablets and inscriptions older than anything else they had seen in the shrine; old enough to the point of predating paper and ink.

"Can't read this chicken scratch," said Daisy. "Can't read any of it. Mmm-ooooving on-"

"Hold on," Athelstan said, further inspecting some tablets. "This is all looking pretty familiar the more I study it."

"You mean you can actually read this drivel?" said Daisy.

"Oh no – not a chance in Hell," Athelstan replied with a laugh. "But it definitely looks familiar. I think we've seen all this before back at the Stone Shrine!"

"Then are the Stone Shrine and Light Shrine linked together more than the other six?" asked Marut.

"That may be the case," said Athelstan. "I don't remember seeing scriptures in any of the other six shrines. Maybe a few times, but not in this dialect or written form. And I wasn't in the Shadow Shrine long enough to tell, really. Or the Fire Shrine at all. This script here and from the Stone Shrine is distinct."

"So if the Gate of Time turns out to not be here, then the Stone Shrine might have some information, wouldn't it?" asked Warra.

"I can't say," replied Athelstan. "That's toward the bottom of this continent and we're towards the top. I'm not sure how well or even why the light wielder civilization would attempt moving the Gate of Time between two opposite ends."

"It's entirely possible that they kept the Gate of Time somewhere here, but moved the information on it down south," said Bowser. "But that's only if relations between stone wielders and light wielders were good way back then. I doubt under any circumstance those light wielders would want to share any of their findings of this nature, especially considering how secretive they've proven to be so far."

"But which one's older?" said Neva. "The Stone Shrine or the Light Shrine? The older one wouldn't have information on the Gate of Time, would it?"

"I think it's the Stone Shrine that's older," said Athelstan. "And that would make the Light Shrine the second oldest. I doubt any of the other shrines are close in age other than maybe the Water Shrine or Shadow Shrine. From what I remember, the other shrines didn't look as prehistoric. I can't say for sure about the Fire Shrine, and it's hard to tell in general. I'm just making an educated guess based on these inscriptions and the shrine layout."

"The Fire Shrine was in a volcano," said Bowser. "That volcano was either dormant or extinct. But either way, it likely couldn't've been too old to be built in the crater of a volcano."

"So if we have to investigate anywhere else, it would be the Stone Shrine," said Daisy. "But you don't think we'd find anything there?"

"Not likely, but I can't tell you what these ancients were thinking," said Athelstan. He gathered a bunch of the inscribed tablets from around the room and stuffed them into his Hammerspace Belt.

"What are you doing?" asked Neva. "I don't see how snatching a bunch of old junk like this is going to help anything."

"It won't now," said Athelstan. "But when we return to Rainbow City, I can get Rosalina to translate some of these and see if I can learn the language and coding. That way, we can try and decipher what these and any future scriptures and documents of this nature contain."

"Do you hear that?" said Daisy. The other Kruna listened in to the ambient noise and noticed a demented, corrupted voice. "It sounds like moaning."

"And grunting," added Marut. "And some kind of weird snorting."

"We might be dealing with some diseased animal," said Athelstan. "It must have snuck in and got trapped."

"Let's check it out," said Daisy. "You got everything you need?"

"Yup," Athelstan replied. "If I find anything else, I'll pick it up as we go."

"You don't think we're disturbing anyone by meddling with this stuff?" asked Ramona. "What if that noise is a band of ancient light wielder spirits who want to punish us for stealing their documents? I mean, why else would this stuff all still be in here?!"

"Ramona..." Bowser said. "Shut up."

Ramona shuddered. "Bu-but, but, but...but..."

"Whatever it is, we can handle it," Daisy said, stalking out the room.

The other Kruna followed Daisy as the noises continued splitting through the halls. The closer they got to the source, the more disheveled the moans and groans sounded. It all culminated into a disturbing revelation as they entered parts of the Light Shrine that not even Bowser, Athelstan, or Ramona went through in their initial visit. Deep within the insides of the shrine, the Kruna Yura rounded a corner and traced the source of the haunting sounds into a large room filled with ancient machinery and tools. More documents and scriptures lay on the tables and the walls. And at the back of the room, trembling and shaking as if deep into a violent seizure, King Boo hovered. Crying and howling, dark energy oozed out from all around his body.

"Boo?" asked Ramona. "King Boo?"

"All this time..." King Boo muttered, not turning around. "Why did I ever pickup shadow? Light is where the _real_ power has been all along! They knew _all_ the secrets..."

"King Boo!" Daisy called out.

"I hate shadow," King Boo grunted. "It failed me. It has done nothing for me... I need light... But my body won't take it. Why does this form reject light? Why does the light hurt so much?!"

"What's the deal?" Daisy shouted. "Can you even hear us?"

This time, King Boo turned to face the Kruna; and a manic explosion erupted as soon as he recognized them in his blurred, warped vision. "You?! YOU?! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?! Marissa should've had you killed by now!"

"We didn't get the memo," said Bowser.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP CHEATING DEATH?!" screamed King Boo. "WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?!"

King Boo then roared a grisly, appalling shriek that forced the Kruna to cover their ears. His ghostly wail shook the room and rocked the shadow power leaking out of his body. Ramona backed away and hid behind Bowser out of disturbed fear, as if expecting King Boo to randomly lash out at any instant.

"What...what happened to you?" asked Daisy.

"WHY CAN'T YOU ALL JUST DIE?!" King Boo howled. "JUST DIE! SUFFER AND BLEED! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! GO TO HELL! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU ALL OUGHT TO HAVE YOUR NECKS SNAPPED! AND CUT OPEN AND GASHED IN A GORY MESS OF BLOOD LEFT TO SUFFER AND DIE! GET TIED DOWN AND HAVE EACH OF YOUR FINGERS AND TOES RIPPED OFF ONE BY ONE! HAVE EVERY ONE OF YOUR BONES SNAPPED AND THE REMAINS SMASHED WITH A MEGATON HAMMER! JUST SUFFER IN A POOL OF BLOODY DEATH AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Um...okay, let's just...slow down for a minute," said Marut.

"You're no saints!" King Boo hissed. "Death is the only liberation! But you're too weak! _PAIN..._ "

"What are you talking about?" Warra asked in befuddlement.

In an instant, King Boo disappeared, only for him to reform right behind Ramona. The Kruna of Light screamed and nearly flopped over Bowser's tail when she stumbled backwards.

"Kill me," King Boo groaned. His eyes could not have stretched any wider. Drool flowed from his mouth without restraint. "I need light...to live. Death will live..."

"How about you just back off?" Bowser snapped, flaring his teeth.

King Boo then laughed. But he also wheezed. And he gasped and cried too. He did all four simultaneously and mixed them together more and more until it became a distinct sound no one had ever heard before under any prior circumstances.

"Light...light! Freedom..." said King Boo. "There is no death in shadow... Light dies. Reborn... Rebirth forever... Time...TIME..."

"Please make it stop – make it stop, make it stop," Ramona rambled to herself.

"You're not making any sense," Daisy said to King Boo. "Maybe if we all just go outside and-"

"NO, NO! I'M NOT DEALING WITH HER TRASH!" yelled King Boo. In the loudest wail yet, he bolted out of the room and vanished down the halls, likely fleeing from the Light Shrine and Great Valley altogether. No one out of the seven Kruna could understand anything of what had transpired in that room, but they all felt disturbingly traumatized.

"I don't even wanna know what that was all about," said Neva.

"I'm going to remember that for a while," Warra said under his breath.

"A while? No way am I forgetting that," said Marut. "That was freaky!"

"So that was King Boo..." said Daisy. "But why am I still sensing something else..."

"Ramona," said Bowser. "Do you think anything he was talking about made any sense?"

"My heart's still pounding from it all," replied Ramona. "Do you mean anything specific?"

Bowser shrugged. "Really, all of it."

"Let me ask something," said Warra. "Do you as a light wielder ever feel... _strange_ at all?"

"Maybe not human?" added Athelstan.

Ramona cocked an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh...well...it's just that all this time, we've been led to believe that there's an elemental balance, right?" said Athelstan. "Fire and ice, air and earth, water and stone, light and shadow; and then the smaller interactions among them all were supposed to create this sense of balance among all eight elements."

"Yeah," Ramona said. "And?"

"Ramona, you as a light wielder have access to telekinesis, correct?" said Bowser.

"It's always hard to do, but yes..." replied Ramona.

"Okay well that's another thing right there," said Athelstan. "I mean, telekinesis as an advanced form of Light? Think about it; the early light wielders had found a way to manipulate the light rays around them to mimic a psychic ability and influence the physical world with the non-physical energy that is light itself. Their very elemental shrine here is supposedly a gateway between life and death. We're looking for what may be the sole thing in existence capable of time travel in their shrine, which in and of itself was formerly a light wielder capital. I don't really want to insinuate anything, but could it be that the octo-balance we all have been taught ever since we were kids is _...imbalanced_?"

"It sounds to me like you're saying that light is the dominate element in everything," said Daisy. "And that would mean the other seven elements are beneath it."

"Again, I'm not trying to insinuate anything," said Athelstan. "But if these ancient light wielders dabbled as much in life and death and time and stretched whatever other boundaries they may have, as we're speculating that they did because that's the only reason we're here looking for a _Gate of Time_ of all things in the _Light Shrine_ , then...well, I don't know how to put it. This whole thing just seems off to me."

"I can't say that I've ever felt special in that way," said Ramona. "Maybe when we get back to Rainbow City, I'll see what Andrew feels is the case. He knows me better than I do a lot of the time. But the only thing I've ever felt from being a light wielder is the enhanced power and energy that comes along with it. That shouldn't mean anything though, because that's the same power boost that shadow and ice wielders get, just like earth wielders get the endurance boost, stone wielders get the strength boost, and so on with all the rest! I've never felt a step above or beyond mortal in any way..."

Daisy, Bowser, Warra, and Athelstan all exchanged looks, but they decided not to press the subject for the time being. They still didn't know enough to come to any definitive conclusions. So they left it at that, and the Kruna did a quick scan of the room before leaving and going back down the halls.

* * *

Unable to find the Gate of Time within the Light Shrine, the Kruna Yura stepped out into the expanse behind the main portion of the structure. There existed the lake and the sky-high vertical projections of land jutting out from deep within it that served as the foundation for the ancient citadel built well off ground-level and between the mountains enclosing the lake on either side. The lake itself diverged further up into two separate rivers that split to the left and right, feeding into caves underneath the mountains off in the distance by the waterfall behind the many projections of land.

"You guys see that bridge up in front of us?" said Ramona. "That cable car system can take us up into the old city."

While Marut opted to use his Furaito to fly up, the other Kruna split and took the cable car three at a time. All seven of them eventually got to the very high top of the lift at a point where the lake below them blurred in the ground-level fog. From there, a whole hidden world opened up to them full of archaic, ornamental buildings, structures, and bridges branching and connecting the many pillars of land upon which the city had been built.

"Now this is _old world_ culture," murmured Marut.

"Everything looks so heavenly here," said Daisy. "It's kind of homey."

"It seems really secure and protected here," said Neva. "Maybe it would make for a good base?"

"Maybe, but let's hope it doesn't come to that," said Daisy. "So where do you guys think a good place to look would be?"

"It might be where the Light Gemstone is," said Bowser. "We could've glossed over it the last time we were here, not knowing what it was."

"Then let's head there and check," said Warra.

"I'm still sensing something," said Daisy. "I don't have any idea where it is. It feels like it's coming from all directions, but it's only as a single power source."

"Who else could possibly be here?" asked Athelstan.

"I don't know," Daisy replied.

The Kruna of Fire led the group through the old city to and over the grand bridge leading to the Light Gemstone room. The door had been left open from the last time Bowser, Athelstan, and Ramona were there, but Elkon's portal to the Shadow Shrine had disappeared. The inside of the spacious room strongly resembled the interior of the Light Shrine itself, featuring many more documents on tables and inscriptions on the walls. The Light Gemstone shined a bright gold, untouched and untampered with. But besides all of that, they found nothing else of interest.

"No gate here," said Athelstan.

"Then it looks like we're going to have to look all through the city," said Bowser.

"Split up, then," said Daisy. "Athelstan and Marut can take the north of the city, Bowser and Warra go west, Ramona and Neva check the south; I'll go solo in the east. See what you can find, and we'll meet back at the city's center."

* * *

Nearly two hours of search yielded next to nothing for the Kruna. They regrouped in the center of the old light wielder hidden citadel with little to report. Daisy still sensed something in the region, but neither she nor any of the others had encountered anyone in the city. They were alone and had made little progress overall.

"It's nowhere in this city then," said Daisy. "So it's not here at all."

"There's one place we still haven't checked," said Athelstan. "We found an extra zip line at the far northwest section of the city, but it headed straight at that waterfall."

"And that one didn't have any cable car," said Marut.

"But there has to be land somewhere there if they put up a cable reaching over there," said Daisy. "We have to go check it out. That's the only place left to look here."

Athelstan and Marut took the group to the line they were referring to. It led straight into the waterfall between the two mountain ranges further north. The fog around the waterfall prevented them from making out any ground around the base. The waterfall itself originated from underneath a point at which the mountains branched and came together, effectively sealing off the outside world in every way minus a direct drop from out of the sky.

Daisy took out her Terra Bladestaff and anchored onto the zip line with it. "If we drop straight into water, oh well. At least we checked."

The Kruna of Earth leapt forward and let her momentum carry her on her bladestaff down the zip line, picking up speed on her way towards the waterfall. The other Kruna did the same with their respective Ultima Staffs. The sheer size of the waterfall made everyone think it to be much closer than it actually was. It took a few minutes for Daisy to get close enough to notice a patch of land harboring the thick pole serving as an endpoint for the cable.

Daisy got her feet set on the plot of land hidden under the humid waterfall haze. The others soon followed and got off the cable zip to stand beside her, only to find yet another in a bizarre string of discoveries. In the center of the land they stood on existed a crater taking up three-fourths of the available ground.

"Whoa," said Marut. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Daisy threw her arms up in frustration. "Not here... We've looked all through this place, and it's nowhere here. If it was here, and that crater is where it was, it's not here anymore."

"What does this mean?" asked Ramona. "This shrine is the end of the Great Valley! We can't look anywhere else. They're not going to put it underwater. They wouldn't've put it underground either."

"What if they actually did move it to somewhere around the Stone Shrine?" said Athelstan.

"But for what purpose would that accomplish?" asked Daisy. "They'd just go and rip the damn thing out of the ground and transport it somewhere else to do what? Why?"

"To protect it, obviously," said Warra. "Wherever it is, they've hidden it well."

"What if it's destroyed?" said Neva. "If there is no Gate of Time, then that means we're stuck here...right?"

* * *

The Kruna Yura exited the doors of the Light Shrine to return to the Great Valley. Confused, lost, dejected; they walked on through the Great Valley without any answers other than that their ticket back home did not exist anywhere within the region. They spent a little while aimlessly wandering around the vast realm of fields and hills, surrounded in uncertainty.

"So what do we do now?" asked Marut.

"Unless I can extract some useful information from the records I brought out of there, we have no leads," said Athelstan.

"I thought for sure this would be it," said Daisy. "I thought for sure we would just walk in there, find the Gate of Time, and then have a route back home for when we get everything fixed and sorted out in this world."

"But it's not here," murmured Neva. "I mean...if it's anywhere..."

"So should I just signal for the Koopa Cruiser?" asked Warra.

"There's still that one Crystal Tear somewhere out in the fields," said Ramona. "We could go get that while we're down here."

"We should get that while we're here, actually," said Daisy. "Is it far?"

"Kind of," said Ramona, sighing.

Daisy then let herself fall to the ground and stretch out in the half-dead grass. She rested her head on her hands and took a deep breath as she stared at the cloudy sky. Neva and Marut joined her on the valley turf too.

"What a day..." Daisy said.

"Is it really a good idea plopping on the ground out in the open like this?" asked Warra.

"I dunno," Daisy replied.

"Now I'm hearing Marut's stomach grumbling," said Neva.

"Ah, yeah..." said Marut. "... No, wait...that's not me."

"Sounds like an engine," said Athelstan.

"Sounds like multiple engines," said Bowser.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Daisy grunted, snapping back up to her feet. "Who or what could it possibly be this time? More raiders?!"

A group of five large, extended Offroaders drove into view from over a distant hill; one driven by a Shy Guy, another by a toad, and three others by humans. The Kruna got ready to retaliate in anticipation of an upcoming brawl. But when the Offroaders got nearby, none of the armored drivers got out or even looked like they wanted to fight.

"You fellas need a lift?" said the toad.

"That depends," said Bowser. "Who's asking?"

"Peach told us you guys were out here!" a girl driver called out.

"You know Peach?" asked Daisy. "Peach Toadstool?"

"I _think_ we're talking about the same Peach!" the same girl said. "Hop on! We've got enough room between the five of these Offroaders here!"


	30. Chapter XXX

Home:

"The name's Jayus!" the driver of the Offroader Daisy and Ramona rode in said. The girl looked a little younger than Ramona and had big eyes, dark skin, and long, flowing hair tied back in a high ponytail. She had on a casual-looking fire wielder getup with matching armor sporting some special emblem on either shoulder that didn't resemble the fire symbol. The drivers of the other Offroaders also had the same distinct emblem on their gear and karts.

"Nice to meet you!" Daisy replied with a salute. She held onto the top of the Offroader's frame, hanging off the side as Ramona scoped the Great Valley from the passenger seat with her Alkemei and swordstaff. "I'm Daisy, and this is my friend, Ramona!"

"Hi," Ramona said, grinning. "Just to make sure, you're not about to bind us in chains and drag us off like nutty livestock to Marissa, are you?"

Jayus' expression went from bright and cheery to wicked and maniacal in an instant. "It's too late for you to run. You can't escape Marissa's punishment now."

"Wait, what?!" Ramona cried. She jumped and leapt into the back of the Offroader, but then heard Jayus cracking up in raucous laughter.

"I'm just kidding, silly goose!" Jayus hollered.

"Oh, yes! That's right, yeah," Ramona replied. She tugged at her shirt collar and wiped her forehead, trying to calm down.

"Nope; we're exactly the opposite," Jayus said. "We're hoping you guys can take her out and end all of this madness."

"The sooner, the better," Daisy said. "How far are we from that Crystal Tear, Ramona?"

"It's nearby," replied Ramona. "Stop the truck – kart – like, in a half a minute or so."

Jayus signaled for the other Offroaders to continue on ahead and stopped their Offroader after reaching the bottom of a hill. Daisy leapt off and looked around the area for the Crystal Tear and found it nestled in a patch of live grass that blocked some of the glow of its soft gleam. She trotted back to the Offroader and got back on, handing the Crystal Tear to Ramona.

"That should do it for the Great Valley," said Ramona.

"Looks like the Nirvana Barrier's getting ready to close back up," Jayus said. "That hole's moving away. Let's get back home, shall we?"

"Where's home?" asked Daisy.

"It's in a forest not too far from here," Jayus replied. "We can get there in about an hour if we go at full speed."

* * *

Jayus and her group drove the Kruna west across plains and through some smaller towns as the Nirvana Barrier once more regained its full coverage of the skies overhead. All around their route, they saw more and more of the ill and deformed, decaying lands, the withered and depressed communities choking under the lack of readily available resources, and the overall melancholic and mean-spirited tenor of the citizens as a whole.

"The more desperate people get, the more willing they are to turn to crimes," said Jayus. "Just about everyone is full of dejection and anger. Marissa has no rhyme or reason to what she does. She strangles the cities and nations of the world, but then sustains and helps them survive and thrive, only to repeat in what seems like an ongoing cycle without any visible end in sight. It's crazy."

"Are you guys some sort of resistance?" asked Daisy.

"You could say that," said Jayus. "But we really can't do anything but look out for ourselves. That's all anyone can do. Marissa's too powerful to try and be a philanthropist. At least as the way things are now. And I don't see anything changing soon. She seems content just keeping the world as is. But if you guys really are what Peach said you are, then maybe you can make a difference."

"How _do_ you know her?" asked Ramona.

"She founded our little community," Jayus replied. "It's more like a remote hideout, but it has kept us more or less safe from much of the chaos. We don't have a name for it. We just call it 'Home', because that's what it is."

"Does that mean we're going to see her when we get there?" asked Daisy.

Jayus shook her head. "She's on her way down south, crossing hemispheres. She'll be gone for who knows how long, going who knows where."

"You mean she didn't say where she went at all?" asked Ramona.

"She's always on the run," Jayus replied. "She's got a bounty on her, so she can't stay in one place. We see her every once in a while, but it's never for more than a few days at a time. Mercenaries and bounty hunters salivate at the amount one of them would get for killing her. Bless her heart. She has done more for us and the world than we could have ever hoped. Everywhere she goes, she helps in whatever way she can and makes everyone feel so much better, even with all that has happened to the world."

Within the hour, they reached a point where trees started to increase in density; not just dead, warped trees, but also some still harboring the life of green leaves. The familiarity of the area was not lost on Daisy, who recognized the region even with the deterioration and decline of its topography and plant life.

"This is Memory Forest," said Daisy. "We've been here before! I remember it because of all these massive trees!"

"It's actually in great condition, considering how much worse it could be," said Ramona.

"These trees have lasted much longer than anyone expected," said Jayus. "But eventually, they'll go too. Some of them are showing signs of it now. Until then though, this is Home."

"The forest?" asked Ramona. "I don't see any buildings."

"We're still on the outside," said Jayus. "We're going near where the Air Shrine is; into the Deep Grove."

The four Offroaders ahead of them led them into a heavily-wooded part of the forest. They ventured into a section where much of the colossal treetop foliage blocked off the view of the sky. Daisy glanced around the dirt road they traveled on and peered at the bus-wide trunks of the trees. On their initial trip through Memory Forest, she, Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Marut, and the now deceased Grekka had noticed the passageways throughout much of the area were lined with old world lampposts. Alongside these lampposts stood trees that had windows and doors, implying that there had been some sort of society in the past that had settled and took up residence there. It was then that she understood what Home in actuality was.

Jayus and her counterparts then turned all five Offroaders into a dead end and drove through a gap in a collection of large bushes. They parked within and alongside other vehicles, then they left and sealed off the entrance with extra underbrush and shrubbery to effectively hide the makeshift garage from sight. With the Kruna regrouped, Jayus introduced herself to the others and led them into the main section of Home.

"By the way, this is my friend, Cafune," Jayus said, gesturing to the blue-clothed koopa now at her side. Cafune had not driven, but had come along as a passenger on the Offroader Warra and Marut rode in. "She's a water wielder that lost her vision from a vicious light wielder that attacked her as a child."

"He went and fried my irises and retinae," Cafune said.

"I'm so sorry to hear," said Ramona.

"Meh; most everything is nauseating to look at anyways," Cafune replied.

"... That's one way of...um..." Ramona said, scratching her head. "That's a positive outlook...?"

"You're blind?" asked Bowser. "But you're walking around just fine, and without any sort of aid at that."

"I've optimized water wielder sound powers to use echolocation," said Cafune. "So I can tell when big and loud people like you and that other meaty guy are lumbering around."

Bowser gave Cafune a weird look, but decided not to throw a retort. Cafune's flat tone didn't seem to imply any intentional offense.

"So where is everyone?" asked Daisy "Nobody's out and around?"

"There was danger here earlier," said Jayus. "Whenever any archfiends or other baddies come near, we all run inside our house-trees and hide. People ought to be coming back out soon, especially since they know we're out here and there's no apparent trouble."

"We are the only known free safe haven on this side of the planet," said Cafune. "We intend to keep it that way. So we hide inside, shut off all the lights, and stay absolutely still. The guys that live higher up in the trees periodically switch off with one another on lookout duty."

"So if anything seems odd, they flash a pattern of green and brown lights through the lampposts," said Jayus. "We had those rigged to handle that function in case of emergencies. We're hoping we can get some more security upgrades from town."

"If you have to deal with all that, then why don't you guys come with us back up to Rainbow City?" said Bowser. "It's a far more secure place than here."

Jayus looked at Cafune and the drivers who tagged along as if waiting on answers from them, but she knew what their response would be. "Wherever that is, I'm sure it's a great place," Jayus said. "But I speak for myself, my comrades, and the other residents here when I say that we all would rather stay put. They wouldn't want to leave here. This is Home. And because of that, it's our home. We put so much effort into bringing this community together, and this is a place we can call our own. We have to politefully decline."

"Come what may from Marissa and her fiends," said Cafune. "We'll fight them off to the end if that's what it comes down to."

"If you really feel that way, we understand," said Daisy. "You guys take a lot of pride in Home, and we respect that to the umpteenth degree. We'll try and get to Marissa before she gets to you."

Jayus smiled and ran over to give a big bear hug to Daisy, who grinned and hugged right back. "Thank you," Jayus said. "Why don't you guys come inside and rest a bit?"

* * *

Dark Usurper flew through the old Mushroom City streets and burst into Marissa's castle. He climbed all the way up to the third floor and rushed to her throne, where she lay haphazardly asleep in her seat. The demon witch had gotten to a point where she had been talking in her slumber.

"Yes, I am beautiful, aren't I?" Marissa said. "Finally, someone agrees... It's always lonely here... Yes, I _would_ like to dance..."

"Lord Arkana!" Dark Usurper yelled.

"Huh? H'WHAT?!" Marissa screamed, waking up. "Hey! You! I was in the middle of something! Why did you come to me? Don't you remember how telepathy works?!"

"When I contacted you, you didn't answer!" Dark Usurper snapped. "Irrespective of that, I needed to come for extra assisssssstance. I got ambushed and overpowered."

"Don't tell me that sniveling, conniving demon, Kokoro, got away from you," said Marissa.

"Actually, I had to retreat," said Dark Usurper. "For I ran into-"

At that instant, King Boo then shot out from underneath the floor. Marissa and Dark Usurper glanced at the crazed ghostly monarch, who huffed and puffed as if he had just escaped a vacuum. Both of them looked beyond displeased with King Boo's presence in the castle.

"Oh great, and now _you're_ here," Dark Usurper said under his breath.

"You MUST have a death wish showing your face around here again!" snapped Marissa. "Damn it – stop sneaking past the force field! I was fine with you running around the planet doing whatever nonsense your heart sees fit. But you better have a good reason for coming here, or else I'll see to it that you're _permanently_ discarded with."

"LIKE I GIVE A DAMN!" King Boo cried. "I could care LESS whether you kill me or not! Go ahead and kill me! At least that means I won't have to deal with you and those forsaken Kruna!"

Marissa narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Why did you HAVE to go and bring them up?! I was having a bright and cheery day of boredom and hating my existence, and then you had to go and ruin it by bringing them up! Why?!"

"Because I ran into them again, meaning you haven't offed them yet!" screamed King Boo. "WIPE THEM OUT ALREADY! Why has this taken so long?! Don't you know where they are?!"

"Of course I know where they are!" hollered Marissa. "I am the OMNIPOTENT! The ALL-SEEING! ALL-KNOWING! ALL-OWNING! I AM THE ULTIMATE-"

"They're in the Great Valley!" Dark Usurper yelled.

"WWWWHHHAT?!" screamed Marissa. She turned on the Remote Viewing of her Malocchio Eye and projected her vision north into the Great Valley. After a quick scan, she didn't see anyone of interest in the barren, silent fields.

"At least, they were," said Dark Usurper. "'They're probably gone from there by now, but they couldn't have moved too far."

"Hmm...that's funny," Marissa said. "Dark Sentinel's on the other side of the world right now, and they were all the way over here? Huh...wow. Didn't even notice 'em..."

"What did you just say?!" snapped King Boo. "You can't be serious! WHY CAN'T YOU BE CONSISTENT AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR OWN WORLD?!"

"What are you expecting out of me?" Marissa snapped back. "Do you know how hard it is to run my Remote Viewing all across a planet as large as this one? Do you know how long it takes to see everywhere on the planet just once? You think I wanna sit here all day and just scan all through the entire world over and over and over again?! No – I'm not going to sit here and act paranoid! I'm mentally screwed up enough already as it is! I had a dream last night about mutant cantaloupes making a musical about a souffle, and I had to critique them like I was the host of some generic broadcast talent show!"

"Hey," King Boo hissed. "I'm just making a point that-"

"Why don't YOU take my Malocchio Eye for yourself and try searching the entire world, hmm?!" Marissa said. "You think this is some pickup basketball down at the playground? You think this is as easy as driving a go-kart?! Frickin' babies drive go-karts! Bite me! Sit down and shut up! You ain't got NOTHIN' on me! It took me two whole decades to master this Eye! And you think you can just walk up in here – that you can just float up in here – and tell me how to use my Eye? I got years on you, son! Years! I'm so old, I forgot how old I am! Not because of memory loss, but because I just lost count! That's the problem with you young people! You never respect your elders! And y'all wearing ya damn pants down below your waist! And the trashy music! And the parties for no reason! Y'all ain't got no work ethic! Thinking everything is easy! Well I got news for ya, boy! It's not! Life gonna bite ya real hard one day! And when that happens, don't you go trying to drag me down with ya into the Gates of Hell and past the River Styx to do battle with the Cerberus! I already went down that road! You saw him! He's FRICKIN' HUGE, isn't he? Not trying to wrestle control of that thing again! You're on your own there!"

"Are you finished with the ranting?!" King Boo yelled. "They're without their shadow wielder!"

Marissa suddenly calmed down and exited her state of furious rambling, a soft smile developing out of King Boo's tip-off. "Oh?"

* * *

Jayus and Cafune led the seven Kruna Yura inside their house-tree and showed them around. For a place of residence inside of a tree, it mimicked a traditional suburban house surprisingly well. The only real differences came from a predominant wood aesthetic and a series of ladders in place of stairs that led to higher, border-like levels.

"Nice digs!" said Daisy.

"Some of the furniture was already here when we arrived," said Jayus. "We had to make and smuggle in some of the other stuff ourselves."

"It's so lovely," said Ramona as she peered out one of the windows. "It's like combining an urban atmosphere with a rural setting. I can see why you wouldn't want to leave here."

"It's the perfect camouflage," said Cafune. "Who would suspect anyone living inside of trees?"

"So you said y'all are looking for some Gate of Time, huh?" Jayus began. "And you think them Crystal Tears are linked with it somehow? That sounds more trippy than a slippery banana peel. We can't help there."

"That's alright," said Daisy. "It's not the kind of thing anyone should know about, really."

"Maybe Echo does," said Cafune.

"You think he might?" asked Jayus.

"If he went through the trouble of collecting four Crystal Tears, then he could very well know at least something about the Gate of Time," said Cafune.

"Who's Echo?" asked Neva.

"When Marissa first started imposing her rule on the world, she brought in a race of skeletal warriors called Skalfers," Jayus replied. "Almost all of them pledged allegiance to her, but a few have not. Echo is one of these few. Though he's not necessarily an ally of ours, he is a formidable ice wielder who drives away a lot of the demons and bandits that come through the region. He could give you guys the Crystal Tears he has if you tell him about them and the Gate of Time. If it means getting Marissa out of the picture, then he'll surely help you out."

"Where do we have to go to find him?" asked Warra.

"Your best bet is to check the Midfield Tavern," said Jayus. "It's outside of Memory Forest, heading southwest. If you take the main route out of here and then continue on after a right turn when you reach the lake, you'll get there real easy."

"Let's go right now," said Daisy. "If he's there now, we need to go get him before he leaves."

"I've been detecting three Crystal Tears somewhere around or in the forest," said Ramona. "What about those?"

"I can take a group of us out to look for them," said Bowser. "Daisy; that's if you don't mind us going to get those tears while you go to the Midfield Tavern?"

"That's more than fine," said Daisy. "You're coming with me, Warra?"

Warra nodded. "Sure."

"So then Athelstan, Marut, and Neva can go with Bowser and Ramona," said Daisy.

"Take a couple of our Zip Zip bikes from the back," said Jayus. "They'll get ya there and back quicker. You guys going for the Crystal Tears can take an Offroader or two. Both vehicles can handle some heavy dirt!"

"You two better be careful at that bar," said Cafune. "Midfield Tavern has started housing some real sleazy folks in recent years."

"Yeah, so?" asked Daisy.

"They're the kinds of people that won't bat an eye if a fight breaks out and someone loses their guts on the floor," said Jayus. "I wish I wasn't being literal. Man, the stories that come out of that place ruin your supper every time!"

"That changes things a tad bit," said Warra. He took out of his Hammerspace Belt the cloak he got from Toadette's shop before their Monsoon Jungle trip. Once he got it on, he slipped the hood over his head, drowning his face in shadows. Daisy did the same with hers.

"Why are you guys putting those on?" asked Athelstan.

"We don't need anyone recognizing us or noticing we're here," said Warra. "That sounds like the kind of place to bump into the wrong person at the wrong time. If Peach has a bounty on her, we might very well have the same, considering Marissa knows we're alive."

"That place scares me to death," said Jayus. "I never went near that place once the crooks started hanging around there. You two are so brave for going out there."

Marut raised an eyebrow. "I'm actually going with Daisy and Warra. They might need some more protection! And I am pretty fast, so-"

"Don't worry about it, Marut," said Daisy. "The two of us are fine. I don't feel like we're walking into as bad of a cesspool as it sounds."

"A third might draw too much attention," added Warra.

"You go with the others in case you run into some real trouble!" said Daisy.

"Yeah, man," Athelstan said to Marut. "They don't need any bravado where they're going!"

"If I knew what that word meant, I'd respond to that," said Marut. "Of course, if they don't need the kind of man power I provide, then that's fine. I'm just too dangerous for those bad dudes to handle." Marut then struck several lightning fast poses, cracking the air with each one made; only to throw a hand behind himself and smack Bowser on the nose in the process.

"Ow! Hey!" Bowser snapped. "What's the big idea, string bean?!"

"Oh, whoops," said Marut. "I mean...you gotta be careful, Bowser! That's what happens when you stand too close to me. See?" He then exhaled on the same hand that hit Bowser and then stretched out his arms. "Dangerous."

Jayus laughed. "You're funny, green guy!"

"Pull another one of those and I'll show you who's dangerous!" grumbled Bowser. "Quit trying to show off for the girl and let's get on the road!"

"Have some chill, man," Marut whispered to Bowser as their group headed out of the tree.

"What do ya say, Warra?" asked Daisy. "You ready?"

"Ready," replied Warra.


	31. Chapter XXXI

Midfield Tavern:

Daisy and Warra stopped their Zip Zips at the top of a hill and parked them behind a bush. Midfield Tavern stood at the bottom of the slope, the place they hoped they'd find the ice wielder Skalfer, Echo, in. Judging by the cars, karts, bikes, and other vehicles in the gravel parking lot, they would be dealing with a large crowd of people.

"I can smell their stench from out here," said Daisy.

"I wonder what a noble Skalfer would be doing in a haunt like that," said Warra.

"I guess we'll find out," Daisy said, heading down the hill.

"Hey – don't do anything rash," Warra said as he followed her.

"I promise I won't _try_ to," she replied.

* * *

The two cloaked Kruna Yura entered the Midfield Tavern doors and found themselves in a melting pot of all kinds of beings. Amid the jazzy background, assorted raiders, fiends, goons, and other lowlifes took up the chairs, tables, and bar stools. As they looked around, Daisy and Warra walked past a Goomba four times their size, some Kritters decked out in thick leather and chains, lanky and anthropomorphic bats, some Boomerang Bros wearing demonic masks and spiky shells, and even a band of mohawked Lizalfos yukking it up and being noisy. Some well-armored Shy Guys were playing pool at the right side of the bar with a trio of Jibberjays. A couple girls and some koopas on the far left stood on stage and provided music. Several other races and peoples filled up portions of the tavern, making it nothing short of busy.

"This is making me terribly uncomfortable," Warra whispered to Daisy. "How about you?"

"You kidding? I've never felt more at home," Daisy replied.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Warra then asked.

Daisy didn't respond. She scanned the bar as they maneuvered the tavern for any Skalfer – any skeletal warrior – in white and light blue she could find. If Echo was there, he kept well hidden behind all the other patrons and visitors.

"I can only imagine how full this place'll be in an hour when nightfall begins," said Daisy.

"Let's try and be out of here before then," said Warra.

Daisy shrugged and gave an open-mouthed smirk. "Eh...no rush."

"Don't tell me you're actually taking a liking to this place?"

"Get rid of all the creeps and dudes talking about kidnappings and 'dirty work' and it wouldn't be too bad."

"Well they're not leaving anytime soon, so this place'll remain pretty bad for the foreseeable future."

The two Kruna stalked up to the counter and motioned for the bartender. Though Warra stood up perfectly straight, Daisy bent over some to lean on the countertop. She glanced at Warra just long enough to almost break out in laughter.

"Why do you look so uptight, man?" asked Daisy. "Relax some. You're sticking out like a cyclist playing football."

Warra sighed and sat down on a stool. " _I'm_ trying to look for Echo. _You're_ trying to treat this like some hangout spot."

"What'll it be?" the green Pianta bartender said when he walked over to the Kruna. He then raised an eyebrow and added. "What's with the blue and black bedsheets? I can barely even see your faces. What are ya – ugly or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I'm terribly ugly," said Daisy. "If anyone looks at my face, they'll turn into statues."

"Whatever," said the bartender. "What do you two want?"

"How about some milk?" Daisy asked.

"Some what?"

"Milk... Strawberry."

The pianta bartender put an arm on his hip, leaned on the countertop with his opposite arm, and gave Daisy a bad stink eye. "You mean to tell me that you came all the way out to a place like this – a place filled with _mature_ beverages – and you're gonna ask for some milk?"

"I was asking from some strawberry milk," Daisy corrected. "But if you want to go ahead and bastardize what I said, that's fine too."

The bartender's frown deepened. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm Lily," Daisy said. "And this is my brother, Snake."

"We're wanderers who lost our parents to one of Marissa's archfiends," said Warra.

The bartender kept staring at Daisy and Warra with an annoyed look, but he stepped away from them. "I'll see what we have in the back."

"So how about what we talked about on the way here regarding keeping the snappy sass to a minimum?" whispered Warra.

"What kind of bar doesn't have milk?" Daisy replied. "If I had brought Neva here, she'd've thrown a fit over that and blown the whole joint up."

"Well, when he gets back, just try to be nicer," said Warra. "He might know where Echo is, and if we get on his bad side, he's not going to want to talk."

Daisy looked to her left to see a man in a red and black jumpsuit and mask with guns and knives attached to his legs and twin swords strapped to his body take the stool next to her. "Sup," he said.

"Sup," Daisy replied.

"You know if they got some chimichangas in here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry – I can't really say. This is my first time here."

"You know what sucks is that I always come here and they never have chimichangas!" the man said. "Crazy, right? They know I like them, and they know I got lots and lots of gold coins!"

"Why don't you just try a different place?"

"Look – that'd just destroy the bit! The bit is that I'm supposed to be the regular that comes into a restaurant, or any other refreshment provider, and ask for something that they don't have but really should have! Don't ruin the bit! People love bits! By the way, that's a cool staff thing you got on your back!"

"That's just my Terra Bladestaff. It's my earth wielder tool."

The man laughed. "Earth wielder? That's stupid! If you got problems, just slice and dice and shoot them away! Nothing beats carbonadium, baby! I've cut through trees, cars, ocean liners, and pickle jar tops with these bad boys! I've left no generic store-brand burger without their slimy vinegar cucumbers that just fall out and ruin your clothes when you take a bite!"

"Alright, bro," said Daisy. "If that's what suits you, but I wear the colors of my element with pride."

"Oh my gosh, like, so totally whatever," the man said. "Now you sound like you'd be perfect as a really short guy with spiky hair and a scouter who always says he's the best! 'You are no match for a Super Elite.' 'I am the greatest warrior alive!' 'It's over eight thousand! Uuuraaaaaugh!' Ha-hahhhh! Good times. Good times. Have I derailed you guys enough yet from whatever you were doing?"

"I would have to say so, yeah," Daisy replied.

"Welp, I think I've wasted enough time then!" the man exclaimed, twirling out of his seat into a muscular pose. "Be sure to check out my movie coming to theaters this summer! ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN! I'll be breaking all the box office records because everyone loves me, and every other genre of movie – especially ones not involving me – suck. But where are my manners? I need to be modest! Just your friendly neighborhood role model here that doesn't look at all like that Spider-brained-head-hack who thinks those webs of his aren't going to break when he's swinging around suspended a thousand feet in the air! Anyways, this was great! We oughta do this again sometime!" He then burst out crying just long enough to say. "I have no friends!"

"Where'd you get that bomb?" asked Warra.

"Huh? Oh, I dunno," the man replied, swinging around a random bomb by its fuse. "I find things, you find things – does that make us detectives? Ol' Sherlcoke Zero Holmes would not approve! Elementary, my dear what's-your-face-that-is-supposed-to-be-so-ugly-I'll-turn-into-a-statue-if-I-look-at-you – OH! Freestyle! And you left me hanging without a beat?! Y'all are lame!"

Daisy and Warra watched the man moonwalk out of the tavern as he pointed fingers at various random people. "Sayonara, Senpai!" the man shouted at the two Kruna. "You guys are way better than SEGA! Except for if their fanboys start flooding my inbox with hate mail! Then SEGA's better!"

"Who was that?!" Warra said.

Daisy shrugged. "Like I know?! He just came out of nowhere!"

"Did you get his name?" asked Warra.

Daisy shook her head, wide-eyed. "Pfft... I could barely capture my own thoughts through all that!"

The Pianta bartender returned from the back room empty-handed. "I thought we told that guy to stop coming here!" he said.

"Apparently, he's going to keep coming until you put chimichangas on the menu," said Warra.

"Well we don't have chimichangas, and we don't have _strawberry_ milk," said the bartender.

"Do you have chocolate?" Daisy asked.

The bartender then leaned in real close to Daisy and told her, "I don't like you."

"Not many people do," Daisy shot back.

The bartender saw Daisy's cocky smile under her hood and grinned right back as he stepped away. "What – did you go to Moo Moo Meadows and flip over cows?"

"I didn't flip over cows," replied Daisy. She left it at that.

"I'm gonna get you a man's drink," the bartender said, turning away. "Then we'll see if you still want some milk out of a sippy bottle."

Warra clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Why, Daisy? Why do you _have_ to just...why?!"

"I'm Lily in here, dummy," Daisy said. She grabbed Warra's shoulder and pointed at a pillar off to the side. A poster with Peach's face on it hung high on the thick support beam. "You see that?" she whispered.

Warra nodded. "Yeah. Looks like they just put it up."

"Four hundred thousand," said Daisy, taking a seat. "That's insane."

"That price is going to keep going up with time," a hulkish Kritter said. "She's a slippery rascal, eh?"

Daisy turned around and saw an eight-foot tall mass monster of a Kritter – except for his tiny legs – standing behind her. He had four rifles slung on his back and wore a leather vest and cargo pants both with filled pockets. The Kritter took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke right at Daisy's face.

"Name's DeMarco," the Kritter then said. "A couple of fruit loops that can't even handle some throw-downs, ah? You two mates look like you're lost."

"And you look like you never remember to squat," Daisy muttered, turning back around.

DeMarco grabbed Daisy's shoulder and yanked on her to get her facing him again. "I saw you when you came in. What do you think you're doing walking around in your nanny's sleeping garments?"

"Obviously not here to talk to you," Daisy said, shrugging off his hand. Again, she moved to face the counter, only for DeMarco to pull her back to face him.

"You better watch yourself around these parts," said DeMarco. "You're walking around with pieces of metal glued to a stick and I've got my rifles. Make a barbie out of whatever I gun down, ya hear me? Best cut lunch is always fresh. Y'all need to rack off, unless you want me to give ya a gobful."

"I can't understand half of what you're saying, dude," said Daisy.

"What are ya – dill?" snapped DeMarco.

"I'm starting to get really annoyed is what I am. What do you want? I'm not here to pick a fight, alright? Just chill out...else you're gonna get yourself hurt."

"I'ma s'pposed to 'xpect a Clayton's nun to hurt me?"

Daisy shrugged, turning to the counter once more. "If you really want to find out. I don't pull punches. That's why you better check yourself before you start making a scene in here."

"You best check yourself if you're sittin' there looking at my bounty," said DeMarco.

This time, Daisy turned to face the hulkish Kritter under her own influence. " _Your_ bounty?"

DeMarco grinned as he stared at Daisy, who now got off her seat and stood up against the Kritter antagonizing her. Warra pulled Daisy back, but she was already set in her intentions.

"C'mon now, Warra, I think we need to take this guy out," Daisy whispered. "Better yet, you just sit back and take a load off. I'll put him down."

"I'm exterminating other hunters to make sure nobody gets to her," said DeMarco. "And then when the reward raises high enough, I'm gonna go collect _my_ score. That means you two are dead."

"I don't know about that," said Daisy. "I could do a lot with four hundred thousand."

By now, Daisy and DeMarco had grabbed the attention of some of the others in the bar. More people started watching as time passed, and the noise level in the tavern began to drop off. Daisy stepped out from the countertop to stand across from DeMarco in the walkway.

"Put up your dukes... _mate_ ," Daisy said.

Gasps followed from the growing crowd, followed by some boisterous vulgarity. DeMarco laughed at the cloaked figure in front of him, but Daisy didn't flinch or back down. She got her fists up and ready to throw.

"The laundry spectre wants to try take me on?" said DeMarco. "You come a gutser, Sheila. You better off hittin' the turps, eh? But now you're gonna kick the bucket."

The band that had been playing music stopped and changed their tempo and key in anticipation of a fight. Bystanders around Daisy and DeMarco moved away to give space. No one in Midfield Tavern did anything to try and stop them, visitor or worker.

DeMarco threw out the first punch just a moment later. To Daisy's surprise, it came out surprisingly quick for someone of his bulk. Taking the hit straight to the jaw, she stumbled back and fell into a table, knocking into other people as she went down.

"Piece of piss, eh?" said DeMarco. "Rooted in one hit? That earth wielder endurance skipped over you, didn't it?"

"You need to get that guy kicked out!" Warra barked at the bartender.

" _I_ don't need to do anything," the bartender replied.

"Take the potato sack off and maybe you can see something," taunted DeMarco.

Daisy got up and didn't even get a chance to react before DeMarco hit her again. She went down hard, banging her head on the ground. Warra got up to move to Daisy's side, but more Kritters in leather came and stepped in his way, blocked him off, and pushed him back onto his stool.

"You're next, water boy," one of them said.

"This is not how a business should be run," Warra snapped at the bartender.

"She wanted to pick a fight," the bartender replied. "Nobody told her to try and take on the most dangerous bounty hunter north of the One World Capital."

"I fail to see how she was the aggressor in all this," said Warra.

"Alright, now I'm pissed off," Daisy growled, dazed as she got back up again.

"You ought to be," said DeMarco. "I've hit ya twice! What are you gonna do about it?"

Daisy wasted no time and threw out an uppercut. She caught DeMarco with surprise, for she broke through his guard with ample force left over to lift him off his feet. The massive Kritter crashed into a table behind him, drinks spilling all over the floor and onto the people siting there.

"What are you doing, DeMarco?" yelled the bartender. "Slaughter this earth wielder garbage already!"

Warra scowled at the bartender. "No bias there, I can see, huh?"

DeMarco advanced and jabbed, just for Daisy to duck underneath and hit with a deep Smash Punch. The low-trajectory strike proved unblockable paired with the height difference between the two, making DeMarco clutch at his abdomen. The music in the background came to a complete, immediate stop.

"I've hit ya twice," said Daisy. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Furious, DeMarco charged at Daisy to try and grab her. Daisy simply slipped out of range when he swiped at her and grabbed one of his arms, then she ducked down underneath and bashed her elbow in the same spot she had slammed her last punch. DeMarco fell to the ground, writhing and grimacing.

"5'9 and eleven stone hittin' like a super heavyweight," DeMarco grunted. "What kind 'a paradox is this?"

"You don't gotta be big to be strong," said Daisy.

"Pig's arse," DeMarco grumbled, motioning to pull out one of his rifles. Daisy got on him and stepped on his wrist the moment he grabbed onto one to prevent him from aiming and firing it in what was a cramped and crowded building. As soon as she pulled the gun out of his hand, she got off his wrist and gave him the opportunity to get up. And then, she noticed the spectators.

"The hell are y'all lookin' at?!" Daisy yelled at everyone watching. Slowly, all the spectators in the tavern turned away and went back to their own business. "That's what I thought!"

"And you all!" she then hollered at the Kritters around Warra. "You get away from him, and don't even think about laying one of your crooked claws on him!"

The Kritters complied and left Warra alone. They went over to join DeMarco, who had gotten up and, though still had three other rifles to use, decided against trying to pull any of them out. Daisy dropped the gun she had and let it hit the ground before kicking it to DeMarco's feet. The beefy Kritter picked it up, somewhat taken aback from Daisy not opening fire on him. DeMarco put the fourth gun of his away and headed for the exit.

"I'm gonna remember you," DeMarco said, backing out the door. The other Kritters in his gang followed him, staring down Daisy and Warra as they left. Daisy reclaimed her stool beside Warra and slumped onto the countertop.

"Sorry about that, Warra," said Daisy.

"No, Daisy, don't apologize to me," said Warra, smiling. "You're the one bruised up from that little scuffle."

"I don't know if I should be serving you two anything for roughhousing in here and breaking up tables," said the bartender.

"That's fine, whatever," Daisy replied. "We're looking for somebody anyways. Just tell us where he is and we'll be on our way."

"Why should I tell you anything?" asked the bartender.

Daisy shared a look with Warra before she held up her left hand and folded a finger closed each time she counted off. "Here's five good reasons: one, two, three, four, five. Is that good enough for ya?"

"Who do you want?" the bartender asked.

"Echo," said Warra.

"Who the hell is Echo?" asked the bartender.

"A Skalfer," said Warra. "A skeletal warrior. An ice wielder, we understand."

"Oh, that's the Skull Guardian," said the bartender. "He's over there at the window booth."

Daisy and Warra turned in the direction the green Pianta gestured in and saw who he meant to point out. They got out of their seats and started on their way over to the booth. After just a couple steps, Daisy stopped and turned back around to the counter, fetched a handful of gold coins from her wallet, and flipped them onto the countertop.

"Thanks," she said to the bartender. They both gave each other heated stares as she and Warra walked away.

The pale teal, red-eyed Skalfer in question with heavy white, light blue, and gray armor strapped all across his selectively fleshy skeleton sat alone with his feet up on his booth's table. His wide-brimmed gray hat shadowed his face much in the same way the hoods of Daisy's and Warra's cloaks shadowed their faces. The Skalfer had been swirling his drink around with the rotation of his wrist when the two Kruna Yura walked up to him.

"Echo, right?" Daisy said with a smile.

The Skalfer gestured across the table. "Have a seat," he said in his sharp voice.

Daisy and Warra sat down, at which point Echo took his legs off the table and straightened his posture. The Skalfer clasped his hands together and leaned in some, taking quick glances at both Kruna in turn. He didn't seem malevolent at all, and he didn't make any intimidating moves.

"So what can I do for you two?" asked Echo.

"Two things, really," said Warra. "I should first ask if you could give us your Crystal Tears."

Echo chuckled some and leaned back in his seat. "I know where this is going. Another one of you clueless lot trying to get your hands on something that you have no business possessing."

"No no no! It's not like that, we swear!" said Warra. He then lowered his tone to a whisper as he continued. "We're Kruna, and we're on a mission to get the demon witch out of power. Those Crystal Tears are just one of the things we need."

"The other is a way to the Gate of Time," said Daisy. "Or any leads or information you can provide. Jayus told us you might have some knowledge."

"Jayus may have mislead you," said Echo. "Kruna? Gate of Time? My people came from another dimension. We know not of these things. But I know enough to figure out by you outing yourselves as Kruna that you two are those crooks who abandoned the world and let it fall into the disarray it's in now, and if I tell you what I do know about the Gate of Time, it wouldn't do either of us any good; and that's because of your incompetence and failure to do a job that you were supposed to do. I can't trust you with information on how to mess with time."

"That was not our fault," said Daisy. "What – you think we had a choice in getting sent through a time skip? We're trying to fix what went wrong, and we're just asking for some help."

"If you can't provide any info on the Gate of Time, can you at least let us have your Crystal Tears?" said Warra.

"Why should I?" Echo asked.

"Jayus is the one that told us to come here," said Daisy. "Jayus sent us here to search for you and told us you would be glad to help us out. That should be reason enough."

"You do protect the Memory Forest community, don't you?" said Warra. "Are you not on good terms with them?"

"I am," said Echo. "But their friends are not automatically my friends. Because of you – because you failed to defeat Marissa in the first place – you let her pull my people from our home and drag us into this hellhole that _you_ call home. And the worst part is that the vast majority of them are subservient to her now. You're supposed to be warriors for your own world. Handle your own problems, and don't let your problems drag other realms into your mess."

"Echo, you've got to see what's going on in the world," said Warra. "We need those Crystal Tears, and if we don't get them, then-"

Daisy grabbed Warra's near shoulder and squeezed it. The Kruna of Water stopped talking.

"He's right," Daisy said to Warra. "We should've dealt with Marissa much more efficiently the first time around than we did. It's primarily my fault."

Daisy redirected her attention to Echo. "It's my doing and I take the responsibility and blame above the rest of our team. I am sorry for that and for the trouble it has caused; trouble that I might not ever truly understand because I haven't lived it. And the world has had eight years and counting of living with our mistake... But we're trying to fix it, and I'll be damned if I let you stand in the way of us doing so. I'm prepared to take those tears from you by force, but I'd much rather we go the non-aggressive route. What can we do to prove ourselves?"

Echo fiddled with his cup some more before gulping down and finishing off his drink. He pulled out some gold coins and set them on the table as a tip for his waiter. Standing up from his seat, he exited the booth and headed for the doors out of the building. He gave no response and no goodbye, nor did he even look back. And though Daisy and Warra hoped they'd come out of Midfield Tavern with answers, they left with more questions.


	32. Chapter XXXII

Abstruse Premonitions:

"What do you mean he didn't tell you anything?" asked Marut. Minus their shadow teammate, the Kruna Yura all stood together with Jayus and Cafune out in the main route through Memory Forest. The other residents of the safe haven had also come out of hiding in their house-trees.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Bowser said into his radio transmitter. "Just tell Rosalina and them that we're not coming back today and leave it at that. Get the details sorted out later... I don't know how long – might be a day or two, it depends. We didn't find the Gate of Time anywhere in the Great Valley."

"Didn't give you his Crystal Tears either, did he?" asked Athelstan.

"Nnnnnnooope," Daisy said.

"At least we found three on our trip around Memory Forest," said Ramona.

"That's not like Echo at all," said Jayus. "He's usually more, um, altruistic, than that."

"He's got a vendetta against us," said Daisy. "We're the reason his people got herded out of their home world and are now henchmen for Marissa."

"So he's just gonna hold a grudge?" asked Neva. "I should've gone with you! You guys were being too nice! I would've snatched those tears from him real quick!"

"You would've gotten put into a coma in one hit from a roided-out Kritter," muttered Daisy.

"Is that why you're bruised up in your face?" asked Neva in a wide smirk. Though Daisy and Warra still had their cloaks on, they had their hoods down. DeMarco's hits had left some very conspicuous dark spots on Daisy's left cheek and forehead.

"He's after Peach," said Daisy. "He's one of the bounty hunters Jayus was talking about."

"You think he's gonna catch her?" asked Ramona.

"Nah," said Daisy. "She's far away by now. He's not getting to her. But if I see him again, he's not getting to anybody."

Jayus looked confused. "That's odd..."

"What?" said Daisy.

"It's just...it's nothing," replied Jayus. "It's just the way you said it sounded a bit more vitriolic than I would've imagined someone like a Kruna saying, is all – I mean, from what I understand a Kruna is supposed to be..."

"Vitriolic?" Daisy snapped. "He's hunting down one of my friends – what do you want me to say? Let's see if he can shoot anybody with broken wrists."

"Woah," Jayus murmured, looking fearful. Uneasy, she tried to laugh it all off. "Let's, uh, change the subject here... Maybe to something a little less violent and angry?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Daisy. "I didn't mean to make ya uncomfortable; I'm just being honest. You mess with my friends, well, let's just say you're gonna have a bad time."

"Right, I gotcha," said Jayus. "Now, there is somebody I'd like for you to meet, whenever you're ready. She's in one of the house-trees."

"Cool," said Daisy. "We may as well get these cloaks off too, Warra."

* * *

A Magikoopa in navy and light blue robes sat on the ground in front of a great, large ball the size of Bowser's shell when the Kruna walked inside a nearby house-tree. The Magikoopa gestured for everyone to gather around her ball as sparkles flashed in her hands. Her hair weaved on either side of her hat to look like a pair of gleaming cinnamon rolls.

"This is Dabi the Fortuneteller," said Jayus. "She is a sage with great foresight abilities and magic powers. She stands in Peach's stead whenever she's not here."

"You brought us in here to see someone wave hands at a ball?!" Neva snapped, turning for the door. "I'm out."

Bowser snatched Neva by the collar and plopped her right back where she was before she started walking. The Kruna of Ice merely turned again as soon as her feet got set on the ground, only for Daisy to grab her and push her back to her spot. "You guys aren't going to let me leave, are you?" Neva muttered.

"What is it that you ask of me?" demanded Dabi.

"We ask that you can show a glimpse into the future for these Kruna," said Cafune. "Hopefully your foresight can provide insight for their quest."

Dabi rolled each of her fingers around, increasing the density of the sparkles floating over her palms. "Kruna, you say... I thought you were defunct for the past several decades."

"Call it a rebirth," said Bowser. "Don't call it a comeback."

"I just got an idea," said Ramona. "Dabi, can you tell us where we have to go to find the other Crystal Tears? We have twenty-seven as it stands right now."

"A hunt for Crystal Tears," said Dabi. "I can tell that there's plenty left unclaimed, but...there are more in the hands of the nefarious."

Dabi waved her palms over various points of her pearl ball. Images flooded the ball from within, but the opaqueness of it made it hard to see them as anything more than colorful blurs. Even so, Dabi seemed to have full knowledge of what the ball itself showed.

"I see more lands lying in wait," said Dabi. "A swamp labyrinth...a volcanic crater...a frozen land...a...tower in the sky? Oh...this is interesting... But that is the extent of what I can see for now. The possibilities of various extraneous circumstances leave the near future clouded in that respect."

"Extraneous circumstances...what," Bowser grumbled. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are running a very fickle quest," said Dabi. "Your fates remain unclear as a result of your volatile destinies."

Now Dabi had gotten Neva's interest. "You're starting to freak me out, Miss," Neva said.

"I have never seen such a circumstance before," said Dabi. "Your endpoint should be at a climactic battle of great risk against the demon witch...but you all are walking such a fine line, that the only things shaping what's to come are your own reactions and decisions on the paths you take. From what I see, two of you are liable for a terrible fate."

"What?" Marut hollered. "Which ones? _Two_ of us? Why?!"

"Wait, did I say that?" asked Dabi with a chuckle. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Three of you are liable to a terrible fate. I must have said two because it seems like you are missing one of your members."

Ramona gasped in thought. _No...does that mean Andrew?_

"Of the ones here..." Dabi started. She shot a finger up at Bowser. "YOU must be careful, fire wielder."

"Somehow, I knew you were going to point at me," said Bowser. "I already understand what is jeopardizing my well-being."

"I do hope so," said Dabi. "For it is always a shame to lose a pure-hearted individual."

Bowser perked up. _Wait..._ _What did she just call me?_

"And _you_ ," Dabi said, forcing her arm in Daisy's direction.

"What? Me?" Daisy asked. "What did I do?"

"Nothing yet," said Dabi. "If you are not aware of your feelings and actions, you will fall and suffer. Be wary of everything your adversaries do, and do not over-exert yourself under the burden of anger and guilt. Or else, you will crumble and succumb to a relentless power grab that may not only leave you scarred for life, but irreversibly changed."

Daisy grimaced. "Thanks for the warning..."

"Dabi, what can you say about the one who's not here with us right now?" asked Neva.

"Much of the same as the earth wielder, but to a much higher degree," said Dabi. "He is faltering under a lack of self-worth and a fear of weakness – or namely, ineffectiveness, perhaps. Both may combine for a dual-effect that can drive him over the edge..."

"But none of it is likely for any of those three, right?" asked Ramona.

"I can not decide what happens or the likelihood of an event or outcome much like I can not give definitive answers when independent thought is concerned," said Dabi. "Your current course can be altered in an instant through the power of your own free will. No foresight, clairvoyance, or precognition in existence can account for the factor of sentient life."

"Can you tell us anything about where to find the Gate of Time?" asked Daisy. "Surely there can be certainty to that!"

"I do not know anything about a Gate of Time," said Dabi. "All I can see is what main goal you're looking for will come when you can locate and decipher knowledge that has been lost in time."

"I think I have knowledge that has been lost in time," Athelstan said, patting his Hammerspace Belt.

"Or...Arka Knight..." Daisy murmured. "Arka Knight has to know!"

"Why him?" asked Bowser.

"He knew of the future before it happened!" Daisy replied. "Somehow, he did. And however he did might be reason enough to believe he knows of the distant past too! I mean, I know it's a long shot, but we have nothing else to work with other than having Athelstan learn the ancient language and translate those documents and tablets he brought from the Light Shrine! It certainly doesn't look like Echo's going to talk to us any time soon."

"But then that means we have to go and find him!" exclaimed Bowser.

"Maybe not," stated Daisy. "Like he said, he's where he needs to be, when he needs to be. So I'll bet we'll see him soon."

"Let's go look for Echo tomorrow," Jayus said to the Kruna. "Hopefully I can at least get him to give you his Crystal Tears."

"It would be greatly appreciated, Jayus," said Daisy.

"We already greatly appreciate you guys," Jayus replied. "I'll show you where you'll be staying for the night. Then I think it'll be about time for some dinner!"

The Kruna thanked Dabi for her input and left with Jayus and Cafune. Only Neva stayed behind, who turned around when she reached the doors out and backtracked to Dabi. The Kruna of Ice looked incredibly nervous and uncomfortable.

"Sorry for being skeptical of you earlier, Dabi," said Neva.

"You're not the first," Dabi replied. "Now, is there something you wanted to ask of me personally?"

"Actually, yes," Neva said, blood rushing to her head. "This is probably a stupid thing to ask for, but what can you tell me about love?"

Dabi frowned. "Love? You're right! That is a stupid thing to ask for!"

"What?!"

"I use my powers for serious affairs! Not for you young people to ask about trivial nonsense! If that's what you're going to ask me for, please kindly be on your way!"

Taken aback by the complete tone shift from the fortuneteller, Neva stepped away and headed for the exit. Dabi didn't change her expression, nor did she give off any impression that she'd consider Neva's request. She was just as angered as the ice wielder.

 _Crazy old hag,_ Neva grumbled in thought as she walked out.

* * *

The Kruna got their own house-tree for the night with four beds. Bowser pulled in another, larger mattress for himself and lay on it the same way he did on most other beds; stomach-down. Athelstan and Marut took the two couches. Daisy and Neva had claimed the second floor beds, leaving Ramona and Warra the third floor beds. The only things separating each floor were the ladders. Ramona and Warra could otherwise see down below to the main floor, and vice-versa for Bowser, Athelstan, and Marut. At the moment, everyone was on the main floor; except for Neva, who sat on the bed she took and stayed by herself.

"It's not even eleven, and you guys are talking about sleep," said Marut. "This is all kinds of weird."

"Nothing wrong with getting some early shuteye," said Athelstan.

"My sentiments exactly," said Warra, heading for the ladder up.

"Here's hoping you get to sleep well, Bowser," said Ramona as she followed Warra.

"Thanks," he replied. "Here's hoping we all do."

Ramona and Warra climbed the house's ladder and went to their floor to retire for the night. Neva looked down and watched Daisy dim the lights to a very faint glow. The Kruna of Earth then took a seat on the floor next to the others, with Bowser lying on his mattress and Marut and Athelstan stretched out on the couches. From her vantage point, Neva could see and listen to whatever the four down below were talking about. She paid almost no attention though, for her mind was elsewhere.

 _I don't know where I stand with you, or what I mean to you, or who you see me as..._ Neva thought. _But whenever I think of you, and whenever you're near, I just want to be with you. And I am so frightened that you don't feel the same way..._

Neva swayed her legs, her body feeling empty and heavy at the same time. Her chest felt far too tight for her to relax. Sighing, she stared at her feet as they swung like ends of a pendulum.

 _How can I actually care about anyone this much?_ Neva thought. _Since when did I start feeling so attached to anyone? I have to have been better before, when I_ didn't _care. It was me against the world. Allies were temporary. I'd be here, and then I'd be gone..._

 _… I'm not supposed to care,_ she then thought. _I shouldn't. But I do... Why are you on my mind so much? A whole day away from you should've gotten me to think of anything else. But you've been there the whole time._

Neva clutched her chest and flopped onto her back. Now staring at the dark wooden ceiling, she realized the night ahead of her would not speed up just because of how she felt. In her mind, the night would do anything it could to delay its departure.

 _I don't know what to do. I shouldn't be so focused on you. I've got my share of duty to fulfill just like the rest of the team. But, whenever you're not around, I feel so sad and empty... I'm hurting, but I'm not feeling pain. I don't think it's pain...but it's sure not pleasant. I want to get back to Rainbow City already. I'm just so alone without you..._

She slammed her hands over her eyes and let out a long breath. _Ahhhh! What is wrong with me?_

"So I noticed you kept staring at Jayus today," Athelstan said to Marut.

"I do?" Marut asked. "I mean, she keeps walking in front of my line of sight. I'm looking at the trees and all the people moving about and stuff, and she just gets in the way of my vision."

"I'd expect more head movement on your part if you were doing that," said Bowser.

"Dude! C'mon!" yelled Marut.

"Just some people trying to get to sleep up here!" Warra called down.

"Oh, sorry!" Marut replied.

"Bowser, did you tally the amount of times Jayus laughed at Marut during dinner?" Athelstan asked.

"Bro!" said Marut. "Would you just...like, not...with the...she's cool, alright?"

"Hey, no shame in a little crush, man," said Athelstan. "Maybe after we get Echo to help us out, we'll all leave and let you hang out here with her."

"If he wants to stay here and risk getting picked off by Marissa, sure," said Daisy. "The longer we stay, the more we risk the Dark Sentinel tracking us down. And if the robot finds us, then Marissa will know where we are."

"It's a bad idea anyways, Marut," said Bowser. "Don't waste your time and energy."

"I don't agree with that," said Daisy. "Not entirely, anyways."

"I don't see you looking around and putting yourself out there," said Bowser.

Daisy shrugged. "Maybe later down the road. But for now, I like going solo. I can go where I want, when I want, how I want, if I want. I don't mind. Better than forcing yourself into something just because you're by yourself or because society says you should."

"Seconded," said Bowser. "Except I won't have a 'later on down the road' because it's a stupid road."

"I wouldn't say it's stupid," said Athelstan. "There's every chance it could turn out to be rewarding."

"Yeah, okay, sure," Bowser grumbled. "You guys can show me your medals when you get them."

"He meant the reward of companionship," said Daisy.

"I know what he meant," grumbled Bowser. "Now are we quite done with the subject?"

"Hey, it's not my favorite topic either, but you sound kinda irritated with it," said Daisy. "What's up? Did you have a bad experience or something?"

"Good night," Bowser said, covering his head.

"Aw, c'mon, Bowser!" said Daisy. "Don't get mad at me! I was just asking!"

Bowser didn't respond.

"Hey, Bowser," Daisy said. "Ayo Bowser. Are ya listening? Hey Bow-wow. 'Ay Bowz. Bowwwwz-"

"Oh my gosh – what?!" Bowser replied.

"I'm sorry," said Daisy. "I didn't mean to press if I did! If you're embarrassed about somethi-"

Bowser retracted into his shell. He didn't say anything else. The others got the message.

"Good night, Bowser," murmured Daisy.

"Ah, don't worry, Daisy," said Marut. "It'll all be good by tomorrow."

"We should get to sleep too anyways," said Athelstan.

"You're right," Daisy said, getting up to go for the ladder. "Night, guys."

Daisy climbed up to the second floor to get to her bed, only to see Neva face-up and sideways on her own bed in a depressed daze. Her hazy gaze looked tired but wired. She didn't even notice Daisy when the Kruna of Earth walked up to her.

"Is it too wet from your sad rain cloud for me to sit down?" asked Daisy.

"Huh? Yeah, sit or whatever," mumbled Neva.

Daisy plopped herself right next to Neva on the bed in much the same manner the Kruna of Ice lay there. Neva didn't react at all; not even when Daisy flicked her on her forehead and left a red mark on her pale skin.

"How are ya doing?" Daisy asked.

"It's only been a day," muttered Neva. "I haven't seen him since yesterday at sundown, and it feels like I haven't seen him in a month. He must be drinking tea right now. He usually has tea at night. Caffeinated during the day, decaf at night. And the decaf gets us so, so sleepy. And sometimes, he doesn't want to be disturbed when he's drinking tea, so he'll lock his door to keep people from randomly barging in; because it's kind of like meditation, or some quiet time, or something like that. But it feels really nice and cozy and secure. It's so...peaceful... And I _really_ want to have a cup of tea with him right now. I didn't even care about tea before, but he got me to like tea – and not the watered down, sugared-up, pre-made tea, but the tea you brew at home yourself. And home is nice and cozy and secure, right? That's what it's supposed to be, right? Am I making any sense or am I just being weird and creepy?"

"It makes total sense," said Daisy. "You just really miss him after not seeing him for...thirty hours."

"It's all his fault," Neva muttered with a huff. She grabbed at her pillow and began squeezing the life out of it. "Him and his stupid, big brown eyes, and his stupid, childish laugh... Why does he have to be so nice and caring to me? Stupid jerk."

Daisy rolled her narrowing eyes. "Yeah, he's the worst, isn't he..."

"Yeah," Neva replied. "He had to go and make me feel so..." Her voice trailed off into a bone-chilling sigh. "I have got to be the sickest eighteen-year-old girl alive."

"You're not sick at all," said Daisy. "There's people in the world who can't even feel a fraction of what you're feeling. He's lucky to have you in his life. We all are."

Neva smiled, showing some signs of liveliness. "Thanks, Daisy."

"Just try and get some sleep tonight," said Daisy, standing up to leave. "Can you do that?"

"I can try," Neva said.

* * *

Sleep did not come well for Daisy, for her mind trapped her in another disturbing, cryptic dream; one that placed her in an open field facing off against Marissa. No one else was there. It was just her, the demon witch, and the Nirvana Barrier above.

Daisy went straight into Nova Form and flew at Marissa, unleashing a hefty barrage of blazing fast punches and kicks. Marissa blocked all of them with ease. Daisy kept it up and continued with an extra ounce of speed, but Marissa checked everything the Kruna of Earth threw at her. In Daisy's eyes towards the end, it almost seemed like Marissa was moving to where Daisy would aim her hits before Daisy even picked the spots.

Angered and impatient, Daisy backflipped and spun out of her landing with a wicked, forward-propelled roundhouse kick square in Marissa's neck. The force behind the attack and its strike point put obvious pain and agony in the witch's face. Marissa stumbled backwards, but she stayed on her feet. That only made the following uppercut from the Kruna of Earth that much easier to execute, a punch that struck Marissa under her ribs.

Only when she saw Marissa crippled on the ground and clutching at her chest in torment did Daisy step away. She had the immortal witch down, beaten in the most tranquil yet ballistic fashion. And it only took two hits. Two solidly-placed hits to bring Marissa down to her knees, groaning and watering at the eyes.

 _I've got to finish it this time,_ Daisy thought. _No toying around. No having fun. No getting away. No mercy. You've shown what you're capable of doing, Marissa. I'll beat you here and now and we will seal you away forever..._

As Marissa forced herself back to her feet in psychotic anger, Daisy held out her left arm and materialized her Crystal Fist. The Kruna of Earth looked more serious than ever, her scowl frightening even Marissa herself. The witch couldn't even stand up straight. Her legs bent and wobbled as she clutched her chest and made hoarse breaths.

Crystal Fist pulled together and at the ready, Nova Daisy sprang at Marissa to hand her the knockout punch. As Daisy got near Marissa and started to throw her punch, their eyes locked on to each other; a fierce stare-down that went on even after Daisy's Crystal Fist made contact.

For a while, everything was still. Daisy and Marissa did not break their eye contact, as if unable to look at anything else. Then Daisy saw something wrong. A blunt attack like hers should've sent Marissa hurtling along the ground, but the witch never moved after the initial contact. Marissa's gaze then became hazy, at which point her head slumped forward onto Daisy's neck and did not move.

Only then did Daisy realize that her Crystal Fist had not only made an impression on Marissa's abdomen, but that it had went straight through and clear to the other side. With some resistance, Daisy withdrew her outstretched arm and backed away. Now without anything holding her up, Marissa collapsed on the grassy floor, her hat coming off just long enough to shift and fall on top of the back of her head. If she wasn't hallucinating or trapped in an illusion trick, Daisy had not only defeated Marissa...but absolutely maimed her.

Daisy raised her tarnished and sullied Crystal Fist, staring at it. She disbanded the crystals, left with her shaking bare hand to look at. A deep blue tint filled her cheeks as she struggled to figure out whether she should be glad, impressed with herself, horrified, disgusted, or even still as mad as she actually was.

Marissa's lifeless body lay limp on the ground. Daisy had killed the unkillable. The thought of having stripped eternal life away from someone made her mind wander and drift from the present moment. She soon found herself thinking about how powerful she must've been or had become to pull off such a feat. With the gory end brought about from Daisy's power, Marissa was no more. She had stopped the demon witch. At that point, she wondered if the means through which she did really even mattered.

Something in her then wondered if it was all a trick or some clever ploy involving a fake death. Making sure that she really killed her, Daisy knelt down beside Marissa and took one of the demon witch's hands in her hands. She let some time pass as she felt her palm and wrist. Cold. No pulse.

But knowing Marissa, that wasn't enough proof for Daisy. So the Kruna of Earth decided to roll the witch over and check for respiration. At that moment, everything changed; for just as Daisy rolled Marissa's body over, she knocked the witch's hat off and caught sight of her own hair and face in place of Marissa's. Daisy saw her head attached to Marissa's body staring right back at her.

Every thought in Daisy's mind went away. Every emotion in her heart and soul withered and faded. Only emptiness remained. The feelings transferred over to reality when she woke up in the darkened house-tree. Everyone else was still asleep; including Neva, who was in reverse with her feet up where her head should've been. Given how dark it still was, Daisy only lay awake for a short while before she drifted back into sleep. To her, it did no good sacrificing sleep in the name of pondering a dream about an immortal witch somehow dying, whether at her hands or not.

* * *

The next morning came without any loud flare. Daisy walked outside into the main street running through the Home community and saw its residents out and about. She trotted past kids playing and teens and adults resuming work on various architectural and engineering projects. Most everyone seemed to keep up a happy demeanor with the world around them in shambles.

Daisy found the other Kruna with Jayus and Cafune around a corner touching up three Offroaders they pulled out earlier. She didn't see Bowser anywhere nearby, however.

"Took ya long enough to wake up," said Marut.

"Where's Bowser?" asked Daisy.

"He's staying here to meditate," said Ramona. "He felt some sickness coming on not too long ago."

"Good," Daisy replied. "He should be safe and undisturbed here."

"If we're all set, let's go find Echo and see what I can do to get him on your side," said Jayus. "We might be gone for a while, Cafune."

"I got ya," Cafune responded.

"We just have to tighten up these tires here and get Marut to pump them with air," said Athelstan. "Then we'll be clear to go."

"This early in the day, Echo will be somewhere around Memory Forest," said Jayus. "So we'll have to drive around for a while and manually search for him."

"Yeah, I thought it would be a tedious and lengthy process," said Daisy. "He didn't tell us anything about where he'd be when we spoke yesterday."

"He usually doesn't," said Cafune. "So be on the lookout for him. He could be anywhere."

"This might turn into a multiple day search," said Warra.

"Hopefully, it won't," said Daisy.

And then the moment Daisy turned around to look at the dirt road, she felt a jarring disturbance. The energy signature she sensed outsized her own by a colossal margin, and it closed in on them quick. The other Kruna felt it too. So did Jayus and Cafune. It was impossible for any elemental wielder to not notice it, for it disrupted the natural ebb and flow of the environment too much to ignore.

"We've got somebody on their way over here!" shouted Athelstan.

"Sensing them feels like I just got a metal brick stuck in my stomach!" exclaimed Neva.

The lampposts flashed their warning signal and drove all the residents back into their house-trees. The Kruna, Jayus, and Cafune rushed back into Home's main route and furiously looked about the forest. The high treetop cover blocked off large portions of the sky, but Neva thought she saw something for a brief instant when she peered up. She couldn't say for sure because of the dark environment, though she didn't have to wait long for a confirmation. Daisy and Warra saw something descend through the trees and float down too slow to be falling.

But something else did fall. Something metal. They didn't see it, but they heard a clang drop closer to them. No similar followup noise sounded off, and nothing seemed to develop from it. The point of interest came from straight ahead where the first airborne figure lowered itself to ground level. Daisy picked the identity of the the newcomer before anyone else did.

"Jayus," said Daisy. "Take Cafune, and run. Don't ask any questions. Just. Go."

Jayus grabbed Cafune's arms and backed away. The two ran in the opposite direction of the incoming figure, but they didn't go too far. They ducked behind a bush and used it as cover while they waited to see what would happen.

By now, the other Kruna took notice of who was drifting towards them. They held their position as Marissa Arkana touched her feet to the dirt just a handful of yards away and strapped her Dominion Scepter across her back. Clasping her arms behind her, she gazed at each of the six elemental wielders before her with a muted grin.

"You've all done a fine job hiding," said Marissa. "Of course, you should've known I would've caught up to you eventually. I can't blame you for trying...but I can punish you."


	33. Chapter XXXIII

Confrontation!:

For the first time since their encounter at the Sarasaland Campanile on Bellbridge, the Kruna Yura faced off against Marissa. Much had changed in the eight year skip, both for the demon witch and for the Kruna. Different time, different appearances, different equipment, different circumstances; but same people involved. Only Bowser and Andrew were missing, a fact that Marissa took particular note of.

"What's the matter?" Marissa asked. "Don't know what to say?"

None of the Kruna replied. They frowned, grimaced, winced – Daisy and Neva in particular shook with anger – but they uttered no words. There was too much each of them could've said; too much to pick out and make audible, to the point where silence was a better option than trying to put together cohesive language with the countless thoughts and questions they had. Jayus watched from around the end of the bush she took Cafune to hide behind and kept silent and still.

Marissa smirked after a while. "So you have gotten more powerful after all. You must have spent a good deal of effort training...among other things. Yes, you've been busy since you've arrived in this time, huh?"

"Well, yeah," Daisy said. "What do you think we've been doing? Sittin' around on our asses picking dandelions?"

"Your dad would've been proud for once," Marissa cooed. "Long live the king...right? Forgive me if I seem more off than usual. I'm just trying to contain my excitement! You know, it's not very often that I leave home nowadays; and I'm glad this outing hasn't disappointed me in being a wasted trip!"

"What you call home is not your own," said Warra. "And speaking of which, what did you do to Mario and Luigi?"

"Mario and Luigi?" said Marissa, pausing to think. "Oh, those two guys with the _mooou-staches_? I'm glad you brought them up! Because it just so happened that they came along with me too!"

Daisy scowled, flaring her teeth. "I don't see them here."

"We'll get to that, ya overzealous silly," said Marissa. "I want to know what you're doing out here in the boondocks of all places. Trying to hide from the order I brought onto this world?"

"Alright, shut up!" Daisy shouted. "I'm getting real tired of you acting like this world is yours, especially when you haven't done anything for it!"

" _I_ haven't done anything for this world?" said Marissa, about to break into a speedy ramble. "Well, that sounds about right...unless you count the time my old Kruna team and I stopped a meteor from crashing into the planet. I guess that's not too much when you think about it. I also played a bit of a diplomatic role and prevented a war from breaking out between a predominantly fire wielder nation and an ice wielder nation that could've eventually brought in over half the planet into conflict – but I wouldn't bat an eye at that. I only saved those ice wielders' prime minister and their viceroy _and_ their princess from a radical group of elitists holding them ransom…then again, why bring that up? But there's also the time I was part of an earthquake relief program for the big booming megaquake that split this continent from the one down south hundreds of years before you were even born – that's not important! Nobody needs to talk about that right now. That just made me think about the time I held back a titanic volcanic eruption long enough for the locals to escape – who cares?! That's not what we're here to discuss! Or the fact that I was the one that led the Kruna team that sealed away Osiris and prevented the Shadow Queen's revival and release – nobody needs to bring that up _any_ more than they already _have_! In any case, and with all those and various other instances written in history, I've done _too_ much for this world. It owes me. I've done more than enough dirty work for it."

"That's not how it works," said Ramona. "You do for the world because it's the right thing to do. It was your duty. It's our duty now."

"And _what_ are you all doing your duty for?" said Marissa. "Sure, you want to say it's the right thing to do, and you can live with that for a while. But eventually, you'll just get tired of a bunch of sniveling weaklings who want to run to their nearest protector whenever something goes wrong, and you'll see and realize how much they _actually_ care about any of you after you've solved all their problems for them. At the end of the day, you're all pawns and puppets and lackeys and instruments for a society that controls you by saying that doing for them is the 'moral' thing to do."

Marissa then frowned. "So as far as I'm concerned, this is my world. I wouldn't expect you to understand it because you're too far lost in Rosalina's and Geno's and Polari's drivel."

"As far as _I'm_ concerned, _you're_ the one with the drivel!" Neva exclaimed, readying her bladestaff.

"Fine. Believe what you want," said Marissa. "And you can take it to your grave, but not before you give me your Crystal Tears."

Daisy crossed her arms. "For what?"

"Oh, I don't want them for anything special," replied the witch. "Except to draw out the Oracle of Fates and crush any hope of anyone ever overthrowing me. There's never any telling what the Oracle of Fates can do with each incarnation born into the world. They're always so spontaneous and divine in their roles! I can't have something like that running around, don't you think? They're like walking, talking chance wheels! Unless they get killed – then they're just dead."

"Well you're not getting any," said Daisy. "You may as well just drop Mario and Luigi off and get lost!"

"You know, I was hoping you felt that way," murmured Marissa. "Because, when I said I was coming here to track you down, they told me they wanted to come along too. They practically begged me to... I mean, being held prisoner in the castle dungeon for eight years certainly makes you want to do anything else other than sit and waste away in a basement... So I did bring them along... And I actually decided that I'd set them free, too!"

"Wait...you're not serious!" Daisy yelled.

"Yes, yes!" Marissa said. As she talked, she waved her hand at the trees in the direction the metal clang from earlier came from. "I am being as serious as can be. No lie! They're now free from their shackles and have full control of...their bodies!"

Warra narrowed his gaze. _Why would she do that?_ he thought. His eyes then went wide in a possible realization. _Why did she say it like that?_

A few moments later, rustling emerged from the bushes and brush where Marissa had gestured. Mario and Luigi stepped out into the open between the Kruna and Marissa. In dark gray and black jumpsuits that featured Marissa's Mark of the Witch on either shoulder, they turned and faced the Kruna with intense stares. Daisy couldn't really notice the effect on Mario's hat, but Luigi's "L" had been mirrored. The Mark of the Witch also appeared on the two brothers' foreheads at a point between their eyebrows.

"After eight years, I'm sure they're glad to see you..." said Marissa. "However, they may be a little more...hostile...than you remember."

"What's the deal, guys?" Daisy asked with some caution. "Is she setting you free?... Or is something else going on?"

"We are free to demolish all six of you," Mario said.

"You have lived long enough," said Luigi. "Eight years too long. It's time to die."

"You're kidding," Daisy said. "That doesn't sound at all like the Mario and Luigi I know."

"We no longer go by those names anymore," Luigi said. "I am Mr. L."

"And you will know me as Mr. M," said Mario. "And you will be known as 'deceased' by the time this is over."

"We mince no words," said Luigi. "This is the end."

"What did you do to them, Marissa?" shouted Daisy.

"Besides made them talk funny," added Athelstan. "I mean, wow, these two sound stiff!"

"I did what seemed appropriate if you damned do-gooders survived this long," said Marissa. "Take the world's best two elemental wielders, and hold them in stasis until it was time to let them out of their cage so they can sprout their new wings under _my_ world. I have to say; for their pedigree, I was pretty disappointed with how easy they went down. The best the modern world has, and it took less than two minutes. Maybe less than a minute. I guess it wasn't fair because I caught them when they were tired, but they would've lost anyways. I'm unbeatable."

"You only beat us on a cheap trick," said Daisy. "That is not a real victo-"

"I'm sorry, but are you here, or are you not here because of me?" Marissa yelled. "Because if you weren't here, then that means you would have beaten me!... Would have... Have had... Did... Um...beat – how does language work in this case?"

"C'mon, you're the Mario Bros!" Daisy yelled at the two Mushroom Kingdom warriors. "You're supposed to overcome anything! Don't tell me you're gonna let this old witch control you!"

"Words will do nothing," said Luigi, raising his arm. A thick bolt of green lighting flashed from his fingers at Daisy, who dipped down to go prone and avoid a hit. The lightning blew chunks of the ground into the air at the point it struck behind the Kruna, very near to where Jayus and Cafune hid.

"They've _marinated_ under my will and influence for EIGHT years!" snapped Marissa. "You think you can just play the therapist role and lay them down on a chair and talk about feelings and they'll instantly snap back to their senses? NO!"

"Enough talk," Mario demanded, pointing straight at Daisy. "Fight. Now."

"Or, instead of doing things this way, we can all team up and beat Marissa together," Daisy suggested.

"There is no point," said Mario. "It is a hopeless effort."

"There is no hope for you or for any of us," said Luigi. "Surrender and die quickly, or suffer and die slowly."

"This is Grekka all over again," said Warra. "They're not going to be swayed, Daisy. We're going to have to fight them."

"Mr. M! Mr. L! Get ready to crack their necks and drag their corpses!" Marissa hollered.

"For the record, those are the most generic and boring names you guys could've come up with," said Daisy. She turned to her team, telling them, "I'll fight first. Get back and give me some room."

"Let me pair with you," Neva said to Daisy. "That'd make it an even two-on-two! We can beat 'em quick!"

"No, it's not needed," Daisy said. "I appreciate it, but I need to take them myself."

"That's crazy," said Ramona. "They're Mario and Luigi! Well...they were..."

"You can't handle them by yourself," said Warra. "Even for being locked up for eight years, they seem surprisingly powerful."

"Yeah, but I'm me," Daisy replied. She added nothing else. Reluctantly, the other Kruna backed off one by one.

"We'll just keep an eye on Marissa in the meantime," said Athelstan. "But if it starts looking bad for you, we'll-"

"Don't worry about it," said Daisy. "I have no intention of losing. And to be honest, I'm looking forward to doing this."

Silence followed, with the only noise coming from the rustling of branches coming out of the whistle of the growing breeze. Marissa got off her feet and lay back in a hover with her legs crossed, all but showing she had no interest in intervening and was content with just spectating. _I wonder what the Sarasa girl has to offer after all this time,_ she thought. _All of these Kruna have definitely taken a marked leap in power. I can only imagine that the other two absent ones have as well... Ah, yes...those two have potential..._

Marissa then gazed at Ramona, suddenly solemn in her face. She felt compelled to glance at the Kruna of Light; and with her Malocchio Eye too, at that. All three of the witch's pupils studied Ramona while the light wielder looked on at Daisy. Something about Ramona did catch and hold Marissa's interest for a brief moment before the witch directed her attention back to Daisy and the two Mario Bros.

"Last chance for redemption," Daisy said to Mario and Luigi. "Do you really want to let her control you, or are you going to show some independent thought?"

From under their caps, Mario and Luigi pulled eyemasks over their faces, effectively concealing everywhere from the tops of their noses up to where their hats rested on their heads. They then adjusted their neck bandanas and got into battle ready position. They said nothing more.

"What do you expect, Daisy?" said Marissa. "You're all of the same class – slaves to society and its system. Of course they're easy to control. That's what they've been. The only thing that is changed is the one in command."

Daisy grunted in disgust. "So much for trying to talk some sense into ya..."

Marissa then stunned everyone with what she did next. "I'd like all of the people hiding here to watch this!" she yelled through the forest. "That's right! I saw you floundering about as I made my way here! There are dozens of you holed up inside of trees! There's no sense trying to stay concealed now."

Slowly, windows in the trees throughout Memory Forest opened up. Concerned and frightened faces peered and peeked at the scene, knowing they've been found out. At this point, and depending on what Marissa had in mind, they may well have just lost their safe haven.

"See? No need to be so secretive," said Marissa. "I didn't light the entire forest on fire, now did I?"

"You keep your focus on us," said Daisy. "They haven't done anything to you!"

"Besides hiding and thinking they could put together some sort of secret society, you're right," Marissa replied before directing her attention to Home. "Here is the main event for your late morning laze! A perfect example of what will happen to anyone who dares to try and oppose me!"

Mr. M and Mr. L increased their spacing between each other and stood in wait as doors throughout the forest began to crack open. Practically all eyes of Home that had a good vantage point on the development diverted no attention anywhere else. For the duration of her battle with the two Mario Bros, Daisy would have a sizable audience.

"Alright..." said Daisy, focusing her power. An atmospheric disturbance rose around her as she concentrated. "Here we go!"

In one large, ground cracking, wispy silver burst, Daisy powered-up into her Nova Form. Her hair spiked forward and back, black talon-fang marks appeared under her eyes, her irises turned gold, and her skin acquired a glossy golden-bronze sheen in a swift flash. Her transformation complete, she bent over, crossed her hands at her wrists, and staggered her stance.

* * *

Bowser's meditations on the outside of Home came to an abrupt halt when he sensed Daisy's energy spike. In an instant, his eyes shot open and his mind returned to the conscious, waking world where the disturbance originated from. As far as he knew, there was no reason for Daisy to go into Nova Form inside the bounds of the safe haven community. But then, he noticed the other three new energy signatures; the ones that came without a disruptive spike and were already high, one of them larger than all the rest present in Home.

 _What on Earth is going on out there?!_ Bowser thought. Rushing to his feet, he bolted for the main route through Home.

* * *

Echo the Skull Guardian walked along a path on the outer bounds of Memory Forest with his spear held across his back when he sensed the power disruption. He was already hurrying on his way to go check out the disturbance caused by Marissa's presence, but the second, boosted one made him pick up his pace.

 _I have not sensed that before,_ Echo thought _. Or maybe, I have..._

* * *

Marissa cackled and laughed at Daisy as the Kruna of Earth stood ready fight. "Do you really think that little transformation will make any sort of tangible impact here?" the witch asked. "All beings blessed with my Mark of the Witch share power with me and therefore receive a boost on top of their base energy. By now, you should realize that any hope of getting away alive – let alone beating me – is down in a crater filled with jet fuel, cow gas, and flames!"

"You want to act like hope is dead? Fine," Daisy said to Mr. M and Mr. L. "Leave me out of it. Where there is none, I'll make some."

"Such bravado does you no good when you're outmatched," said Marissa, hovering away to further distance herself. "But stubborn ones never learn, do they? Not until they are proven utterly wrong in the most painful and disastrous manner!"

Mr. M and Mr. L jumped and crisscrossed each other in midair. From his belt, M threw explosive pellets while L pulled out four bob-ombs and slung them at Daisy. Her enhanced Nova Form speed got her away from the ensuing explosions on a dodge to the side, only for her to turn around and find that the two Mario Bros had taken flight with a pair of yellow capes.

From their position in the sky, M and L circled around to a point overhead of Daisy. M leapt onto L's back and bounced off into a furious twist. L caught M by his feet and pulled him down, causing both of them to spin as they plummeted out of the air. Just before they reached Daisy, they flipped upside-down, setting up M to pound the Kruna of Earth into the dirt. Only by the grace of her reflexes did Daisy avoid what turned out to be a sneakily-destructive move the moment M smashed his arms onto the ground where Daisy formerly stood. The Mario Bros' impact kicked up clods and mounds of grass and dirt in all directions.

Daisy bull rushed Mr. M and Mr. L and led with a furious series of punches and kicks, but M caught a hold of both of her arms. L slipped behind Daisy and formed an orb of ripping winds in his hands to attack with that would have scored a direct hit had she not thrown one of her legs back into him. Before she could try a reversal on M, he lifted her and threw her onto the ground. Daisy bounced on contact, at which point M leapt up with a hand of fire poised to strike her down. As soon as she saw him get close, she knocked him behind her with a backflipping kick. She didn't even get a chance to get her body all the way around when she saw L blast a gust of air to launch her into a tumble that ended at the base of one of the nearby house-trees.

"That's unreal," said Neva. "The way they fought just now... It's almost like Mr. M and Mr. L aren't fighting as two separate people, but as two separate halves. So far, every move one of them makes is dependent on the other..."

"Not dependent," said Marut. "They're synced up somehow."

"That takes a lot of chemistry to be able to pull off," said Ramona.

"This matchup doesn't play to Daisy's advantage," Warra said as Daisy shook herself off. "It looks like trying to attack one is going to leave her wide open to an attack from the other. A defensive specialist could handle this much better. Fighting two people is one thing, but fighting two people who act synergistically as one is another thing altogether."

"They're not just combining their powers and efforts," said Athelstan. "That much I can see."

Daisy walked back into the fighting area. Mr. M and Mr. L had already recovered and stood in wait for another move from the Kruna of Earth. At that moment, she remembered a defining trait that made Mario and Luigi that much more effective out on the field; more than their overall, individual powers did. Their abilities as a tag-team were unrivaled and far surpassed even that of Ramona and Andrew. Though both pairs performed great as a duo, Mario and Luigi had considerably more experience. Regardless of their identities as Mr. M and Mr. L, their proficiency when working together could very well have reached a point of near-perfection.

 _C'mon, I've got to focus,_ Daisy thought _. This is my chance! I've been needing an opportunity like this! I can get back at them, show them what a mistake it was for them not to consider me an asset to their missions!_

Daisy stood firm and resolute. _They're not invincible. They're not untouchable. I can step to them. I'm just as good as they are... I'm_ better _than they are. Make no mistake – I'm not staying in your shadows anymore. After today, I'm on top!_

Marissa frowned when she saw Daisy's fierce posture and shift in stance. _Now why is she getting gung ho? And quite irate, I might add too... Eh... Then again, I suppose it's just par for the course... But still..._


	34. Chapter XXXIV

Daisy's Decision:

Bowser ran up from behind to join the other Kruna Yura as they, Marissa, and the residents of Home, Memory Forest spectated the standoff between Nova Daisy and Mr. M and Mr. L. For a moment, M's and L's masks and jumpsuits threw Bowser off, but he eventually recognized them as Mario and Luigi. Putting two and two together, he caught on quick to what was going on and didn't ask any questions. Marissa took note of his presence and turned her nose up in a smug smile.

Daisy widened her stance and clawed the air just in front of where she stood. Ripples in the dirt floor of the road raised and cascaded in M and L's direction, only for L to completely negate and scatter the moving earth with wicked downdraft. Out of the elemental collision, Daisy dove at L with a Crystal Kick materializing as she got within striking distance.

The direct hit knocked L back, but M dashed and not only caught him but used the momentum from his trajectory to carry into a spin. Increasing the revolution speed under his own power, M then flung L right back at Daisy. M's throw launched L at her like a missile, and he struck her dead on with his head. Daisy hit the ground like a bus that had overturned, at which point, M ran up and jumped off L. As soon as M went airborne, L jumped too and hopped off of M. Before he began a descent back to the ground, L rained down a flurry of bob-ombs out of his belt. Daisy just barely snuck away from the enormous collection of explosions that resulted. She had no time to catch her bearings, as M charged at her, hands ablaze. With a spinning back kick, Daisy kept M from smacking her with flames. To try and slow down the pace of the conflict for at least a moment, Daisy hopped around in haphazard fashion and used her Crystal Grip to cling with a few dozen feet of elevation onto the trunk of a nearby house-tree.

"One move just leads straight into another from the other brother," said Marut. "She's getting almost no chance to whip out attacks."

"The only thing working for Daisy here is her Nova Form," said Warra. "That's really what's leveling the match some. But aside from that, Mario and Luigi are in complete control early..."

Daisy formed a Crystal Fist with her free hand and detached from the tree trunk. She propelled off the balls of her feet when they touched the forest turf and sprinted at Mr. M. Mr. L saw it coming and reacted with a zap of lightning in front of her, tripping her up and putting an end to any sort of offense she was trying to set up.

As Daisy flipped away in an acrobatic escape, Mr. L materialized a Mystic Hammer reminiscent of their old Ultra Hammers. Mr. M flared fireballs in each hand and threw them at L, who smacked them in Daisy's direction. Growing in frustration, Daisy smashed each of the fireballs into oblivion with ferocious hooks.

"Aw, are you getting mad?" Mr. L yelled.

"I've been mad," replied Daisy. She staggered her stance, leaned forward, and crossed her forearms when she saw Mr. M prepping more fireballs. M tossed fireball after fireball to L, and L slammed them with his hammer at the Kruna of Earth. Even with the added speed from the fireballs, Daisy hit them all with her punches and swipes.

In response, Mr. M just kept making fireballs, but he cut the time in half and started slinging one every quarter-second. Mr. L stopped with standard swings and wound up into a revolving Hammer Spin to get every fireball M threw at him. Their timing proved impeccable, and they forced Daisy to pick up the pace. Even though not every fireball flew at her, the Nova Form earth wielder turned her hits on the incoming fireballs into deflections in order to keep up.

Seeing their attack ineffective after the fiftieth fireball, M and L switched positions. M materialized his Mystic Hammer, and L started chucking red bob-ombs at him. Daisy couldn't deflect the bombs once M batted them in her direction, for the initial hammer hit made them far too sensitive to handle another one. Daisy turned and dashed around in an ellipse as bob-ombs exploded behind her. She thought she could score an attack when she got near the two brothers and got ready to pull up some of the ground to combo into an overhead punch, but L countered her and the rising ground with a ripping wind gust. Daisy got slashed and pushed back from the powerful air blast without landing a hit on either Mr. M or Mr. L.

 _Gosh – he has to be a frickin' air wielder!_ Daisy griped in thought with a grimace as she glanced at Mr. L.

"We've been looking forward to this," said Mr. M. "Now we can finally get rid of you!"

Daisy wiped her mouth and frowned. "Thanks. That makes me feel a whole lot better."

"Everyone back at home wanted you gone," said Mr. L. "You had no place there. We put up with you far longer than we should have."

"You should've done everyone a favor and went back to Sarasaland – and stayed there," said Mr. M.

"And why are you saying all this now?" asked Daisy.

"Because the truth of the matter is that no one in the kingdom liked you," said Mr. M. "They all despised you."

"That's a lie, Daisy!" Bowser shouted. "Marissa has to be making them say that stuff! They don't sound like Mario and Luigi at all-"

"And you – I'll get to you," Mr. M said, pointing at Bowser. "I should've wiped out the entirety of your kind right from the start."

"What kind of brainwashing did you pull on them, Marissa?" Daisy yelled.

"Moi? I'm not controlling what's coming out of their mouths," replied the witch. "I'm not gonna barbecue _your_ beef."

Mr. L pulled out a balloon from his belt and siphoned air into it to full inflation. He and Mr. M jumped on top of it as it rose up, readying lightning and fire to rain down from above. Once more, Daisy couldn't do anything to them or their perch high up and had to wait for their move.

"You wanna know how much we all hated you?" said Mr. L. "You were the annoying redhead nobody wanted around! Just a sassy loudmouth who wouldn't get lost!"

Mr. L flared the first of his lightning at Daisy as a widespread web. Though not aimed directly at her, it had a massive amount of scope and forced her to evade in caution as the lightning crackled almost in random traces. She made over a dozen cuts and twists around the battle area before the lightning shocks ended.

"You're an obnoxious waste of a person who will never amount to anything significant," said Mr. M. "That's why you lost in the first place. That's why we were always the ones doing the work in the old world, while you stayed back and kept out of the way."

Mr. M sprayed a swath of fire that spread out into several smaller fireballs at the apex of its height. They dropped to the ground and bounced in unpredictable directions. As a result of their unorthodox movement and high, repetitive bounces, Daisy got singed from several of them, many of which she didn't even see coming. Bowser, Warra, and Neva ran around the area to absorb and douse any stray flames that got loose and ignited on the plants and landscape, preventing Home from getting engulfed in inferno.

At that point, Mr. M set the balloon itself on fire. Both brothers jumped and then kicked the balloon out of the air and straight at Daisy. Yet again, Daisy had to make evasive maneuvers to get away from the balloon that exploded when it hit the ground and pushed out wind and fire in a wide radius from its epicenter. With more fires getting loose, Bowser, Warra, and Neva rushed to put out any and all flames catching and lighting up. Ramona, Marut, and Athelstan put their elemental guards up to defend themselves, and Jayus kept Cafune tucked behind their boulder cover.

"They'll burn down the whole forest if they keep using moves like that," said Marut.

"It doesn't seem like they're concerned about if that happens or not at all," said Warra.

Mr. M and L split wide and engulfed their bodies with fire and wind respectively. They then ran at each other, interlocked their arms, and entered a vicious counterclockwise spin that melded their elements together in a moving vortex. Their revolutions becoming faster with time, they inched their Gusting Flame Spiral towards Daisy and expanded their reach with more fire and air.

"My goodness," said Ramona, wide-eyed. "How are they doing all that stuff?! It's...it's just not normal!"

"What do you expect?!" Marissa screamed in between laughs. "They're elemental masters! You're all just jokes! If you all thought you were just gonna 'dootsie-dootsie-doo' in here and undo everything that I created and established, you're dead wrong!"

Daisy stood her ground and pulled back a fist for her Shotgun, non-verbally declaring she had gotten tired of dodging. She let Mr. M and Mr. L's torrent of voracious fire and wind drag close to her, for her seismic power would elicit the most damage close up at point-blank range. M and L got to just a handful of feet away when Daisy released her rumbling spray of earth power, an attack that succeeded in blasting the two back and out of their technique.

As Mr. M and Mr. L recovered from the previous move, Echo the Skull Guardian came from out of a smaller branching path and walked up to where Jayus and Cafune hid. Like just about everyone else in Home, Jayus and Cafune had their attention on the fight between Daisy and the two Mario Bros. Echo recognized Daisy, who had readied more energy and put an indent in the ground around where she stood.

"This powered-up form of hers seems most impressive," murmured Echo.

"She has been fighting to protect us," said Jayus. "And these Kruna have sworn to defeat Marissa."

"And their presence here could very well be the reason why Marissa is here," said Echo.

"But it's not their fault," said Jayus. "If they're worth hunting down, then of course there was a chance they'd lure her here."

Echo didn't reply. He looked on at Daisy, who crouched with one hand grasping the handle of the Terra Bladestaff slung on her back as a silvery aura swirled and made tremors around her body. The amount of power she brought out seemed unusually large considering the size of the battlefield she fought against the Mario Bros in.

"You think it's going to be an earthquake?" Neva asked Warra.

"It looks like an Iaido strike may very well be on the way..." said Warra. "But she might be baiting Mario and Luigi. This is an unexpected turn. It's uncharacteristically defensive on her part to just sit there and wait. I can barely tell where she's looking with her current stance..."

"If you ask me, she's just staring at the ground," said Athelstan.

Mr. M and Mr. L both took out their hammers and started twirling them. M's lit on fire, while L's conducted static electricity. Daisy's head remained tilted down, her eyes shadowed and concealed under her spiked hair.

"Well that's a trap if I ever saw one," said Bowser.

"You mean for Daisy?" asked Neva.

"No," Bowser said. "Not if she's going to do what I think she is."

The two Mario Bros took off and crisscrossed on their way towards Daisy. Right when Mr. M and Mr. L got ready to swing, Daisy jumped back and away. She unlimbered her bladestaff in midair and swung down to slash a mass of seismic power at where M and L stood. Neither of the two dodged on account of Daisy's energy burst hitting the earthen terrain in front of them, but they soon realized they should have. Daisy's power spread around M and L and caused the ground they stood on to collapse inward, trapping both of them waist high in dirt and mud. As soon as she landed, the bladestaff went back in its holster with a sharp clang. The earth now containing M and L hardened and compressed.

"Wow, right on!" Neva cheered.

"What a clever reversal," said Warra.

"I didn't see that one coming at all," said Ramona.

"I gotta say, it was looking pretty bad at first, but now it looks like she may well pull this one off!" said Athelstan. "She can add beating the Mario Bros to her resumé!"

"Are you cheerleaders in the waffle emporium quite done over there?!" Marissa shouted at the Kruna. "So she trapped them in dirt. Big deal! You want a damn cookie?!"

Daisy marched over to Mr. M and Mr. L and stood just outside of arm's reach from them. She folded her arms and gazed at each of them with an alert frown, almost as if begging them to try and bust free. The Two Mario Bros stared back, irritated but motionless. L's right arm didn't get caught in the ground.

"If you're smart, you won't break out," Daisy said to Mr. L. He could burst free if he ate away at the packed dirt with a pressurized blast of air or if he forced air in through cracks in their earthen entrapment. Of this, Daisy seemed aware.

"If you were smart, you'd finish us off now while you had the chance," Mr. L taunted. "But you don't have the guts to try and do it, huh?"

"I wonder how many times you've let someone go when you were too weak to kill them then and there," said Mr. M.

"And I wonder how many times that has come back to haunt you," added Mr. L.

"If you've got a job to do, you do your job," said Mr. M. "You don't leave it unfinished."

"What are they saying?" Neva murmured. "Do they _want_ her to kill them?"

"Here we are at your mercy," said Mr. M. "And you show once again how useless you are."

"Every mission we accomplished, you would have failed," said Mr. L. "Rosalina should've relied on us to do the heavy work she had you do. You should've just ran and hid...princess."

 _These two are really sounding bitter!_ Bowser thought.

In a less than immediate response to M and L, Daisy said, "The both of you are wrong..."

"Then prove us wrong and finish what you started," said Mr. M. "If you don't, we'll kill you."

Mr. M's and Mr. L's constant egging and beratement had made Daisy deathly serious. With the pause in action came uncomfortable, brooding silence. Neither of the Mario Bros made any motion to try and break free. Control had shifted over completely to Daisy.

The Kruna of Earth's left arm rose to grab her Terra Bladestaff. She stalled for a little, looking back and forth at Mr. M and Mr. L, who stared back at her with grim intensity. All eyes of all those present went on Daisy. Marissa, Bowser, Warra, Marut, Ramona, Athelstan, Neva, Echo, Jayus, the residents of Home watching; all waited with baited breath to see what the Nova Form earth wielder would do. No one dared utter a word.

Daisy pulled out her bladestaff and held it out to her side. Neither Mr. M nor Mr. L diverted their stare away from Daisy to look at the outstretched earth tool. She brought the staff back in close to her and held one end of it up just inches away from her face, her reflection partially visible in the flat of the blade. From either points of view, Mr. M and Mr. L had each others' reflections on the flat of the opposite side blade.

From a perch high on a tree branch overlooking the entire area of the road where the morning's action had been, Arka Knight waited and watched. Having just made it to the area moments ago, he had not made his presence known to anyone. Whoever had sensed him did not pay any attention, for it all went to the redheaded woman in earth wielder garb and armor holding her bladed elemental tool.

"Every second you waste proves how weak you are," said Mr. M.

No change in Daisy or her demeanor resulted from Mr. M's remark. Marissa set her feet on the ground and now stood up straight. The once frantic and chaotic clash that took up a large portion of one of Home's primary roads had devolved into a gut-wrenching trial of waiting.

"We'll kill your teammates," said Mr. L.

Daisy closed her eyes. She carried out no actions still. More time passed, the only change coming from her resting her forehead on the flat of the blade facing up.

"We'll kill everyone here," said Mr. M.

Daisy sighed, a strong feeling of fuzzy numbness momentarily shooting through her body from her back outwards. A choir of angels would play an ominous E-flat minor melody in what could possibly become a distressing and forlorn turning point for everyone involved. Neva started to move towards Daisy, but Warra put his arm up and kept her from advancing.

"Marissa will kill us," said Mr. L. "Either way, we will die sooner or later. We were only kept alive to kill you if you had survived this long."

"You want to prove you're capable, don't you?" said Mr. M. "Do what your duty asks of you. Like we did."

"Or we kill everyone," said Mr. L.

Daisy made a strong exhale and clutched the rod of her bladestaff with both hands. She turned it sideways, right hand prone and over, left hand supine and under, the cross in her arms stabilizing the staff and her nerves. Finally reopening her eyes, she stared at the center of her tool's shaft.

"I'm sorry you've both lost it in the eight years we've been gone," said Daisy. "It's clear to me now that though you may have been Mario and Luigi once, you are not anymore. How much of that is a result of Marissa's influence or not, I don't know. But I accept responsibility and blame regardless."

One more sigh escaping her, Daisy raised her arms. Mr. M and Mr. L did not flinch at the sight of the bladestaff looming overhead. They waited for the embrace of finality that would follow behind the swing of the Terra Bladestaff and gave no uproar or complaints.

But the swing never came. Daisy hooked her bladestaff into its place on her back and reset her hands to her sides. "Even so, if there is no need to kill, I will not," she then said. "If you want to stand in our way, I can't help that. My duty lies in dealing with Marissa. Not with you. And I sense no need to kill here, regardless of what you may say."

Mr. L raised his free arm and brought in a forceful gust of wind to blow into their trap of caked earth. Their binds slowly eroded until they got low and weak enough for the two brothers to pull themselves and their hammers out. Full freedom restored, Mr. M and Mr. L got into stance to fight.

To everyone's surprise, tears began streaming out of Daisy's eyes. Her angered scowl released a soft flow of liquid emotion that fell to the ground drop after drop. Muted fury coursed through her clenched her fists.

"You want to know the truth of it all?" said Daisy. "Deep down...I've harbored hate for you two. You got me so mad so many times! Yeah, you guys were good friends, and great heroes; but every time you all went on an adventure or did anything important and I never got to come or contribute in any way, it hurt. I wish you guys had let me tag along just once. But no; you've blown me off every single time, acting like I couldn't do anything to help. It always made me feel worthless, useless, expendable, lonely, unappreciated – you name it. I held it against you in the back of my mind, and I hated you two a lot because of that."

Mr. M and Mr. L showed no change in emotion or intention. M just put his hammer away and flared fires around his fingers, while L raised his hammer to eye level. They were likely moments away from putting together an attack to resume battle.

"But I will not seek vengeance," Daisy then said. "I'm not going to try and get back at you. I'm not going to get any satisfaction from killing you. I prove nothing in killing you...even though you're already dead. Just know that I'm not sitting in either of your shadows anymore. Not here, and not in the past."

Mr. M ignited a large fireball in his hands, and Mr. L leaned back with his hammer ready to swing. Daisy got into stance and readied herself for the incoming attack, strangely in the most relaxed manner she had been since the start of the fight. But it was no smiles for her.

M threw his fireball at L for him to swing his hammer at, but Daisy caught him off guard and got in his face before the fireball even reached him. The striking display of speed culminated in an uppercut that lifted L up and behind her, consequently into the path of M's fireball. With his body suffering extensive burns, L flopped onto the ground and painfully rolled around.

M rushed at Daisy and threw out punches and kicks that she proceeded to block in succession with furious calm. Dozens of hits from M missed until Daisy latched onto him, picked him up, and slammed him straight into the ground, creating an impression at the site of impact. L lunged at Daisy only for her to grab him for a double somersault throw that sent him skidding along the dirt road.

When M and L both got up, Daisy wasn't even facing them. Though she remained in Nova Form, she walked over to the other Kruna, saying only, "I'm done."

"What do you mean you're done?" asked Marissa, confused.

"I'm not fighting them anymore," said Daisy. "I'm tired of fighting these two."

"What..." murmured Marissa. "How... You're tired... Oh...I see..."

Daisy nodded, stern and silent. She had a sickening feeling weighing her down and making her body feel hotter than normal in the cold air. Her stare shifted from Marissa to the motionless Mr. M and Mr. L before she cupped her arms in her hands and sighed. In that manner, she waited.

"There's no saving them, is there?" Bowser asked Daisy.

The Kruna of Earth shook her head. "In our own time, there is, but not in this world. At least they'll be free from Marissa this way."

"But, Daisy, shouldn't we try to do something for them?" said Ramona.

"We will," said Daisy. "We will..."

"You know, the least you could do was clean up your own mess," Marissa grumbled at Daisy. Without any warning, she shot up an arm and blasted a densely-compacted red beam originating from two fingers. Despite what Daisy said, Bowser, Ramona, Marut, and Neva tried to make a break for Mr. L; but the beam traveled too fast and impaled him through the chest before they took more than a few steps. Mr. L collapsed onto the dirt, while another pinpoint beam burst through Mr. M's chest and put him on the ground too. Their energy signatures both faded soon after.

"They're kind of where they belong now," said Marissa. "Laid out...like discarded toys...in the mud! You disappoint me, Daisy. Don't get me wrong – that little grudge thing you had was entertaining, but you didn't seal the deal at the end."

"None of us are here for your entertainment, you creep!" Bowser snapped.

"Ooh, now them's fighting words!" replied Marissa. She held up her two fingers by her frowning face and let more power condense into them. "You want to push me, fine – just know I'm in the right mind to stamp you all out right here."

"There will be no further stamping," Echo said, stepping out from Jayus and Cafune's hiding spot to join the Kruna.

"What's this? A rogue Skalfer?" said Marissa. "I swear, independent thought does people more harm than good."

Suddenly, Arka Knight dove from his spot up in the trees. The brown-clothed Shy Guy made a swift descent and a soft landing in front of the Kruna and Echo, Povado Thumper out and ready for battle. That made for nine elemental wielders now standing in opposition of Marissa.

"And now what – a chocolate-flavored Shy Guy?" Marissa dryly taunted. "What do you all think this is – assemblage of the lemmings?"

"No lemmings here," said Arka Knight. "Just elemental warriors!"

"That voice..." Marissa mumbled. Her expression then flipped from mildly annoyed to utterly befuddled. "No, not you! How are you here? I killed you sooooo long ago!"

"I exist outside the bounds of time," said Arka Knight. "You killing me granted me a gateway to a power far greater than you could possibly imagine."

"Arka Knight, what are you talking about?" said Daisy.

"Not of immediate concern, Kruna of Earth," said Arka Knight. "For now, the demon witch commands our attention! Do not avert your focus!"


	35. Chapter XXXV

Watch Out...:

If Marissa had any concern about a nine elemental wielder ambush, she didn't make it apparent. She sure made her annoyance conspicuous, and Arka Knight's presence only irritated her further. It almost seemed as if Marissa had forgotten that Nova Daisy and the other Kruna, along with the defiant Skalfer, Echo, were just behind the brown-clothed Shy Guy.

"Foolish Arka Knight," Marissa grumbled. "A power you attained through me killing you? What trick are you trying to pull?"

"I'm pulling no tricks," said Arka Knight. He crouched lower and held his pickax-jackhammer Povado Thumper higher.

"Neither am I!" Daisy yelled, activating her Pendant of Reanimation. In just seconds, a quartet of fox corpses rose up at the sides of her group. Ramona shuddered at the sight of the undead animals, but then she shrugged it off when she reminded herself that they were under the Kruna of Earth's complete control.

"That can't be the Orianthi," muttered Marissa, vexed. "Where did you get that Alkemei?! Do you know how long I have been looking for that one?!" She then sneered at Arka Knight. "Don't tell me _you_ had it all these years and gave it to her."

"Okay, then I won't tell you," replied Arka Knight.

Marissa made a low growl and let a violent pulse of magic crackle around her raised hand; a gesture that made just about everyone there flinch in some way aside from Daisy, Echo, and Arka Knight. The witch said nothing extra and instead let her charged hand glow red with mystic power. She looked at each of the nine elemental wielders with uninhibited disdain.

"Make a move before I make one for you!" demanded Daisy.

"Look at you raring to go," said Marissa. "... You always have to try and be cute when you're a little puppy dog facing a feral wolf."

Daisy got ready to sic her fox companions on Marissa, and Bowser drew his Pyro Scimitar. Echo got into stance with his thick-bladed spear emitting quick-freeze pulses of frost. With Daisy, Bowser, Arka Knight, and Echo on standby for battle, Marissa had more than enough reason to feel provoked. She started to move her raised hand away from her face and into the direction of the assembled elemental wielders, who braced for an incoming blast. They had to expect something from the witch by the way she moved her arm. But surprisingly, Marissa stunned everyone when she put her hand down just a little while later and calmed the power built up in it. She clasped both her hands behind her back, showing no further, immediate signs of aggression.

"I must say, I've been curious," Marissa began. "Where is that dark boy? Why is he not here with you?"

"What are ya – tryna play coy?" asked Neva. "Back off!"

"That's not an adequate answer," said Marissa. "Where is he? Is he with Rosalina? Where is she?"

"Why do you need to know?" asked Bowser.

"Nothing too big..." Marissa said. "I just am trying to figure out whether you all have been hiding underground like earth vermin or are just fugitives with a new hideout every night."

"We're around," said Marut.

"See, it's stuff like _that_ that gets people dead," growled Marissa. "Sirs, you're making me look ridiculous in front of all these people out here, and a woman of my age, rank, and profession can not afford to be made to look re _-_ dicolus. Around where? I shouldn't have to ask that when you know what I mean."

The witch waited for a response and got none. The seven Kruna Yura stayed silent and provided nothing for Marissa to try and pick apart. She got the message early.

"I should've known you wouldn't want to say anything," stated Marissa. She then incited jarring chills in the Kruna when she asked, "Where's that airship of yours?"

 _Please don't tell me she's_ that _onto us,_ Warra thought.

"Did you think I forgot about that?" said Marissa. "Too bad. I remember watching you flounder about in Crescent Moon Village, and I remember that ship come out of nowhere and then completely disappear. Now I'm going to ask one more time, and then I will never ask or address it again. The subject will die in a hail of gunfire at the bottom of a fiery crater infested with lava snakes, discarded hair nets, and terrible discount movies. Where have you been hiding all this time?"

Still, the Kruna kept silent. Marissa waited as long as she felt was an adequate period of time for anyone to speak up, yet none did.

"Okay," said Marissa. Her expression suddenly became gentle and benign. The Kruna had not often seen Marissa so demure very often at all – if at all. "You are free to leave," she said. "Go on. Skedaddle. Au revoir. Bon voyage."

"Wait, so you're just going to let us go?" asked Marut.

"That doesn't sound right at all," said Neva. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Marissa said. "Truly and deeply, honest to me, just go on ahead and get out of here. I will show no hostility whatsoever. I can already tell that this is not where you've been hiding in the months since you first appeared in this time."

"But why just let us leave after all this?" asked Warra.

"I can destroy you anytime I please now that I know you're missing one of your elements," said Marissa. "You're of no threat to me. You can't kill me, you can't restrain and lock me up, and now you CERTAINLY can't suspend me in an Elemental Seal. There's no putting two ice wielders together to make shadow. Besides, I have more ghoulishly ghoulish ghouls lying in wait, capable of picking you off should you dare cross paths with them."

Marissa then turned to address Home as a whole. "Much of the same goes to you all hiding in these trees! Live in your community here. I don't mind. Be insubordinate if you want. It doesn't mean anything in the end. It's only a matter of time before your little cove here crumbles and falls into decay, and then you'll come crawling to me for salvation. What you should really be worried about is if when that time comes, I'll be merciful or...cantankerous."

After unlimbering her Dominion Scepter, Marissa took a seat on its shaft and rose off the ground. "What's with the faces?" Marissa asked the Kruna. "I'm letting you off the hook today. Maybe you should take advantage of that fact. Until next time..." With a wink and a salute, she shot skyward and flew away from Home. Arka Knight and Echo eased out of their stances, and Daisy willed the foxes back into their resting place deep underground before shutting her Orianthi off.

"Is this actually happening?" asked Athelstan.

"I don't get it," said Marut. "She just goes and leaves us like that?"

"I don't get it either," said Bowser. "But I'm signaling for the Koopa Cruiser."

* * *

As a show of respect, the Kruna requested a proper burial for Mario's and Luigi's corrupted bodies. They had their moment of silence to honor the two fallen heroes before some of Home's residents took their bodies away. Emptiness filling her, Daisy had nothing to say regarding the Mario Bros. Everything that transpired in their fight earlier resonated in her and culminated into a strange mixture of sadness and fury that clashed with the guilt tugging at her for not attempting to defend Mario and Luigi. Quite a few times in the group's wait for the Koopa Cruiser, she wondered if she should have killed them herself. The thought disgusted her, and yet she kept considering that it might have been the better option; even if only by a negligible margin given the situation.

 _You sick bastard,_ Daisy thought at one point, referring to herself. _What kind of hero are you? You really did want to do it for a moment there, didn't you?..._

Within a couple hours later, the Koopa Cruiser arrived and dropped through an open area in the Memory Forest trees to land on a clear spot on Home's main route. By now, most of the residents had come out of hiding and gathered around outside nearby the Kruna Yura's extraction point. Arka Knight and Echo had remained with the Kruna the entire time in anticipation of a possible ambush or other potential uprising, but nothing of the sort happened. Marissa had not shown herself at all since her initial departure. Nonetheless, the spontaneity of the witch's move left the Kruna twitchy and cautious.

"No, Marut, we're not going with you guys," Jayus said to the Kruna of Air. "We're staying here, and if Marissa does come back, we'll just have to take our chances. This is our safe haven. And we'll fight for it if that's what it comes down to because it's really all we have left in this world."

"It's just that she's so powerful," Marut said. "I don't feel right leaving you guys here..."

Jayus grinned and gave Marut a big hug. "It's really nice of you to worry, but, we're not changing our minds. That's just how it is, for me and for everyone else here."

"But we barely even got a chance to hang out or anything..." mumbled Marut.

"Hey! Marut, c'mon!" Bowser shouted. Besides Nova Daisy and Ramona, who, for the moment, stayed with Echo and Arka Knight, the other Kruna were already boarding the airship.

Jayus reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth with Home's emblem on it. "Take this with you."

"You're giving me a handkerchief?" asked Marut.

Jayus giggled. "No, silly! It's a mini version of our flag. Treat it like a memento. If I don't see you for whatever reason, I want you to remember us. Or remember me, at least."

Marut nodded with a smile and took the flag. "It won't leave my possession!"

"I can't guarantee I could defend against her by myself," Echo said to Daisy and Ramona. "But even if I should fall, and even if this community or the whole continent goes up in flames, you all have a duty to do. You're all that we've got, so I will do what I can to assist-"

Echo reached into his pockets and pulled out his four Crystal Tears. He handed each of them to Ramona, which would total together with the ones they found scattered around the forest and those she kept back in her room in Rainbow City at thirty-one.

"Thank you, Echo," said Daisy.

"Don't thank me," said Echo. "If you fail now, you fail everyone."

Daisy nodded. "We know."

"We're just about halfway there now," Ramona said. "Another thirty-three, and we can...um...do what with these?"

"That's right – we never got to find out exactly what these would do altogether or how to use them!" said Daisy. "Marissa thinks that they'll lure the Oracle of Fates out when they're all brought together."

"Arka Knight can fact check me, but I believe Marissa is only half right," said Echo.

"You two know each other?" Daisy asked.

"No longer than as long as my people have been a part of this realm," replied Echo. "Arka Knight and I have been in conversation over the past few years."

"All Crystal Tears together will provide you a path to the Oracle of Fates, not draw them out," said Arka Knight. "Because they were once a part of the Oracle of Fates, they will grant you the means to track down the Oracle of Fates. That will likely involve the use of your Motomeru, Kruna of Light."

"So are they needed to work the Gate of Time?" Ramona asked.

"Technically," said Arka Knight. "For it activates upon sensing the Oracle of Fates. Because of this, you might only need the presence alone of a single Crystal Tear if the oracle can not accompany you to the gate. You _will_ need the Oracle of Fates in order to beat Marissa, for they will almost certainly provide the setup for defeating the witch. So, you must continue both searches for the Crystal Tears and the Gate of Time...unless you want to give up on this time and just worry about your own?"

"No way," said Daisy. "We're saving this time and our own. We agreed on that as a team, and that's what we're going to do. We're responsible for both."

"That's what I expected to hear," replied Arka Knight. "And that's what you needed to say."

"From what I understand, the Gate of Time shouldn't be too difficult to trace," said Echo. "If these ancient light wielders you're saying made the Gate of Time had the foresight to make it in the first place, then I would expect they would have the foresight to keep it from destruction and move it to somewhere only you could find and use it."

"The Light Shrine, Stone Shrine, and Water Shrine were built around the same time," said Arka Knight. "They were the first of the elemental shrines. You're unlikely to find the gate in the latter two if you didn't see it in the former. But you might be able to find information in one of them. Elemental bias aside, I would say that the Stone Shrine would have more to work with. If you all check through there, I'll scout out the Water Shrine when I get a chance."

"We have documents and stuff from the Light Shrine we're gonna try and get translated," said Daisy. "So I would just hold off on going to either shrine for now. Hopefully, our brains guy can pull information from them that can help."

Suddenly, Waluigi peeped his head out from the Koopa Cruiser entryway. "Hey! Are you coming, or are you gonna have another sleepover?"

"Waluigi..." Daisy grumbled.

"We should get going," said Ramona.

"Of course," said Arka Knight. "Don't let us hold you up. You must be on your way. I expect you'll have made plenty of progress when next we meet."

Daisy nodded. "Yeah..."

Daisy, Ramona, and Marut ran onboard the Koopa Cruiser as Jayus and the Home residents waived them off. The three Kruna followed Waluigi up into the cockpit room, where Toadette and the other four Kruna had been waiting. As soon as Waluigi got strapped in, the airship raised off the ground and headed skyward.

"Okay..." said Neva. "It's really just us now. Nobody else but us..."

"What do you mean?" Toadette asked.

"Not too long ago, we found out what happened to Mario and Luigi," said Bowser.

* * *

Just on the outer bounds of Memory Forest, Marissa hovered low to the ground on her Dominion Scepter underneath a short tree. Her Malocchio Eye active, she sat in wait in much the same way she had been waiting ever since she had left Home. She kept her main eyes closed and directed all of her attention to the Remote Viewing of her Malocchio to not misconstrue a single tiny little detail of the image she watched.

Marissa's normal eyes shot wide open in an instant as soon as she recognized the opportunity she had been waiting for. _Time to hunt..._ she hissed in thought.

The witch moved from under her cover out into the open. From there, she ascended and flew into the sky. Using her Malocchio eye, she traced her fleeing target and set a course straight for it.

* * *

"... And so after Daisy refused to continue the fight, Marissa offed them right then and there," said Bowser.

"We barely had any time to react..." said Marut.

"Really, the only thing that could've made it all worse is if the Dark Sentinel had barged in," said Athelstan. "Or Kokoro, for that matter."

Nova Daisy sat hunched over in a chair with her hand over her mouth, deep in thought. She had said little since coming onboard the airship. So much still waited ahead; thirty-three Crystal Tears out in the world, a Gate of Time to find, the Dark Sentinel still roaming the planet, Kokoro lurking about, all of Marissa's remaining archfiends – and the Skalfer army of hers – the Nirvana Barrier over the planet, King Boo, and of course, Marissa herself. They somehow had to deal with all of that. And now, they knew for sure they wouldn't have any extra help besides some minor assistance from Arka Knight and Echo.

But then Daisy perked up when she remembered something, "We did see Peach yesterday," she said. "The real Peach – not a doppleganger, not a fake. The actual Peach."

"Why wasn't she with you guys?" asked Toadette.

"She was in a hurry on her way somewhere else..." Daisy said. "She seemed tired for the brief instant we saw her, but other than that, she looked fine."

Toadette breathed a huge sigh. "Wow... She survived eight years down here."

"On her own," said Bowser. "And she played a big role in putting together that community in Memory Forest."

"Hopefully, she'll come with us next time we see her," said Warra.

"Hopefully..." murmured Daisy.

"It still doesn't make any sense why Marissa would just let us leave," said Neva.

"It doesn't," Bowser agreed. "But she is a very unorthodox one. You can't read her a lot of the time."

Daisy then chuckled some and shook her head. It appeared unprovoked, for nothing had happened in the room. But then she said, "She's watching us, isn't she?"

Turns out Daisy was partially right; for Marissa had not only been watching them, but she had now been following them. The witch stayed just far enough away from the Koopa Cruiser to not be seen, but close enough for her to see the ship. Though none of the Kruna could catch sight of anything out of the back windows, they took the possibility alone of being watched very seriously.

"Divert away from the Nirvana Barrier," Warra said to Waluigi and Toadette. "Keep the ship low for a little while."

 _Where are they going?_ Marissa thought, watching the airship lose altitude. _There's nothing but barren field for miles around out here. That's an odd spot to land..._

The demon witch closed the gap between her and the airship by a few seconds, but she didn't want to drift too far close and get noticed; whether that be from getting physically spotted, sensed out, or detected by whatever possible machinery capable of tipping them off to her position the ship had. Getting too far away would mean losing sight and sound of the ship and its suppressed engine noise. But for now, she could just cruise. The airship she chased didn't speed up or change direction. It stayed at its general low altitude and soared over the open fields.

"Alright," said Warra. "As soon as we get the cloaking device on, we need to go vertical, and quick."

"Roger, Roger," Waluigi replied.

Marissa squinted and slowed up on her scepter when she noticed the Koopa Cruiser put the brakes on. _Is it parking out here?_ Marissa thought. _Why here? Unless they've got a whole secret base hidden under the grass?!_

The witch expected to come across a secret hatch in the ground within the next few kilometers she followed the Koopa Cruiser. Instead, the airship as a whole abruptly vanished. Marissa slowed to a complete stop and looked in every direction, but she found no ship or anything resembling a base or hideout. Eventually, she didn't even hear the ship anymore. Projecting her sight with her Remote Viewing, she scanned and searched all over the immediate area within a five-mile radius and saw nothing she could identify as the ship she had been chasing.

 _They did it again,_ Marissa thought. _How do they keep doing that?_

Flustered, Marissa waited for a little while to see if the ship would pop out from anywhere. Much to her chagrin, she didn't see the ship again. She soon couldn't even sense any of the Kruna. Stern and solemn in the face, she flew away from the area to return to her castle.

 _It seems circumstances have changed,_ Marissa then thought, a shine glimmering across her Malocchio Eye. _I've got some futures I must view with this new information...and I might need some special assistance..._


	36. Chapter XXXVI

Zealous Spirits:

Having avoided a bout of potential drama that could have turned fatally disastrous, Waluigi, Toadette, and the Kruna flew the Koopa Cruiser through the skies above the Nirvana Barrier. Their cloaking device now deactivated and Daisy back to her base state, they arrived at their designated hangar in the Rainbow City Docking Bay and disembarked the airship. At their present location in relation to the Earth, the sun had all but wound down in a bright golden shine underneath a wall of dark blue clouds.

While Bowser, Ramona, Marut, and Athelstan went with Waluigi and Toadette to report to Rosalina; Daisy, Warra, and Neva returned to the Rainbow Suite. Neva let Daisy and Warra head up the stairs first while she stayed back on the main floor by herself for a few moments. She had developed a sickly chill since coming off the Koopa Cruiser that made her feel incredibly uneasy, and she tried to regain her bearings before proceeding up to the top floor.

Neva didn't know what to expect when she knocked on Andrew's door, so the climb up to and the wait behind it felt ages long. It really wasn't, because one second after she knocked, he yelled out, "It's open!"

She came in and saw him staring out his room window. "Hi..." she said.

When he heard her voice, he immediately turned around. "Hey!... How did it go?"

"A lot sure happened," she replied with a little laugh.

An awkward silence ensued. Neither one of them felt sure of what to say to the other. They had not seen one another for over a full forty-eight hour cycle.

"You said you were sick?" asked Neva.

"I was," replied Andrew. "Though mostly out of nervousness."

"It's because of me, right? I know, I'm sorry-"

"No, I'm sorry. I overreacted...a lot."

"It's fine. I mean, I get it... I'm weird, I know. You've known me for a while now. I'm whiny and snappy and you must think I'm a total, idiotic, angry little dorky jerk or something like that."

"What – no! Absolutely not! Quit saying that stuff about yourself! No way is that true at all! I don't care about any of that." With a stifled laugh, he added. "I like that about you."

"You do? But...how can you?"

Andrew shook his head, smiling and shrugging. "I don't know. I just do. I don't have any explanation. Do I really need one? I just know that that's a part of you, but that doesn't mean it's bad. And I also like that you're not trying to hide what's a part of you." Looking away, he mumbled, "I mean, it's not like I think it's cute or anything. It's just...endearing, I feel, really..."

"Wow, your face is really turning red!" said Neva.

"Well so is yours!" Andrew snapped.

"But why is yours? Are you really this nervous?"

"I told you, I tend to avoid this kind of thing."

"But why? If you're scared about being vulnerable or weak, please don't be."

"... I kinda am..."

Neva sighed as her spirits lowered. "I just thought that...that we... I would..."

Her voice trailed off. Silence returned, during which the two just stared at one another in much the same way they have several times already. After a while, Neva got a surprise when Andrew walked over to her and embraced her. She hugged him back as hard as she could on impulse, suddenly elated as she laid her head on his chest.

"You didn't think wrong," he said. "I'm just a confused person."

"I don't care about that," she said. "And you smell really nice...like...women's deodorant."

"I prefer using women's deodorant, actually."

"Wowwwww."

"Hey, I'd rather smell like spring breeze or vanilla or cinnamon than some watered down old guy cologne that you can pass off as bootleg ammonia!"

The remark made Neva chortle. But just seconds later, she pulled back and slugged Andrew in the abdomen. No doubt he was surprised to have a fist striking him at that moment, but the force behind it surprised him even more. Her punch made him groan and grimace, but then she went right back to hugging him.

"What was that for?!" Andrew grunted.

"That was for blowing me off the other day!" Neva barked in anger. "I didn't forget about that!"

"Okay, fine, but why so hard?!" he yelled.

Almost like the flick of a light switch, Neva then grinned and asked, "What, did that hurt? Hey, can we have some tea?"

 _Did that hurt,_ he growled in thought. _I oughta stuff you into a tea cup! You'd probably fit in there!_

"Hey! Stupid!" Neva said, squeezing him harder. "Answer me! I want tea!"

Andrew sighed and nodded, shifting to move for the electric kettle. "Yeah, yeah. Of course we can-"

"Wait," Neva quickly said, refusing to let go. "Not yet. I'm comfortable right now."

* * *

Warra got out of his nightstand drawer the case with the bracelets from Daisy's mother and handed it to the Kruna of Earth. They left his room and went downstairs to the main floor, then went out into the Rainbow Suite's backyard garden area outside the dining hall. With a potentially heavy storm brewing for the evening and night, no one else was there.

"Something about today made me realize that I have a chance now that I may not have again," said Daisy. "If my mother is out there, regardless of the time period, I should try to find her, whether I want to or not. And I don't know if I want to or not, but sometimes, you just have to do stuff, you know? Maybe she can tell me why she did what she did or why my dad was the way he was for all those years. I mean, I don't even know if I want these answers, but..."

Daisy tossed the case holding her mother's bracelets into the air and applied a thick coating of dirt around it from the gardens. When she clenched her fist shut, the dirt around the bracelet case compressed under a heavy amount of pressure. The bracelets and the case within got smashed and ground into a pulp as Daisy wriggled her closed hand around to crunch the compacted earth. As she opened her palm, the dirt and crushed remnants of the bracelets dropped onto the cobblestone floor. She made one final gesture in order to clean up the mess and shove it into one of the planting areas.

"Then I also realized that I should just try to move forward and let go," said Daisy. "I thought about it hard. I really did. And what happened today with Mario and Luigi got me thinking that holding a grudge is an easy way to self-destruction; and I came close to doing something I would have easily ended up regretting, regardless of the outcome and regardless of their state of mind. Same thing with my parents. When we make it back to our time, I do hope my dad has changed for the better and will go through some personal reform. As for my mom, well...wherever she is, I wish no ill-will on her. If I do ever see her again, I want it to be a fresh start. I don't want it to be me tracking her down just to get answers out of her and end up re-drowning myself in something that almost...you know."

"Yes, I know," said Warra. "But you're okay with the uncertainty about it all that you just cemented?"

Daisy nodded. "I don't have to know everything. I'm not a hundred percent sure on this one, but I feel like it'd be better for me to not know a few select things." She then yawned and stretched under increasing fatigue. "But it could also just be tired talk too. I think I'm gonna call it early tonight. I didn't get enough sleep last night in that tree."

"Well, I'm sure you won't miss anything important that you can't be filled in on tomorrow," said Warra. "Unless you want to come along and hear Athelstan and Rosalina talk about history."

"Oh no – I'll pass on that! Just give me the summary!" Daisy said as they both laughed.

* * *

"I'm not sure how much I can translate out of this," Rosalina said. In the Rainbow City L&A, Athelstan, Bowser, Ramona, and Marut had given her and Polari the tablets and documents they had retrieved from the Light Shrine. They waited with Waluigi and Toadette while the two officials of the Comet Observatory continued scanning over the ancient items.

"Definitely predates us, doesn't it?" Polari asked Rosalina.

"It's almost as if this language is a precursor to the Cosmic Dialect we know of," said Rosalina. "And there was no trace of the Gate of Time anywhere in the Great Valley?"

"Nowhere," said Bowser. "Not unless there's some secret subterranean world several hundreds of yards below the surface."

"Surely this is no coincidence," said Polari. "The more I think about it, the more it seems like this light wielder civilization was ages beyond its own time."

"Athelstan, it looks like we have our work cut out for us," said Rosalina. "This is a tall task, for it looks like we're not only going to have to translate these works, but also decipher and log a whole new language altogether. The good thing about it is that I can already see numerous similarities to both the old and modern Cosmic Dialect. I recommend the rest of you Kruna hold tight here in Rainbow City until we get adequate translations of these old texts."

"Unless you wouldn't mind continuing to look for Crystal Tears while Rosalina and Athelstan are handling that?" asked Polari.

"Well, we just got through working with a man down," said Bowser. "Maybe we can do it again. Though it was a close call with Marissa."

"You handled it wonderfully," said Rosalina. "Take the rest of the night and tomorrow off. Given her actions today and her growing suspicion, I'm thinking the next place you look should be at a region far away from where Marissa takes up residence."

"Seems like there's a sense of impatience coming from Marissa," said Ramona. "She kept calm, but it seemed like she'd jump off her trolley at the slightest provocation just from how shirty she was."

"Then searching through the eastern continents for a little while would be your safest option," said Rosalina. "I shall consult the stars for a possible region to scout through for tears on that side of the world."

* * *

"Thanks so much for the tea, Andrew," said Neva. The two sat against the side of his bed with cups in their hands, having just finished their drinks. "Not to sound mushy or anything, but I've always looked forward to an evening cup with you ever since the first time you made one for me."

"And what did you use to call it before?" said Andrew. "Boiled leaf juice?"

"Something like that, but I was totally wrong," said Neva. "I'm finding more and more that I've been wrong about a lot of things I used to believe. And you and the others helped me realize that. You don't know how many people have been so mean and rude and nasty to me in general. You guys have been the opposite of that. Especially you. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, Neva. I'm glad you're with us."

"I'm going to go downstairs to the diner," said Neva. "I didn't get a chance to eat anything all day."

"It's always great having you over," said Andrew. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Neva repeated, getting up. Andrew took her cup and watched her as she went for the door. Just as she put her hand on the knob and opened it, she stopped and turned around.

"On second thought...when I get done, could I stay with you tonight?" asked Neva. "I don't wanna stay in my room by myself."

Andrew paused for a moment, but then happily replied, "Yeah, sure! I usually prefer to sleep alone, but I guess it's okay this time. It can be like a sleepover."

Neva smiled. "Oh, it'll be so great! We can stay up real late and I can show you my book of songs!"

* * *

Daisy had tried to get to sleep early for the night, but she felt too antsy. All the fatigue that had built up in her failed to knock her out as she lay there on her bed. She kept thinking about Peach and if she'd be alright wherever she ended up going. Though she had said she felt fine about it after finding out how well Peach had been holding her own for eight years, now she wondered how easy it would be for Marissa to track the former Mushroom Kingdom princess down and execute her. Her mind kept tormenting her with cries of Peach's voice screaming for help.

And even if and when Daisy found Peach, there was no guarantee Daisy could provide her effective aid against possible threats. From what Daisy sensed of Marissa, she noticed a massive power gap between the witch now and the witch of the world eight years prior. There was no telling how much stronger Kokoro may have gotten either. And then there was still the issue with the Dark Sentinel, a robot that they had yet to do anything against other than evade and run from.

Running into the Dark Sentinel was one thing, but getting cornered by it would equate to certain death on account of its defenses. It had a single weak spot in its eye and then an impervious shell that made up the rest of its body. Fighting out of a trap would dictate a need for bursting through its defenses at a moment's notice, and none of the Kruna had demonstrated enough potency to do so. The Kruna were lucky at the Bloodfalls, but it was only a matter of time before the Dark Sentinel would force them into a similar situation again.

Daisy hopped off her back and out of bed, then she got herself ready to head out. The clock read just after eight, and the dip in temperature made for a night just above freezing. In her mind, she had favorable conditions to work with as she exited the Rainbow Suite and headed for the training grounds to the south.

* * *

Ramona walked into Andrew's room and saw him sitting on his bed, fiddling with a ball of darkness. "Hi! Sorry we got held up! Are you feeling better?"

"Mostly," Andrew replied, dispersing the ball. "I'm sorry I wasn't there! Neva filled me in on all that happened."

"That's good," said Ramona. "How about we have some tea?"

"Okay! The kettle should still be warm from earlier."

"Oh, you and Neva had some already?"

"Yup!"

"Hmm..."

"What?" Andrew asked.

Ramona shrugged and took a seat next to him. "Nothing. It just seems like you two are together an awful lot recently."

"Well, when I'm not with you, yeah. You can definitely say that."

"That's great. I'm glad that you and her have really hit it off. She needs a friend like you."

Andrew then made an uneasy grin and scratched his head. "Actually...she doesn't just see me as a friend."

Ramona raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"That's part of what screwed me up the past couple days," he replied, starting to blush like mad. "Before you guys went to the Great Valley, she kinda asked me on a date..."

"Woah," Ramona said in a gasp. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," said Andrew. "I'm still a little blown back by it."

"I'm not surprised by that. You've been so cluelessly oblivious to this kind of stuff that people have made something of a running gag out of it ever since middle school."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Maybe you should take her up on her offer. See what happens."

"You really think I should?"

"Yeah. I mean, you have only known her for a little less than five months...but still. I think she's sweet; even if she might seem ready to bite someone's head off if they poke her. I'd definitely much rather it be her than some random minx."

"You know this kind of thing just feels awkward and weird for me..."

"You feel safe around her, don't you?"

"I don't know for sure yet, but...maybe."

Ramona started stabbing him in his chest with her index finger. "Well maybe it's about time to let that dusty old thing out of its shell so it can breathe!"

"Ow – cut it out!" he yelled in laughter. "I'm too ticklish for you to be doing that!"

"Look, it's just one date," said Ramona. "You're not going to lose your dignity or regress in any way just from one date. In fact, why not tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? You mean the day that's the next time the sun comes up?"

"Yeah, unless the sun just stops working."

"Can I just not? Like, if I don't want to, then I can just say I don't, right?"

"Um...I don't think you should say 'no' to her... You'll be fine! You don't have to be scared!"

"I'm not scared of – you know what, fine! Alright! Stop looking at me like that! I'll ask her when she comes back. You know me better than I do, so I'll just take your word for it."

"That reminds me; I wanted to ask you something since _you_ know me better than _I_ do," said Ramona. "Between when we were kids and now, did it ever seem like I was...like, beyond humanin any way at all? Besides me always wrestling you to the ground-"

"I still don't know how you kept doing that," said Andrew. "You had to have planted bananas in your yard when your dad wasn't looking."

"But seriously, have I ever seemed...superpowered or overpowered or maybe a bit _divine_?"

"You always had a ton of energy, and you knew how to keep it all tame. Other than that, and your telekinesis, you didn't seem out of the ordinary."

"So who's more powerful?" Ramona then asked.

"I would have to say that I am," replied Andrew. "But you're not far behind. We might even be on par with each other right now, and neither of us have been world-breaking in that respect."

* * *

Under the cloudy night sky devoid of moonlight shine, Daisy formed another seismic orb in her right hand and compressed its power. The more she packed it, the more erratic it became with its rumbling. She crossed her arms and then slashed both of her hands through the air as if they were claws, dispersing the seismic energy all along the path her right hand swiped through. Crackling tremors resulted, but they didn't feel like they generated the kind of force Daisy wanted. Either she let the compression loose too early, or she'd have to try a different form of attack.

Almost an hour in, she was the only one at the Elemental Training Grounds. She kept trying maneuvers with her compressed seismic orb, convinced that there was some way to put together and discover a truly unblockable attack. It didn't have to be powerful. She only needed it to burst through an opponent's defense and land an ensuing hit.

Daisy switched to Nova Form, thinking the power boost and the three-fold increase in elemental control could help her unlock something that she could use in both her base and powered-up states. Nothing changed with her development and testing other than a much faster charge and more fluid power flow. On one occasion, she thought about leaving her palm open and just smashing her opposite fist down on the compacted seismic energy. She had no explanation or reasoning behind it other than she had not tried it yet. Of course, such an attack also knocked her back on account of her hit forcing the seismic power out in all directions.

Though that didn't work, it gave her another idea. She kipped up to her feet, made another orb, and got set to do the same thing again. Only this time, she would punch the seismic power, thereby making it explode all in front of her rather than at her too. The technique turned out successful, but she found no way for it to elicit a damaging hit. In battle, the seismic power would only rumble and burst open a defense, but would not provide an immediate followup hit to damage the exposed target.

 _Do I gotta send it out in two waves?_ Daisy thought, charging one seismic orb for each hand this time. Both of them got more violent and chaotic as she readied for another attempt at her most recent version of her work-in-progress technique. With a quick dash forward, she led with one seismic orb and let that explode with a simultaneous thrust of her opposite arm to release the other orb right behind the first one.

The two separate explosions of earth power seemed close enough together to be what she was looking for, but she didn't feel happy with it. The whole process felt too cumbersome and drawn out. She already had enough slow-preparation attacks in her Crystal Fist, Crystal Smash, Final Crystal Fist, and Shotgun. She needed something quicker.

 _This might very well be the trickiest attack I've ever tried to put together,_ Daisy thought, crescent kicking a seismic orb she tossed up. _But then again, I don't think anyone else has ever done something like this before. Definitely not anyone I've encountered..._

Another seismic orb she tossed up, smacking it at the ground with a two-handed smash that she followed with a spin kick. That felt too gimmicky. Whatever she came up with had to be simplified and straightforward to lessen the probability of failed hits and therein keep efficiency high.

As Daisy continued experimenting, Bowser and Marut trotted over from up at the entrance of the training grounds. Daisy saw them and put her work on hold, surprised to see them there.

"Nova Form, huh?" said Bowser.

"You got itchy too?" asked Marut.

Daisy grinned and nodded. "Yeah."

"That makes three of us," said Bowser. "Marut and I are feeling particularly inspired after earlier today! We wanted to get an hour or two in out here before the rain comes."

"The sooner we put this witch away, the better!" exclaimed Marut. "What have you been doing here by yourself?"

"I'll show you," replied Daisy, raising up a hand to eye level. "This has really been stumping me..."

* * *

Neva and Andrew sat together on his bed as she showed him her book of songs. It was just a couple hours to midnight, and they kept the lights dimmed to a low glow. Neva had a small bag and a blanket she brought over that sat by the nightstand.

"All the other ones are really just talking about hating people and people hating me," Neva said, flipping through the pages until she got to the one she wanted. "I had wrote this one about you, but my thoughts have been so scrambled that I only got a poem-ish verse down. It goes: _Time flies away when I am by your side... With you around, I've never felt so alive! Reach out and meet my feelings with your own, when you're around, I'll never be alone! Take me in your arms where I can find home... With you in my life, I don't want to roam. My heart's on fire in my icy shell... I can't explain to you just how hard I fell..._ And I left it right there."

"How long ago did you write that?" asked Andrew.

"This one was just a few days ago," said Neva. "I had another one from a couple months back that I didn't finish..."

"Wow... I really don't know what to say..."

"Is it too much? Am I coming on too strong? I'm making this weird, aren't I-"

"No, I mean, no one has ever wrote me a poem or a song or anything like that... That's...really awesome of you. It's special..." Andrew paused, staring at her for a moment before he made a decision with himself. "Neva, how about tomorrow, we spend the day together?"

Neva perked up some. "What did you say? You mean on a-"

"Wha- hold on! If it sounds like I'm asking you on a date, it's totally not that at all! I just feel like we should hang out more, and...that's it."

"I'd like that, for sure! Tomorrow."

The clock went past two in the morning when they sat on the bed with their backs against the wall. Neva leaned on Andrew as if he were a huge pillow. They both had got drowsy and seemed liable to fall asleep at a moment's notice.

"... Really, it's the posterior chain where I believe the bulk of our strength comes from," said Andrew. "From the neck down to the calves. That's what I like to refer to as the base from which all our other movements originate. If your front is too strong for your back, then you limit yourself and set yourself up for injury. I actually prefer the inverse and keep myself back-loaded. I have yet to hear about a major injury or mechanical issue being associated with any of the back muscles being too strong. Maybe the lats sometimes – that's the broad fan muscle taking up most of our mid and outer back – but that's only from being a strong internal rotator at the shoulder with most of the frontal muscles."

"You sure know a lot about the body and training," Neva said.

"Yeah!" Andrew replied with a spirited, open-mouthed grin. "Everything in our body works so synergistically, and we don't even have to think about it! We just move and do stuff! Isn't the body totally super awesome?!"

"Sure," she nonchalantly replied, degrading Andrew's smile into a miffed look. She then yawned and hugged him. "You're super warm," she said.

Neva nestled as close to him as she could get. Within minutes, she was out cold in a light snore. Andrew could feel his consciousness fading too as he wondered how she slipped into slumber so quickly.

 _This is such an awkward way to sleep,_ Andrew thought as he shut his eyes and put an arm around her. The last thing he caught in his vision before he fell asleep too was the top of Neva's head under his chin. She was so calm and relaxed now as opposed to the irritable, feisty persona she carried by default.

 _Eh... I didn't intend on being a teddy bear tonight,_ he thought. _I guess I won't complain. Unless she starts drooling..._


	37. Chapter XXXVII

A Day Out in the Rain:

Daisy got herself ready in her room to head back to the training grounds late the next morning. Rain had developed overnight and left much of Rainbow City in a wet and slick state. A steady downpour would last all day from what Warra had said in the Rainbow Suite's diner earlier during breakfast. But she had a prime opportunity to work on developing her new move, so she wouldn't let some nasty weather get in her way. She just got on the rain cloak that Toadette had made for her and flipped up its hood, though not before making a quick switch to Nova Form.

 _The faster I can figure this out, the better,_ Daisy thought, peering out her room window. For it almost being noon, the sky looked surprisingly dark. _It's just gonna be one of those days... Well, now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind staying out all day if I have to. I mean, I had to do it while playing soccer. It does feel kind of cool being out there in inclement weather. It's different and exciting. Yeah, there's a bright side even to gloomy winter rain like this._

She left her room and went to go get Warra, Bowser, Marut, and Ramona. Athelstan would be booked all day with Rosalina, Polari, and other Comet Observatory officials trying to translate the documents, tablets, and scriptures retrieved from the Light Shrine. Daisy hadn't heard from Neva or Andrew since returning yesterday. The Kruna she rounded up followed her example and got their rain cloaks on too.

* * *

A short while later, Andrew walked out the door to his room. He left without his armor or his Umbra Bladestaff and went across the hall to knock on Neva's door. She answered and came out without any of her equipment with her either, instead holding a light blue umbrella.

"It's supposed to be wet all day," said Neva. "So I thought it would be a good idea to bring this... Do I look okay?"

"Don't worry about how you look," Andrew replied, holding out his hand. "You look lovely."

Neva twinkled and surprised him by not only grabbing his hand, but his arm altogether. After she interlocked her left arm with his right, she asked, "So what should we do today?"

"I was going to ask where you wanted to go," said Andrew. "I personally just don't want to go to a food place."

"Actually, neither do I. Does your stomach feel as weird as mine does?"

"Probably."

"We don't have to go anywhere special. I don't mind, really. Do you?"

"No, I don't mind. I mean, it's not like this is a date or anything like that, right?"

"Right, it's not a date. Maybe we could just stay in like last night. I think I left my stuff in your room, and it's pretty nasty out anyways."

"Yeah, but it's still great winter air," said Andrew. "There's only a couple more months of this left before it starts warming up and I end up hating everything until the fall comes back. Luckily, when we return to our time, it'll be fall then; and then I won't have to suffer and melt while everyone is delighting in pools and baking themselves in the sun at the beach."

Neva laughed. "You really don't tolerate heat well, do you? Is it because you're so warm all the time?"

"I think so," said Andrew. "That's why you never see me in long sleeves, let alone a jacket."

"Let's go walk around then," said Neva.

"Where to?"

"Nowhere, really. Just around Rainbow City. Then we can come back here later."

"That sounds really nice. I'll hold your umbrella."

* * *

The lack of brightness at one of the brightest parts of the day made Rainbow City keep on its streetlights and a fair amount of its multicolored ambient glows. Rain glossed over the rainbow streets and muddied the grassy areas of the islands. Today's storm fell heavy and without much rest. It undulated in intensity from time to time, though no wind or lightning mixed in. The conditions kept most of the Rainbow City residents inside; but for Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Marut, and Ramona, they stayed out and worked on their elemental craft at South Island's training grounds.

When Warra used a Focus Palm on the space in front of him, the points around his hand created a shaking disturbance in the nearby rain as it fell. By now, he felt proficient enough in both water and sonic skills to have them interact together. So when he added longitudinal waves to his Focus Palm, a loud crashing noise accompanied the next rain displacement and amplified the effect.

Marut wanted to try and better mimic Luigi's combination of air with lightning, so he had been working with chaining together small gusts of wind with lightning shocks. He had in mind to progress to letting lightning streaks travel along currents. With each runthrough, he started to wonder if he had been going about his elemental wielding all wrong in isolating air from lightning. Considering the rain, he did not generate lightning directly from his body and instead worked on generating it around him in a disconnected manner to not shock himself like he did in the Monsoon Jungle.

Ramona had been working on her telekinesis powers on a metal bench and a few boulders. The amount of concentration and effort needed strained her immensely. That had always been the case, and that had been the sole reason she kept from using the ability much at all, in battle or not. In her current state, using telekinesis had become marginally easier; but she wouldn't get better at it without direct practice with it. All the while, she kept wondering how light wielders could have developed a dormant ability with such potential. To advance light wielding to the point of being able to move physical objects with light seemed so surreal, even for as long as she had the ability herself. She just never considered the possible implications of it before.

Daisy held up a seismic orb and then compressed it to an absurd degree when she crushed it in her hands. She then slung it at the ground, creating a concussive explosion effect. Though impressive from an aesthetic standpoint, it wasn't what she wanted. No move had been this hard to try and perfect – not even the Geovado, the long-ranged burst of continuous seismic energy she couldn't master and had to downgrade to what was now her medium-range Seismic Wave. To be fair, she was creating a move entirely from scratch in this case. Only elemental masters did that, and lesser elemental wielders just learned what the masters had created. Maybe a few of the more elite wielders created variants of the already known techniques. So the odds were stacked against her since the start – even with Nova Form's help – but odds haven't stopped her before.

Bowser had started with practicing fire moves earlier, but he had been meditating as of late. That changed when the Black Mages Naraka and Solovar came and woke him from his inner trance. The two gestured for the Kruna of Fire to stand up.

"Come," said Naraka. "We are ready."

Bowser nodded and said his byes to the other Kruna before he followed the Black Mages out of the Elemental Training Grounds. They all had a good idea as to what Bowser would be attempting with the Black Mages, so they didn't hold them up and they kept their efforts on their elemental work.

* * *

Neva and Andrew walked arm in arm through the streets of Central Island under the increasing downpour of rain. The two kept close together, shielded with the wide light blue umbrella Andrew held to prevent from getting soaked. They hadn't done anything special other than enjoy each others' company on their tranquil stroll. Neva glanced all around at the sky citadel, the rain inspiring a magical feeling in her. Despite that, something bothered her.

"Hey," said Neva. "Do you miss home?"

Andrew shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, Christmas Village is a nice place, but it's not so bad away from it either."

"I don't miss Twilight City," said Neva. "Not at all."

"You really didn't like it there, huh?" he asked.

"I'm still surprised I'm even where I am with you guys," she said. "In fact, the whole team has been so accepting. Where I'm from, I got picked on for stupid stuff like my height, and my high voice, and being skinny and weak, and not being able to use ice without a tool...pretty much whatever people wanted to pick out and criticize me for... Heh...I really don't expect much out of people other than hateful attitudes, so I just figured I'd turn around and throw it right back at them. Then I just really actually started hating everyone after that."

"Surely your family wasn't like that," said Andrew.

"My parents, my older sister, my younger brother; they didn't really care about me much," said Neva. "They did enough to keep me going, but they were pretty careless and apathetic. Made it easy to deal with them all dying during our town's invasion. But, I do feel guilty about slipping away and fleeing before they did. I wonder if maybe I should've stayed with them and tried to help fight the attackers off, or if I should've tried to get them to follow me to the hidden route out of the area I used. But it never seemed like anything I did or said mattered to how they wanted to do things, so..."

"I get it," said Andrew. He pulled Neva in closer, adding, "And I care. But it is fun wondering how you made a tape measure give you negative numbers for height."

Neva grinned and nudged him some. "I'm tall enough to headbutt you in the chin, so don't tempt me!"

"Seriously though, I do get where you're coming from," Andrew said. "I don't remember what my mom looks like. I barely even remember her being around at all when I was little. And then my dad...he never was supportive of me. He thought I'd never be a great shadow wielder. He always said that I didn't have what it takes to be one, and that I never would. But really, he was just angry with me. He wanted me to be a light wielder. In his eyes, if I had ever gotten into elemental wielding at all, it had to be as a light wielder! But...I couldn't do a thing to any light...not without using my shadow power. Maybe I'm the crazy one, but that's like telling a water wielder to wield stone. That's like telling an earth wielder to wield air. If I told you to go try fire, do you think you could pull it off?"

"No, not at all," said Neva. "Not unless I had some sort of divine power or something like that."

"I kept telling him I had an affinity for shadow," said Andrew. "Not for light...but he insisted that I _had_ to be with the light. Yeah, right. Lying straight to my face, man; he just didn't want me handling darkness. He always thought I was too soft and weak-minded. But you know what? He's just biased. Unaccepting. He deals in stereotypes... He didn't think anything good could come out of using shadow. But what was I supposed to do – just deny my affinity? Deny who I am? Deny a large part of my being? I swear, he acts like I had a say in what element I would be good with!"

"I say just screw whatever a parent says," stated Neva. "You've proved him wrong already. If he doesn't accept you as you are now, that's on him."

"And then there's King Boo," said Andrew. "And by extension, those like him, who corrupt and use impure forms of shadow for malicious intent. They infuriate me to no end, not only because they use a beautiful and pure element in such a way and to do bad things, but because their actions give a bad name to all other shadow wielders. You know, whenever we've gone to some highly populated area, I never know whether I'm gonna get a good or a bad reaction from whoever's there. So far, I've had favorable responses from people; but I wonder if it's only because they see me with non-shadow wielders."

"I think it's just who you are as a person that makes people feel comfortable with you around," said Neva.

"I don't know," said Andrew. "Sometimes, I fear I might turn into King Boo. I fear that if I let myself slip at the wrong time, the wrong way, I will become no better than him."

"That'd never happen," said Neva. "You're way too nice to ever be compared to him. Especially now. When we saw him at the Light Shrine, he looked like he had gone insane twice over."

Andrew's gaze became intense as he stared ahead. "Then that means when I see him again, I can beat him this time. I _will_ beat him this time."

* * *

"Daisy, I swear I wouldn't be complying to this if I didn't trust you," said Warra.

The Kruna of Water stood just a handful of yards away from his earth counterpart, set up in a defensive stance. Ramona and Marut watched Daisy hold together one seismic orb per hand in preparation to try a version of her move on Warra. But even with Warra's consent, Daisy had been reluctant and held off.

"Are you absolutely sure you can handle this, if this works?" asked Daisy.

"Yes, if it's the low-power attack you're saying it is," said Warra. "You'll never know if you had caught on to something unless you try it out, and inanimate objects and debris don't match up with a living, breathing being."

Daisy nodded and crouched down to spring at him. Out of a lunge, she thrust one orb forward at Warra and brought the second one immediately behind. Warra had his Tidal Swordstaff held in his strongest blocking position; and though Daisy's move busted through, she scored no second hit. She stood in disappointment as Warra spun into a recovery from his stumble.

"Did I space those together too close?" Daisy wondered aloud.

"You might have," said Warra. "But I don't think it matters in the end. I recommend a different technique, because the way you're forced to move with this one leaves you too wide open if someone dodges instead of blocks, mainly because your line of sight is too small. You don't have a lot of wiggle room to make a split-second adjustment if your opponent moves at all. That poor accuracy is going to make you very punishable."

"Ah, man," said Daisy. "I had a feeling that one would be bad. It felt awkward last night, but it was the closest thing I had!"

"The good thing is that you have a step up in this particular situation," said Warra. "I can't think of a way to come up with an unblockable attack that doesn't utilize the disruptive seismic force that earth provides. Not one that would be better, at least."

"It's not a question of 'if' then," murmured Daisy. "It's a question of 'how.' "

"Maybe you could research some of the historical earth wielders and their techniques," said Ramona. "I'm sure you could figure out something if you read up on what they did!"

"I'm not reading a book!" exclaimed Daisy. "I'll save that for when I'm trying to go to sleep!"

"Oh well," Ramona replied in a chuckle. "It was a thought."

 _Wait a minute,_ Daisy said in her mind. She thought back to earlier when she took a seismic orb and crushed it in her fist prior to slamming it onto the ground. It was hard to tell, but some of the power had leaked and escaped as a result of the extreme energy compression just before she threw it.

Daisy held out her hand for yet another seismic orb and shuttled extra power into this one. She then used her great strength again to crush it in her palm, though with no intention to do anything else with it. Her closed fist compressed the power into a highly-dense state that was initially too much for her to maintain. As a result, some of the rumbling seismic force escaped out of the closure of her hand. Daisy perked up when she noticed these reactions.

"What's wrong?" asked Marut. "Did you figure something out?"

A sly grin crept on Daisy's face when she replied, "Maybe something."

* * *

"I get why you don't like King Boo," Neva said as they sauntered through South Island. "But what I don't get is why you're so set on having to fight him by yourself. Ramona and you are a great tag team. You two could team up and beat him. Or, you could team up with me and we'd beat him. Why does it have to be you by yourself?"

"It's about pride," Andrew replied. "He insists that his way is better, that his use of shadow is the best and the right way. I want to prove that his way is the wrong way, and I have to do that by pitting my real shadow against his tainted, corrupt shadow. It's supposed to be a calming, free-flowing inverse of light, but shadow wielders like him take it and exaggerate its traits at the expense of the ones that keep it stable. As a result, they have a sickly, impure variant of darkness that elicits energy drain and other ill-effects in whoever they use it on – maybe even in themselves to a degree too."

"But there's immoral uses for all elements, right?" said Neva. "I heard of water wielders who actually try and take control over the water in _people's bodies._ And I'm sure there's fire wielders who try to ignite their opponents. I bet that if Marissa was still a dedicated fire wielder, she would've tried that on one of us."

"And there's air wielders who attempt to suck the air out of people's lungs," added Andrew. "I guess I'm more bothered by the bad shadow wielders because my element tends to get abused more often. Never mind the stigma it seems to carry that society still hasn't entirely moved past. So how many chips do I have on my shoulder now?"

"Hmm...how about 48,296?"

"That's all? I think I need a recount."

"I'm not counting all the way up to forty-eight thousand again!"

As Neva and Andrew laughed and giggled, they walked by the entrance to the Elemental Training Grounds and saw four cloaked figures they could barely recognize with the rainfall. Ramona, Warra, and Marut watched Daisy fiddle around with shaky, silvery balls and crush them. They didn't appear to notice Neva and Andrew go by.

 _Those guys are looking pretty busy,_ Andrew thought. _Maybe I should be out there too..._

"Is she still trying to make that unblockable attack?" asked Neva.

"She has got to be tired of that by now," Andrew said. "Just how long is she going to hammer away at that move? I mean, she has beaten that technique into the ground, and it has just been strangled and asphyxiated and thrown in front of a car and eaten alive by Buzzars as roadkill."

Neva started cracking up. "Why did you have to put it like that?!"

"Colorful dialogue gets my point across," replied Andrew. "Don't ask me how I come up with any of it, because I have _no_ idea. That's just how my mind works."

"You think she'll pull it off?"

"I feel like I need to try coming up with one if she does. And I got a strong feeling she will."

* * *

Within a vacant baseball field in the Rainbow City Sportsplex, Bowser sat in the center of a pentagon formed by the five Black Mages. Lubba hovered nearby and watched Naraka, Tamara, Machula, Maki, and Solovar strike a series of hand signs. The last sign they struck, they pointed at the koopa sitting at the center of their formation in meditation.

Naraka initiated a mantra as a neon teal link formed a star among all five Black Mages that connected each of their posed hands together. The star closed and imploded, fazing through Bowser's form and pulling from his body a navy blue cloud. A pair of red, beaming balls floated around in the opaque haze.

It looked like the Black Mages were making progress until they reached a sticking point. The blue cloud refused to spill out of Bowser any more than it already had. The Black Mages called upon more power and focus to increase their pull, but they made no ground.

 _The Giga Soul's holding on,_ Lubba said in thought. _They're not making it budge..._

Instead, something disturbing developed. As the Black Mages continued to try and extract the Giga Soul, it began exhibiting its own pull on Bowser's body. Then, a translucent, reddish-orange cloud started flowing from the koopa's form.

"Everyone, stop!" Naraka suddenly shouted.

The Black Mages immediately cut their flow of power and rescinded their interlocking pentagram. Without anything trying to rip it free, both Bowser's spirit and the Giga Soul returned into the Kruna of Fire's body. Bowser broke from his trance state and felt lightheaded and nauseated.

"This soul got in, it can get out," said Tamara, getting set to try again.

"No, this obviously is not the way," said Naraka. "Either our spell was too weak, we're too weak for the spell, or, as expected, we need to neutralize the Giga Soul first so that it doesn't try and take Bowser's spirit out with it."

"Would the Giga Soul be easier to extract if we neutralized it?" asked Maki.

"Not by much," said Naraka. "But it would keep Bowser's spirit intact. We definitely need more power somehow. Let's rework the spell and try again when Rosalina and Polari are both available."

"And we also need a good soul neutralizer beforehand," added Solovar.

"Sorry, big guy," said Tamara, patting Bowser on his shell. "It didn't work this time. Looks like you have to hold onto it for a little while longer."

"That's alright," Bowser replied. "You caught me by surprise anyways. I can't be too disappointed."

"You should go lay down and get some rest," Lubba said to the koopa. "You're reacting bad to that spell."

"It's only because we stirred up the Giga Soul," said Solovar. "We have to try and avoid provoking it too much next time."

Bowser grabbed at his head and his chest. He felt his eyes take on strain and his legs tighten up as his vision degraded. Lubba and the others noticed his growing difficulties and decided to escort him back to the Rainbow Suite to let him recuperate in his room.

* * *

Neva and Andrew had picked out and dried a bench to sit on while they watched their teammates at the Elemental Training Grounds. They had their umbrella standing on its own, hooked onto a part of the back of the bench. By now, Ramona, Warra, and Marut had put a halt to their own training and focused on Nova Daisy's development of a technique she had put many hours into making. Daisy still fiddled with seismic orbs, trying to make it so that she prevented power leakage from the spheroids when she crushed them in her palm.

"It has to be close to evening," said Andrew. "Probably half past four. See how the sky's starting to dim?"

"It's been dark since this morning," said Neva. "Is the day really almost over?"

"Yeah, it is," said Andrew. "I can't believe how quick it went. Where did the time go?"

Neva smiled and replied, "Where it needed to go."

"Sup, guys!" Daisy shouted to Neva and Andrew. "Didn't see ya there! Hope you're all enjoying the show, 'cause I'm sure not!"

"I don't blame ya!" Neva shouted. "That's a tough challenge you've been taking on!"

"Hey, how come you're holding hands?" Marut hollered at the two.

"Wha-what?! We're not!" snapped Andrew. "I just had this thing – I mean, I was doing deadlifts earlier and my fingers are locking up now, so she's..."

"I'm just manually relaxing them!" Neva finished.

"Oh yeah, my hands lock up from time to time when I'm writing," said Ramona. "Mostly my right hand though, but sometimes my left hand from gripping the book."

"I've been feeling my hands locking up all day," Daisy muttered. "Have I been stuck at the same spot for, like, the past hour now?"

"Daisy, I keep trying to tell you that you're using too much energy to make that dense of a compression," said Warra. "Either pack less power, or condense it with less force."

"But either option is going to make it weaker!" exclaimed Daisy. "It won't have enough attacking force if I don't do both!"

"Well then that might mean you'll have to try a different basal technique to work off of," said Warra.

"But this is the one!" said Daisy. "I'm sure I'm onto something with this earth ball smashing stuff!"

"It'll just recoil and explode, and you'll end up flat on your butt! Again!" Neva yelled. She looked at Andrew, saying, "You might think she'll pull off an unblockable move, but I don't... Uh...Andrew?"

The Kruna of Shadow stared at her with a dreamy gaze. In no time at all, Neva lit up red in the head. She completely disregarded Daisy almost as quick.

"W-what's wrong?" Neva asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"Just... This is going to sound really mushy, but whatever," Andrew said. "I know everything's been turbulent for a while now, and we're in far from a perfect situation...but, this moment right now, here with you, feels pretty close to perfect. I don't want it to end." He paused, then added, "And now I want to bang my head through a wall for saying that."

"Oh! You're right! That was mushy!" Neva replied with an anxious laugh. "But thanks for sitting here and sharing it with me. I feel the same way... And, I wish time would just freeze right here...not that I mean anything by saying that. It's just us hanging out, right? As friends, right? Close friends? But it's nothing _t-that_ special, is it? Well, now that sounds like I'm downplaying things, does it? I mean, 'cause we are...um...no I shouldn't say that. Just because we're really close to each other right now doesn't mean we should kiss or – no wait, I didn't mean to say 'kiss!' I mean, hey! Where did that come from?! I totally didn't expect someone to say that! Why would somebody say something like that?! Who's that crazy?!"

"There's nobody around us," muttered Andrew, an odd expression now plastered on his face.

"YES THERE IS!" Neva yelled. "Someone's putting mouth on my mouth! I mean, tongue in my mouth! NO! I mean, WORDS IN my mouth! I bet it was Daisy! She's trying to ruin the moment like some saucy jerk! The non-romantic moment! Or was it Ramona! She's jealous, isn't she? I knew it! I knew it, I knew-"

Andrew pointed at the four other Kruna and said, "They're all over there, and they're not even paying any attention to us. Just calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, you idiot!" Neva snapped.

"BROS!" Waluigi screamed from behind. Neva and Andrew both jumped and turned to see Wario, Waluigi, and Koops standing up from behind their bench in rain ponchos.

"What are you doing here?! GET LOST!" Andrew screamed.

"See?!" snapped Neva. "I told you that someone said 'kiss!' Why couldn't you not be such an...m-moron and just listen to me, shadow-spitter?!"

"Who's the moron when you just said _an_ moron?!" Andrew snapped back.

"I'M TOO FLUSTERED FOR GRAMMAR!" screamed Neva.

"Man, you guys are sappy and nauseating!" Wario boomed.

"You're just nauseating!" yelled Andrew.

"WHY are you HERE?!" hollered Neva.

"We just wanted to know if you guys were playing tonsil hockey yet," said Waluigi.

"Crude and unusual verbiage – get out of here, creep!" snapped Andrew.

"Tonsil Pinata?" asked Waluigi.

"GO AWAY!" Neva and Andrew both screamed.

"Yeah, Waluigi, beat it!" Wario hollered. "Don't worry, I got your backs!"

"You too, Wario!" yelled Andrew.

"Yeah, give them some privacy!" said Koops.

"Really? You're doing this too?" grumbled Andrew. "You've been hanging around them too much and you're picking up their habits!"

"Can you guys please just leave us alone right now?" asked Neva.

"Alright, alright; we'll leave you two losers _alone_ ," said Waluigi, laughing to himself.

"Losers?" said Andrew. "That's some edgy and provocative language!"

Wario, Waluigi, and Koops walked over to the other Kruna, not offering any retort to try and stir up the ice and shadow wielders any further; that is, until Waluigi bent a hand behind his back to flip Andrew off. The Kruna of Shadow got ready to sidearm a dark burst at Waluigi, but Neva latched onto his raised elbow to stop him. Neva and Andrew stared at each other for a while, both florid-faced and at a loss for words. Though irritated from the rude and awkward disturbance, they soon ended up laughing at all of it. Once Wario, Waluigi, and Koops caught Daisy at a natural break in her work, Wario told her group about Bowser and the failed Giga Soul extraction.

"... So he's resting in his room right now," said Wario. "You've likely seen all you're gonna see out of him today."

"That spell was really harsh on the Giga Soul, and setting it off aggravated it," said Koops. "So he has to take it easy and recover now."

"That's good," said Ramona. "No use trying to come back out here in his condition."

"You dudes need to check out what Daisy's been trying to do here," Marut said to the three newcomers.

"I hate to break it to you, Daisy, but this next attempt might turn out fruitless again," said Warra. "You've got to be running low on energy."

Daisy crushed another seismic orb, still mystified by the energy leakage that resulted. "I'm doing something right here and I'm doing something wrong here. And I've been using the inner eye ability from Geno to try and modulate this too, but that has only helped so much..."

"She's trying to create an unblockable technique," Ramona said to Wario, Waluigi, and Koops.

"Look, freaky-eyed punk-hair Daisy; if you want an unblockable attack, you need lots and lots of bombs!" said Waluigi. "Nobody's blocking those bad boys!"

"Nice try, but I've seen it happen plenty of times before," said Warra.

"Well thank you for your input, Mr. Pretty Boy," grumbled Waluigi. "You wanna show me how blockable bob-ombs are?"

"Guys, shut up!" Daisy yelled, her concentration fierce. Everyone around her quieted down as Daisy raised her charged arm skyward. She and the others stared at her overhead seismic spheroid as it rumbled and tremored in a hover over her palm. A flashback to all of her closest attempts at forming some semblance of the attack she sought to create ran through her mind; and from there, she then decided on what next to do with her compressed ball.

 _Don't restrain_ , Daisy thought. _I have to crush and then let explode!_

Daisy smashed the ball of earth power in her palm with enough force sufficient to elicit a quaking mini-explosion out of it, but she quickly directed the burst out and away from herself. Looking at her closed fist, a realization then developed. She tried the exact same thing again, and again, and again; directing more of the explosion away from her and ahead of her hand. Where the energy burst, it shook and rattled the air.

 _If I can get this exploding ahead of me with a crush..._ Daisy thought, now positioning herself to let an explosion go off in front of her. When she smashed the next seismic orb, it went out in a spread a good two or three yards ahead. _…I can just attack right out of that explosion! All I have to do is stay behind it! In fact..._

Daisy then got set to throw a Smash Punch with a seismic orb charged and ready; but when she moved, she went into an overhead punching maneuver with her charged hand open. In this manner, she threw her arm down in an arc from above. As she did so, she crunched her swinging hand closed to create the seismic explosion that flew out from her now clenched fist. Her punch followed just behind the volatile earth energy.

 _Combine the strength of Smash Punch, the technique of an overhead punch, and earthly seismic energy together,_ Daisy thought, repeating the process she just completed. She did the maneuver again, over and over, stringing it together into a better chain with smoother flow on each attempt. _This seismic orb crush sacrifices a lot of the overall strength, but in exchange, it'll bust through defenses... It's dependable enough to change the angle if need be... And there's_ no _chance of reacting if this lands because the punch will come through as the defense gets blown apart..._

After one final attempt that made the largest crunching sound out of all the tries, Daisy turned to face the others and said, "This is it."

"You mean you figured it out?" asked Ramona. "That's so cool! I'm so happy for you!"

"I just need to adjust and make a few tweaks," said Daisy. "But I feel like this is exactly the move I've been looking for."

"Are you sure?" asked Warra. "It seems a little bit on the simpler side."

"But it requires timing," said Daisy. "And besides, it doesn't have to be flashy. It just has to do the job it's supposed to do, and I'm all but certain that that's what it'll do." She demonstrated the move again, a moderately-quick technique with a focus on disruption over brute force. "And I got the idea because Waluigi wouldn't shut his trap about bombs."

"Yeah, how about that?" said Waluigi. "I come up with the best ideas!"

"Sure you do," said Daisy. "You guys wanna help me test this out?"

"Alright, well, this was fun! We'll be going now!" Waluigi then said, waving bye as he, Wario, and Koops trotted away. "Later 'loo- _sair-zz_!' "

"Their loss," Daisy said, trying the move out again.

"That's a nice Breaker Punch!" Marut said.

"Breaker Punch?" Daisy said. "Why'd you call it that?"

"It's a punch that breaks through defenses!" the Kruna of Air replied. "Defense breaker, shield breaker; why wouldn't I call it anything else?"

Daisy grinned and nodded. "I like it."


	38. Chapter XXXVIII

Calling Through the Silent Night:

Daisy – now back to base form – Marut, Ramona, and Warra walked back to the Rainbow Suite under a lessening coat of rainfall. Neva and Andrew had left earlier after Daisy figured out the gist of her new Breaker Punch technique. Now into the evening, the Kruna were set for a quiet night.

But as the four marched up through Central Island, Daisy felt something reach out to her. It was something far too familiar for her to ignore for long, and she found herself making constant looks around and behind her. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary from the rainbow-colored layout of the city. Still, the sensations and feelings made her stop moving.

The next thing she knew, an image projected into her mind of a dark, enclosed swamp lit only by an ambient neon light blue glow from an indefinite source. Steam, haze, and fog filled the air in all directions. The image only lasted for a few seconds before fading away, but it was vivid enough to leave a lasting impression on Daisy's mind.

The Kruna of Earth didn't know what to think of the vision, so she left it alone and went on with the others. Or, she would have had she not also heard Peach's voice cry out for help before she even took two steps. The cries seemed eerily similar to the ones she heard the prior night.

"Yo, what are you looking at, dude?" Marut shouted back.

Daisy turned back to her friends, who had waited for her to catch up. "Sorry, I thought I heard... Never mind, I'm coming."

* * *

Much to Ramona's, Warra's, and Marut's surprise, Daisy didn't want to eat anything when they got to the suite's diner. She sat at a table with the rest of them as the sole one without a plate, and she almost seemed as if she would get sick if she so much as looked at something edible. Ramona went over to her and gave her a hug, asking, "What's wrong?"

Daisy hugged back, but she only half-heard her. Again, the same images from earlier flooded her mind, though only for a few precious seconds before vanishing entirely. The sound of Peach's voice then rang in her ears again, yet Peach was nowhere near Rainbow City in the first place.

"I'm fine, I think," said Daisy. "Well, I don't feel fine..."

"You really should eat something," said Warra. "You burned a lot off with all that seismic energy you generated about today."

Daisy nodded. "I probably should."

"C'mon," Ramona said, helping Daisy out of her chair. "Let's go get you something. This is not like you, passing up readily available food like this."

* * *

Daisy put a fresh set of her earth wielder uniform on after getting out of the shower later that night; and yet again, the same images of the swamp shot through her consciousness, followed by Peach once more begging for help. Nothing in that room could have been the cause, for no one else was there. The room was absolutely silent – save for the rain outside that had all but stopped – her window and blinds were shut, and her door was locked. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

 _Now I'm wondering if this happened to me once or twice earlier today,_ Daisy thought. _I can't remember. I was too focused on developing that technique... Does she actually know where I am? Is she actually calling out to me?!_

* * *

Athelstan and Rosalina were busy at work in the Comet Observatory's Cosmic Archives with their transcriptions and translations of the Light Shrine documents the Kruna had retrieved from the surface. Their progress got interrupted when Daisy entered and found them at a well-lit table. Her presence there surprised them both, and she looked ultra-serious when she walked up to them.

"Is there any place on Earth that resembles a thick, dark blue swamp in heavy fog and light?" asked Daisy.

Rosalina didn't respond right away, but she did figure out what Daisy was talking about. "I believe there is one such place. It's the Mystic Lake that comes to mind, where Maralah and the Earth Shrine is. It wasn't there before your time skip though. It had developed in between the point in time when you left and the point when you reappeared. There may be some Crystal Tears there."

 _Maralah, huh?_ Daisy thought. _That's Waluigi's old stomping grounds from his time as the mayor... Of course he'd know how to get there..._

"If you are thinking about going there, I advise against it," said Rosalina. "It's fairly close to where the Mushroom Kingdom used to be, and Marissa is surely still on high alert. I would much rather you go to the East Crater tomorrow than there."

"I understand, Grand Elder," replied Daisy. "We won't go to Maralah tomorrow..."

* * *

Instead, when Daisy got back to the Rainbow Suite, she readied herself to go to Maralah that very night. The clock read some time just before ten, but she had gotten too antsy to even consider sleeping; and again, another round of the same vision that had kept replaying in her mind came to her. She considered it a possible hallucination brought about somehow from her inner eye, but it felt too real and external for that to be the case.

One by one, Daisy knocked on Warra's, Marut's, Neva's, Ramona's, and Andrew's doors to draw them out and tell them to get prepared. With Bowser recovering from earlier, she decided to skip over his door. Ramona and Warra both exited their respective rooms yawning in anticipation of sleep already, Marut entered the hallway from his room with a bored look, and Andrew and Neva had come out of the shadow wielder's room with cups of tea. They all seemed confused over why Daisy had rounded them up.

"Get ready!" Daisy demanded. "We're gonna go get Waluigi and Toadette and head for Maralah!"

"Negative," said Warra. "It's a tad too late. We'll go tomorrow."

"Tomor- No!" exclaimed Daisy. "We have to go down there now!"

"It'll be midnight by the time we get there," said Andrew. "And I mean midnight over _there_. Sleep is important. Try and relax some. Maybe you just need some tea?"

"I don't need tea!" Daisy barked. "Peach is in trouble! She's down there somewhere! I know she has to be! We have to go down there."

"How can you tell?" asked Warra. "We're suspended thousands of meters in the air and we've got a thick magical cloud barrier separating us from the world below. I think you're worrying too much."

"Maybe Warra's right, Daisy," said Ramona. "You might be worrying yourself sick."

"And if it is her, and she is in danger, then what?" asked Daisy.

"Then we'd bolt down there," said Marut. "But how can you be so sure she's there?"

"I'm as sure as I need to be," Daisy said, heading down the hall. "I'm not waiting around any longer. If you're not going, then I'm gonna go grab a solo fighter from the hangar and go down myself."

"But you don't even know how to fly a jet!" said Marut.

"I'll figure it out!" Daisy snapped.

"Daisy, wait!" Andrew called out.

The Kruna of Earth stopped at that moment and turned back around at the group. There she waited for someone to say something.

"Give us ten minutes," Andrew then said. "And we'll meet you at the Docking Bay if you go and get Waluigi and Toadette."

"You're serious?" Daisy asked.

"Of course we are!" replied Andrew. "Right, guys?" When no one responded immediately, he scowled and repeated with emphasis, "RIGHT?"

"I'm game," said Marut. "Both my main bros aren't available anyways."

"This is weird timing, but we can't let you go alone," said Ramona.

Neva sighed. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just go get this over with already."

"I'm coming, but I remain skeptical," said Warra. "This sounds a bit too far-fetched for me."

"Regardless, I really appreciate it, guys," said Daisy.

* * *

"You, woman, are maniacal," Waluigi grumbled at Daisy. He flicked some switches in the Koopa Cruiser alongside Toadette and started up the airship. The Kruna Yura, minus Bowser and Athelstan, sat further back in the cockpit room with all their equipment. "You want to decide to go all the way across the Arlan _now_ of all times..."

"Yeah, thanks anyways, Waluigi," said Daisy. "You too, Toadette."

"What's the Arlan?" asked Marut.

"What? You don't know the Arlan Ocean?" said Warra. "It's one of the two oceans that separate the west continents from the east ones. We've had to have flown over it quite a few times already."

"Dude, Athelstan's the only one here who keeps track of all that nerd stuff!" said Marut.

"It's not nerd stuff, Marut," said Ramona. "It's simple geography."

"Doesn't the Pyrimies Ocean separate the East and West too?" said Daisy.

"They both do," said Warra. "The Arlan separates them on the East's west and the West's east. The Pyrimies separates them on the East's east and the West's west."

"I'm not even gonna try and say what he just said," Waluigi chimed in from the front.

"Why would oceans matter if we fly over them on top of the Nirvana Barrier anyways?" asked Marut. "It's not like there's Crystal Tears underwater."

"You know what – if we find ourselves going underwater searching for Crystal Tears, I'm gonna crown you," muttered Andrew. "Just because you had to go and say that."

The Koopa Cruiser reached the designated descent point through the Nirvana Barrier that would lead into the Maralah skies. Passing through to underneath the cloud barrier didn't take long, and the Kruna soon found themselves getting their Sail Gliders out and ready to go. From their view, they could see almost nothing, for the Nirvana Barrier combined with the nighttime sky and lack of other light sources in the area made for an excessively dark environment outside. Although, a strong light blue glow illuminated a wide portion of the region off in the distance.

Waluigi had to turn on the airship's auxiliary lights to brighten up the surface world a little so that he and Toadette could steer closer to the small town of Maralah. While they did so, Daisy and Andrew picked out a drop zone to aim for and decided to lead the Kruna out on account of their vision advantage in the dark. The two eyed a straightaway right through the center of the town to touch down on and settled on that.

"I hate seeing my old city like this," mumbled Waluigi. "At least it's not blown apart, but from what I can tell, it looks like an abandoned ghost town..."

"We'll aim the ship's lights at you until you get near the ground before we return above the Nirvana Barrier," Toadette said to the Kruna.

"Woah!" Daisy yelped, clutching her head. The images of Mystic Lake flooded her mind again, but this time much more vividly. The duration lasted considerably longer; long enough to see a woman's silhouette walking through the fog. With the increased volume of Peach's cries coming to her also came the sound of an acoustic guitar playing a soft tune. The instrument eventually got drowned out by a demonic gurgling sound that evolved into a multitoned shriek.

The vision probably would have lasted longer had Andrew not shook her out of it. The rest of the team had been standing behind her at the open diving hatch and looked at her in confusion and worry. They were ready to jump, but they wondered if Daisy herself was.

"Maybe you should stay here," said Ramona. "We can go down and look for Peach."

"No – I can go," said Daisy. "I'm good to go. I...I just had one of those visions run through my head again... But it was _way_ more clear this time, and it actually lasted for a while..."

"I'm willing to bet there's a source for those images, Daisy," said Warra. "Those images probably just barely got through the cloud barrier. Now that we're under the barrier, they must be coming to you in full. I don't think this is your own doing, Daisy. It seems odd that you'd get mental images of a place we haven't even visited yet."

"So you mean something's projecting visions of Mystic Lake into Daisy's head?" asked Neva.

"It's seeming more and more likely..." replied Warra.

"Then we shouldn't go down," said Neva. "It could be a trap!"

"But Peach could also be down there," Daisy said. Before anyone spoke again, the Kruna of Earth ran and dove out the diving hatch.

"Alright, looks like we're going then," said Andrew. He motioned for the others to get ready to go as he leapt out to follow her.

"This impulsiveness is really getting old," grumbled Warra.

* * *

Daisy angled her Sail Glider into a line parallel in the main street stretching through Maralah. As she came down and made a running stop, the other Kruna set up for their landings too. Soon, all six had arrived in a very dark, desolate town that had no signs of life anywhere. The buildings had experienced very little wear or damage of any kind. It all seemed as if the inhabitants just left without any clear reason.

"No one out here in town," said Neva. "Should we just go straight for Mystic Lake?"

"There's a Crystal Tear near here," said Ramona. "We should probably pick up whatever Crystal Tears we can while we're down here, shouldn't we?"

"Only if we can do it quick," said Daisy. "Where is it?"

Ramona guided the group of six through the lonely stretch of country-style buildings and out around the outside of the town's boundaries. For a late winter night, the southeastern region in the northwest portion of the world felt warm and summer-like. The dead and dying grass they walked on crunched with moisture, mixing with the ambient sound of audible silence. Interestingly enough, with no other light source to work off of, Ramona's swordstaff provided some illumination as a result of the scoping she did with it and her Motomeru.

"Gosh, this place is so creepy," Neva muttered.

"I strongly agree," said Ramona.

"To think this used to be a bustling, busy, quaint little city," murmured Daisy.

It took a little while, but the Kruna found their thirty-second Crystal Tear lying in a rough patch of thick grass. Without Ramona's light, they would've never picked out the small, fingernail-sized rose gold crystal obscured in what was essentially someone's former backyard. Once Ramona got a hold of the tear, her Motomeru calmed down some.

"I think I can say that this area is clear," Ramona said as she waved her swordstaff around.

"That one wasn't too difficult," said Marut.

"Yes, because we have the advantage of a detector," said Warra.

Ramona scoped as she followed the others back into the large main street that bisected Maralah in two. She noticed her tool humming in the direction of the wide blue glow emanating deep in the direction of the swamp. "It looks like that's where we have to go for the other tears," she said. "I'm not picking anything else up."

"And that's where Peach has to be," added Daisy.

"If she's here," said Marut.

Marching past the old city hall building where Waluigi had served in as mayor, the Kruna Yura went down the road and into the final stretches of the town's northeastern outskirts. It was not until after they left Maralah and entered the marshes that Ramona noticed something peculiar happen. Her swordstaff and Motomeru's guidance made a sharp shift to the left and away from the blue light further ahead. When she pointed her swordstaff back at the blue light, it went into a low strobe she had not witnessed before.

"How odd..." Ramona said under her breath. "Um...let's go this way first...?"

The Kruna took a short detour into some of the drier marshes to look for the Crystal Tear signal that Ramona's Motomeru picked up. They didn't have far to go, for they found it at an opening in the marsh and nestled next to the base of a dead tree. Now with Crystal Tear thirty-three, there were no other signals Ramona picked up on other than what was coming from the blue glow from deeper into the swamp. But when Ramona pointed in that direction, her swordstaff and Motomeru again went into the weird, unknown strobe flash.

"I don't get what's going on," said Ramona. "It seems like I can't scope anywhere in the direction of that blue light. And that blue light is where Mystic Lake is, right?"

The Mystic Lake visions then bombarded Daisy's mind again. They came through just as clear and vivid as they did when the Kruna first touched down in Maralah, and they lasted just as long. Hearing cries from Peach again only made Daisy more impatient.

"That's Mystic Lake alright," said Daisy. "Whether or not we can detect any tears in there, we have to go in there for Peach."

"But why Ramona can't scope anything over there is what we're wondering," said Warra. "Between that, your visions, and that skyward-reaching glow coming from Mystic Lake, something seems really off."

"Off or not, we're going," said Daisy, making a move for the huge and ominous blue glow in the distance.

* * *

The trip to the Mystic Lake felt just as uncanny and foreboding as their short time in Maralah. They encountered no wildlife anywhere, and whatever noise they heard besides what they made themselves came no closer than miles away, making for a dull, low hum in the background with very little fluctuation in volume, pitch, or tone. The marshes they trudged through already lacked life and energy, but they had a brooding feeling of utter emptiness.

Traveling a relatively small distance from where they found the previous Crystal Tear, the Kruna arrived at something none of them could consider natural. In what could only be described as an entrance, a large, grandiose walkway carved into a porous barrier of trees, vines, and bushes and shrubs. A bright yet pale and subdued blue light came from within the entryway, along with fog and haze that prevented them from seeing too far in from the outside. Glancing to the sides of the opening, there existed no other way inside.

"I still can't do anything with my Alkemei in regards to this closed-off area," said Ramona. "But I haven't picked up anything else in any other direction, so..."

"This is Mystic Lake," Daisy said. "This right here, this is it. This is how we get in. Now we know for sure that my visions actually had some merit, huh?"

"Partially, at least," said Warra. "I'm still skeptical as to whether Peach is really in there."

"This might be one of those phantom chameleon deals," said Marut. "You know, when something seems like one thing when it's another thing entirely?"

"From my understanding, Peach is supposed to be going south," said Warra. "And while this is south of where we saw her, she would've long since passed here by now."

"Unless someone captured her," said Daisy. "In which case, she could be in there."

"I don't sense anyone or anything in there," said Warra.

"Neither do I, but there must be some sort of disruption effect emanating from inside," said Andrew. "Why we can't sense anything in there might be the same reason why Ramona's having trouble detecting anything with her Alkemei. So as far as I'm concerned, the only way to find out if Peach is inside this...what looks like an organic labyrinth...is to go inside and check it out ourselves. And I'm really not a fan of enclosed spaces."

"There's a lot of uncertainty about all of this right now," mumbled Neva. "I'm not afraid to admit that this whole situation is scaring me."

"But we don't need certainty to do stuff," said Andrew. He carried an innocent, carefree look on his face as he headed for the entryway.

"Wait outside if you want; it's not stopping me," Daisy said to the rest of the Kruna before heading into the entryway too.

"You know what – yeah, why be scared about going in?" said Marut, following Daisy. "It's not like we're gonna run into anybody in there!"

"It's not that there's no one in there – it's that we can't sense if there is," said Warra.

"We'll just have to beat and bludgeon whoever wants to pick a fight," Neva said, skipping along behind Marut. "And besides, it feels less creepy going in there than it does standing out in the pitch-black open with nobody around."

"Then we may as well just go in too at this point," Ramona said to Warra. "At least we can see better in there."

The Kruna of Water sighed and gestured to the Mystic Lake entrance. "After you. I'll cover the rear and make sure we're not getting tailed."


	39. Chapter XXXIX

Dark Grudge Match:

The ambient blue backlighting of the Mystic Lake spread all through and around the inside of its boundaries. Oddly, the six Kruna saw no ceiling when they looked up; only a blue infinity. What they walked into felt akin to an outdoor dungeon made up and encased in occluding tree and bush cover. The thick haze and fog limited their visibility to the paths and clearings they were in, not giving anything away to what lay ahead of them; or behind them for that matter. Neither Daisy's nor Andrew's night vision could help here.

"Everybody, stay close together," said Daisy. "It's too easy to get lost with everything looking so uniform."

Daisy was right. They had trekked through a handful of passageways and openings that had looked incredibly similar. That remained the case a little further in until they got to a three-way branching fork. The center way went up at an incline, while the side paths went down.

Opting for a possible vantage point, the Kruna went for the center path and climbed up the curving ramp. The path led to a lengthy, rail-less bridge made up of tout vines and stiff bog. Since Bowser and Athelstan weren't there, Andrew and Warra went on the bridge as the next heaviest of the group to see if the bridge would support their weight. It did, but it bent and creaked some. They decided to go two at a time across just to be safe, for the Mystic Lake fog obscured the view of anything that potentially lay underneath them – if anything at all did. For all they knew, they could be crossing over a chasm.

Ramona went across with Marut and tried to scope with her Motomeru again, but the same thing that has been happening with Mystic Lake happened once more. Her swordstaff gave off a dull, slow strobe with a low pulse sound that told her nothing. And now that they were inside of Mystic Lake, her swordstaff did this in every direction she pointed in.

"I'm afraid my Motomeru's useless for the duration of our time in here," Ramona said once everyone had made it to the other side of the bridge.

"Maybe there are no Crystal Tears here, and it's just Peach that's here," said Marut.

"If she is," added Warra.

"I don't know if we'll find anything with all this fog," said Neva.

"Warra, Marut; can either of you do anything about this?" asked Andrew.

The Kruna of Water condensed the excessive moisture hovering around them, and the Kruna of Air tried blowing the fog away. Neither of their attempts created effects that lasted long enough to warrant them continuing their efforts to clear the thick haze. Shortly after they got the way ahead of them crystal clear, the fog closed back up.

"It was a good try," Daisy said. "This is just gonna have to be a blind run. Hopefully, we won't be stuck in here for hours."

"Or days..." mumbled Ramona.

"Don't look now, but I just noticed a shadow shift through the fog further up," said Andrew.

The Kruna broke into a dash up the path and into an intersection, then took a right and caught sight of the distorted silhouette in question. They followed it into a larger clearing, unable to identify the figure until they got close enough for it to notice and turn around. No one expected to see King Boo flying through Mystic Lake, and he didn't seem to expect them either. In an instant, the ghostly monarch broke out in a furious bout of fury upon seeing the Kruna.

"Oh, of course Marissa didn't kill you yet!" King Boo screamed. "An incompetent witch dealing with roaches like you? At this rate, it'll never end! Don't you come near me! I'm busy!"

"Busy doing what?" Andrew spat out.

"Kokoro's in here," said King Boo. "He's lurking about somewhere in this maze, and if you've seen him, you better tell me where he is!"

"What?" Warra said, astounded. "Why would Kokoro be here? For Crystal Tears? And what would make him think there are any here?"

"You're all liars!" snapped King Boo. "You're hiding him, aren't you? I knew he was here before I even got here!"

"But did you or did you not find him?" asked Warra.

"I will," said King Boo. "He keeps moving around, but he is here. It's a game of cat and mouse. I'll find him soon enough... And then, I will rally the Boos. We will take that Master Pendant from him again, and I'm sealing Marissa in it! Then I'll take over as an immortal god once I find out all of the ancient light wielders' secrets. And then, you all will either suffer in submission or die. Or, you can suffer _and_ die."

"And I've heard about enough already," said Andrew. He pointed a hard finger at King Boo, unblinking in his stare. "I've got something to settle here."

"We both do," King Boo replied, now grinning.

Andrew put his arm down and smirked. "Good. Then we don't have to waste time with theatrics."

"Marissa can kill the rest of you bunch," King Boo said to the other Kruna. "But I'm taking the satisfaction of slaughtering this foolish shadow wielder."

"You guys go on ahead," Andrew said, addressing his teammates without turning his head. "Keep searching. I'll catch up. This won't take long."

"Absolutely not," said Ramona. "You want to take him on by yourself, fine. But I'm not leaving you alone with him."

"Me too!" shouted Neva.

"Splitting up is not a good idea in this place," said Warra.

"But we've got someone we're looking for too," said Daisy.

"That still doesn't change the fact that we'll lose each other if we split up," said Warra. "This seems like a place where you _don't_ want to do that."

Daisy grunted in impatience. "Please, make it quick, Andrew."

"You all act like he'll actually beat me!" King Boo hollered. "You'll be sorely disappointed soon enough."

The Kruna of Shadow chuckled and grabbed a hold of his Umbra Bladestaff. In a surprise move, he held it out to his side and let it drop to the marshy floor. King Boo frowned and squinted at the shadow wielder before him voluntarily opting to abandon the use of his elemental tool.

"Hey, Andrew!" Neva yelled. "You better not do anything stupid, or you're gonna get it from me later!"

"There will be no later for him," King Boo said. "I'm hungry, and now I have a craving for a chewy milk chocolate crunch bar with lots of cherry filling!"

"Ooh, do they make those?" asked Marut. "That actually sounds pretty good!"

King Boo scowled at the Kruna of Air. "Idiot..."

Andrew stepped forward to distance himself from the other Kruna, offering no retort for King Boo. He simply spread his feet and smiled. Daisy cupped her arms in her hands and looked on, more stern and sober than her shadow teammate. She hadn't experienced any of the disturbing visions she had been since entering Mystic Lake, so she didn't have to worry about those bothering her. But something about King Boo put her off more than his unhinged state of mind already had. He seemed a lot more bloodthirsty and vitriolic this time around.

"Andrew has never fared well against King Boo," said Ramona. "But Andrew has gotten a lot more powerful. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that his energy signature is at least a little larger than King Boo's as it stands now, but we can't say for sure since we can't sense anything in here."

"So he should come out on top this time then," said Marut.

"I hope so," said Daisy. "But he better not think that King Boo's any lesser of a threat just because he's got a few screws loose..."

"Precisely," said Warra. "Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, King Boo had the upper hand on Andrew when they fought at the Birabuto Coliseum..."

Neva thought back to their fight against King Boo in the Sarasaland Castle Town the night of the Blood Moon. _And he got the better of Shady there too...but only because Shady protected me..._

Andrew staggered his stance, crouched, and raised his arms up to eye level, one out and one pulled in. King Boo flared his insipid red and green shadows around his short arms as drool oozed from his mouth. In the short span of time it took for the ghost to intensify his shadows, Andrew's smile flipped upside-down.

"What's wrong, boy?!" King Boo taunted. "Getting discouraged already? I would too, knowing what you're up against."

"... Forgive me if I don't tremble in fear," replied Andrew.

A black and purple wall flared all around Andrew from his feet up to over his head. The opaqueness of the darkness caught the Kruna and King Boo off guard, and the shadows only seemed to thicken from there. The gloss from the darkness created its own shine as it warped and disbanded the fog around him. King Boo gritted his teeth and increased the power running through his arms in response to Andrew elevating his energy.

A swirl emanated from the base of Andrew's dark aura barrier as the shadows became translucent. King Boo could tell that his opponent was putting out a fierce effort to raise his power. Some strain on Andrew developed as he continued forcing out more power into active use. King Boo didn't seem perturbed at all, as if he felt that the Kruna of Shadow couldn't maintain however much power he would end up bringing out. Interestingly, King Boo stopped charging his power to watch the shadow wielder hard at work amplifying his own energy.

A sudden change occurred when Andrew's shadows made a stark transformation. They went from the smooth, wispy, soft flows of darkness to jagged, striated, curved barbs. The radius of his shadows inched further out around him, and the rate of their movement doubled.

"Woah, I haven't seen that too often from him," murmured Ramona.

"What's he doing?" asked Marut.

"For Andrew, the shadows have often been a reflection of his emotional state," said Ramona. "When they get to the current form they're in now...well, you better watch out!"

 _For someone who doesn't have Nova Form, his power output is very high,_ Daisy thought. _He must be incredibly motivated..._

"Why do you say that, Ramona?" asked Warra.

Ramona nervously giggled. "All I can say is, 'Barrage, barrage, barrage!' "

Shadows glossed over Andrew's body in violent streaks. The skin on his face and arms gleamed in tandem with a flashy sparkling from his eyes. Dark spikes broke off from the black and purple aura, contorting and snapping to mimic something akin to slow, shadowy lightning.

" 'Barrage' times eleven!" exclaimed Neva. "That's a whole lot more than he ever revealed training with me!"

"How high is he gonna go?" asked Marut.

"I'm more concerned with the fact that King Boo is just letting him power-up like that," said Warra. "He must not feel threatened."

"He sure does look like he's threatened!" said Marut.

King Boo twitched and cringed from where he hovered. Several times by now, he had expected Andrew to reach a peak and quit powering-up. But the Kruna of Shadow kept going, his dark aura now flowing even faster as his veins pumped blood to the maximum of their capabilities. The ground beneath his feet imploded some with a sudden crack, followed by a pulsed release of the shadows surrounding him.

With a wide-open gaze and a final, long exhale, Andrew got set once more for battle. Everything within him felt so alive with his heightened power brimming inside his body. But it wasn't just the extra energy enticing him and making him feel so free and liberated. The full force of fury fluttered throughout his body and spirit.

"C'mon, take flight, bro," Marut mumbled.

"Oh yeah, this is awesome!" Neva screamed. "He's gonna put the whooping on that ghost for sure!"

Daisy, Ramona, and Warra did not share the same enthusiasm, though more out of worry in Ramona's case. As for Daisy and Warra, they kept reserved and stoic in the face of an enemy that now seemed to reflect some of Marissa in his demeanor. Sobered out some from the lack of enthusiasm from the group, Neva went to go retrieve Andrew's bladestaff and then scurried back out of the way.

To King Boo, Andrew had made quite a display; for in his massive power-up, he did not just demonstrate his own progression, but the progression of all the other Kruna as well. All of them took steps forward in their roles as elemental wielders, collectively symbolized in the shadow wielder's opposition of King Boo at that very moment. King Boo glanced at each of the other Kruna with the thought running through his mind that they may very well be close to beating the demon witch; at least a lot closer than he had originally perceived, and maybe even closer than he himself.

Andrew's static position showed a decision to defer the first move to King Boo, though the ghostly king didn't feel very certain about what to do to open up the fight. From what he remembered, the Kruna of Shadow combined strength, speed, and power in a hard rushdown approach. And from what Andrew remembered, King Boo focused heavily on power and confusion. So while much more physically impressive than the ghost fiend, King Boo had him outmatched in the past. On top of that, how the two used their shadow powers alone made for a sharp contrast in style.

King Boo's grimace then switched to a chuckling grin. "If you think that powering-up is going to help you here, you're sorely mistaken."

Andrew didn't reply for a while, but then he smiled and said, "Let's find out-"

No one had time to gasp for air before Andrew zipped at and kneed King Boo, dealing the first strike himself out of impatience. The sound of impact rocked everyone's eardrums in the enclosed space of Mystic Lake. Likewise, the hit caused a reverberation of air to emanate from the site of impact. The breeze blew at the other Kruna and the surrounding fog.

As Andrew let his knee down, King Boo gagged and clutched at the bottom half of his body. That lone hit seemed sufficient enough to stun the ghost, for King Boo had no reaction for Andrew. He floated there, trying to regain his bearings while the Kruna of Shadow backed away.

"Did you see the way his knee went into King Boo?" asked Marut. "It was like he hit a giant marshmallow!"

The others kept quiet. Despite the cold temperature, Ramona had worked up a sweat while she watched. Neva held onto the Umbra Bladestaff as if it were a stuffed animal.

"What the hell are your legs made out of?" grunted King Boo. "Metal?!"

"By that remark, I take it you're ready for what's next," replied Andrew.

King Boo could've sworn he then saw Andrew's body become a black silhouette and fade into a cloud of darkness. The next thing he knew, a black blur cut around the area and left dark fumes behind it. Only a few seconds elapsed before dark streaks lingered all over the enclosed field.

Andrew flashed out from one of the streaks with an even more brutal crescent kick on King Boo. Time seemed to slow down for the ghost during the administration of the blow, another forceful crashing sound bouncing around the marsh and the trees. Sent up into an aerial tumble, King Boo smacked through and snapped several smaller branches he barreled into.

Grasping his right wrist, Andrew formed the revolving torrent of shadow energy in his free palm dubbed as his Shadow Ripper and went airborne to chase after King Boo. It would have been an easy hit had King Boo not made a quick counter with a teleport behind the ascending shadow wielder. Instead, King Boo got an easy hit on Andrew when he rammed into him. Andrew maintained his charged Shadow Ripper and whipped around to slam it down in a chopping arc on King Boo, putting the ghost into a plummet while he hopped off a nearby tree trunk and charged a hefty amount of shadow power around his left leg for a pursuit descent.

The first recoil bounce King Boo made off of the ground set up for Andrew's aerial, shadow-charged ax kick to bash into him and make his second involuntary ricochet off the marsh launch him several times higher into the air. Now shrouding his fist in darkness, Andrew leapt up and slugged King Boo with a shadowy uppercut. The Kruna of Shadow dropped back to the ground and flared copious amounts of dark power around him while King Boo flailed about in the air trying to recover.

"His power is still rising?" asked Neva.

"He's deriving it all off of pure anger," said Ramona. "It's amazing. It's hard to comprehend to most, but I've seen it ever since we were kids."

 _He's starting off way too aggressive_ , thought Warra. _And he's leaving himself way too wide open with his techniques. This is not going to end well at this rate._

Daisy stared on at the battle scene. She hadn't moved or changed her position at all since the fight had started. Regardless of the sides involved, she knew a real battle wasn't over in just the first several hits. With that in mind, she stayed subdued and kept her focus on what both Andrew and King Boo did.

King Boo descended back to the Mystic Lake floor and leered at Andrew. "I hope you're not proud of these irritating little blows you got on me," the ghostly fiend said. "You're still grossly underpowered for a Kruna. But it should come as no surprise; all the past Kruna had a lot more authority over nature than you."

"I like to think we've caught up," Andrew said.

"I disagree," King Boo said in a chuckle. "You'll never catch up. You disgrace every last one of them the longer you all continue to try and pretend you're making an impact in a world where you are but pariahs."

The shadows around Andrew flushed and jutted up in vicious flowing fangs. Somehow, the dark aura around the Kruna of Shadow morphed into an even more voracious shroud, coinciding with an active effort on Andrew's part to further increase his power output.

"You want to know why there was such a large gap in time between you and the last team of Kruna?" said King Boo. "Because nobody cares about you. You are dinosaurs. Relics. The world realized your kind are not dependable anymore – especially when you let Marissa take over."

"Do you ever get tired of talking?" Andrew said. "Because I sure get tired of listening."

Andrew crossed his arms and focused his readied power through them, likely in preparation for an attack. King Boo seemed a lot more calm now, other than his crazy-eyed stare. He maintained the stillest posture right up until he teleported. The ghost reappeared behind Andrew with an arm up to smash down on him, but the Kruna of Shadow twisted around in time and caught the blow for a deflection to set up a counter.

With King Boo thrown off balance, Andrew readied a large spheroid of dark power and rushed at the ghost. Unfortunately for Andrew, his counter attempt failed...badly. He had taken too long to prepare the mass of darkness, and then he went in with way too much aggression backing the thrust of his power. King Boo had more than enough time to twirl out of the way and even let Andrew stumble forward a few steps before he rammed the shadow wielder into the ground.

"No, you don't go for a huge knockout hit like that out of a counter!" Warra hollered. "That's just begging for a retaliatory counter right back!"

"There's a little lesson learned late!" King Boo hollered. He brought down a second body slam on Andrew straight against the ground while he was still stunned from the first. Then a third one came. Then a fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Tenth. Fourteenth. He stopped at fourteen, but finished with a sling of standard dark power down on the Kruna of Shadow before he floated to the other side of the compact battlefield.

King Boo's incessant cackling filled the air as Andrew pulled himself out of the pit that had developed from the ghost's consecutive hits. Sore aches and dull pains didn't stop Andrew from sprinting at King Boo, ready to bring down two fists from above on the ghost. Despite the high speed of movement and attack, King Boo slipped out of reach. Andrew found himself wide open again, for he had depended on making contact to keep from going into the defenseless forward lean he was in right then and there. Opportunity for the taking, King Boo charged a burst of shadow and swung from down low in a rising, spinning arc for an easy and powerful hit.

"The HARDEST READS!" King Boo shouted as Andrew's body hit the marsh.

"Andrew, please do something about this sod!" Ramona urged. "Get up!"

 _C'mon, Andrew, get yourself together and get back ahead of him,_ Daisy said in thought. _You've gotten so much more powerful from the last time you fought him._

"We've seen this before," said Warra, getting visibly frustrated.

Andrew kipped up to his feet, although with wincing and a little bit of a buckle. He went onto the offense and rushed King Boo with a fist at the ready, and, with some illusion power, created an afterimage that flowed just ahead of him as he went at the ghost. When King Boo saw the afterimage, he put up a high block to defend. The real Andrew adjusted and then punched low to score a hit, then followed that up with a cutthroat elbow jab. Andrew finished with a supple back kick that knocked King Boo up and fed into a bicycle kick with his other foot.

By the time Andrew had flipped back around, King Boo had vanished. The ghost reappeared on Andrew's left and rushed at him with an arm pulled back to strike. Andrew put up a guard to try and counter, only to find out that King Boo had sent an afterimage of himself. The true King Boo became visible behind Andrew after the afterimage faded, at which point the ghost exhaled a burst of dark energy from his mouth straight into the Kruna of Shadow's back. King Boo bolted at the reeling shadow wielder before he fell over and smashed his right arm near the base of Andrew's neck. When Andrew went down, he stayed down.

"Anything you can do, I can do better," said King Boo. "You may have become more powerful, but you've still got quite a few kinks in your game to work out. And they're _egregioussssss..._ "

"Your face is egregious!" screamed Neva.

"Shut up, ya pale shrimp!" King Boo barked. "I'll chomp you right down to your tail!"

Andrew clawed at the grass and pushed off the ground. Panting and bleeding, he propped himself up and returned to his feet one leg at a time. He got set in a power stance, ready to fight on.

"You're really going to be that foolish?" asked King Boo. "I am of a superior breed! A dominant race of beings! Your inferior human flesh can never stand up to me! Never! The chances of you beating me are ZERO percent!"

"I can take my chances with those odds," Andrew replied.

"Ooh, do I detect a bit of agitation in that ragged tone?" taunted King Boo.

Andrew responded by calling forth shadows to initiate another power-up. The darkness he gathered and let flow from within came out even more sharp and erratic than the last time. King Boo held off from attacking and just grinned at the Kruna of Shadow.

"His power is spiking in intensity now," said Marut. "This is crazy..."

"But he's looking much more beat-up than King Boo is," said Neva.

"He's fighting with too much anger," said Warra. "It's just too careless. He has practically been throwing himself around – that's no way to survive!"

A sudden, alarming change struck when Andrew caved in and buckled during his power-up. The development elicited surprise in all of his teammates, though he maintained his charge and kept raising his elemental power higher. If anything, he became even more furious and consequently urged himself further off of it.

"He's harming himself just to force out more power," said Warra. "Why would he do something so drastic?"

 _This is over in the next move,_ King Boo assured in his mind.

The darkness around Andrew shifted and morphed into an ascending torrent as he got in position for a Gemivado wave, generating massive air and fog displacement. His face told the story of strain and pain from boosting his output far more than he knew he should have. As Andrew kept powering-up, King Boo raised his arms and prepared to use a technique that would negate the Kruna of Shadow's upcoming elemental beam.

"Multiform!" King Boo howled.

Andrew closed his eyes in a deep grimace and opened them up to see eight King Boos instead of one. The eight ghosts floated over to encircle him, all of them with their tongues sticking out. The moment Andrew attacked one of them, the others would swarm him; and he wouldn't be able to get his Gemivado around to hit more than one before then.

"Get ready to act, guys," Daisy said, uncrossing her arms. "He's not getting out of this."

Seeing the change in circumstances, Andrew slashed his hands apart from one another and reworked his energy into another Shadow Ripper. The decision would grant him more mobility out of attack, but it wasn't much of an improvement in the grand scheme of things. He felt all but certain that the King Boos would all launch a counteroffensive on him as soon as he attacked.

The Kruna of Shadow grunted in vexation, picked a King Boo to attack, and ran at him with his Shadow Ripper arm up and ready to thrust. He figured he could take at least one out, though he'd have to be on the move right after initial contact. But it mattered not, for his strike fazed through King Boo's body. The ghost had turned intangible before Andrew attacked. Andrew pulled back his Shadow Ripper without notching a hit on a single King Boo.

From there, the other seven King Boos took aim. Andrew turned around and saw seven separate blasts of impure shadow for just a split second before all of them hit him. His energy drained and withered under the effects of the corrupted element. Before he even got a chance to collapse in fatigue, the King Boo he had attempted to hit rematerialized and slammed his arm into the Kruna of Shadow's back.

Ramona and Neva went blue in the face when Andrew flopped onto the ground. Warra scowled in irritation, though it seemed more directed at Andrew than at King Boo. All eight of the ghost bodies hovered to surround the Kruna of Shadow again, who struggled to even get up.

"May I offer a suggestion with what little power you have left?" King Boo said. "Beg for your life. If you cry and scream hard enough, I might spare you."

With immense effort, Andrew tried forcing himself back up. Every time he moved, he felt like a he had suffered a crash with a Bullet Bill while he had a thousand-pound vest weighing him down. But he didn't give up, and he eventually got back on one foot. King Boo decided not to grace him with the chance of getting the other foot under him. The ghost's seven clones watched him raise his arm over the still recovering Kruna of Shadow and flare a dirty dark spheroid that imploded and expanded in a cycle.

"I win again," said King Boo. "And now you lose everything!"

King Boo brought his arm down for a final strike on Andrew, who could do nothing to defend himself. But for King Boo, he would not land the fatal blow. Daisy had dashed in front of the attacking King Boo and caught the medial portion of his charged arm.

"Not today; back off," said Daisy.

King Boo cut off the flow of his attack and wrenched his arm free, but he did so with a sly grin. The other seven King Boos took aim on Andrew and formed sickly shadow orbs of their own to smite with. No time to spare, Ramona got in front of Andrew and erected a defensive dome of light the moment the King Boos released their blasts. While Ramona's shield deflected the incoming attacks, Marut channeled lightning all along his Dragon Bladestaff for a modified version of his Lightning Blade technique, and the subsequent blow he got with it on one King Boo lashed out and shocked two of the other copies.

Neva and Warra combined their efforts to spray a wide swath of water at two of the King Boos that the Kruna of Ice proceeded to freeze over. Seeing the Kruna retaliate made King Boo pull the free clones back into his being to recentralize some of his power. As for the two frozen duplicates, Neva jumped and smacked her Blizzard Bladestaff on their ice entrapment that, although freed them, dealt them a jarring, veritable amount of damage.

With just two rattled clones helping him to face off against the five Kruna, King Boo slowly backed away. His two clones prepared impure shadow bursts and fired them off; one that Warra deflected, the other hitting Ramona in the back. The Kruna of Light let out a yelp and slumped over in a tired hunch, vulnerable to a followup attack. However, Warra and Neva got their Ultima Staffs up at a King Boo clone each, and Daisy stood poised to strike down the real King Boo. Ramona and Andrew had protection courtesy of Marut.

King Boo disbanded his remaining clones and pulled back their energy into him. With only a final crazed laugh, King Boo's body warped and teleported away. The Kruna waited for a little while and kept their guard up, though King Boo never returned. While Daisy, Warra, and Marut glanced all around the area, Neva gave Ramona an Ultra Mushroom and gave Andrew two.

When Andrew got up, Neva handed him his bladestaff. Even with two Ultra Mushrooms, he only felt half as healthy as he did prior to fighting King Boo; and he certainly didn't look as clean. In a groggy grumble, the Kruna of Shadow said, "He really beat me again, didn't he?"

"Why should you be surprised that he beat you again?" said Warra. "You have yourself to blame for that."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Neva.

"Throwing strikes with violent abandon is no way to fight," Warra said to Andrew. "You put too much emotion and fury into combat. If you want to perform better, why not have some composure and practicality instead of using the technique of a brutish barbarian?"

"But Warra, he's one of the more graceful movers here," Daisy said.

"Why are you trying to cover for him?" Warra snapped. "You're not much better than he is! The only thing that's keeping me from going off on you too is the fact that you at least don't leave yourself wide open after your attacks the way he does!"

"Dude, just...direct it all at me, please," said Andrew.

"I will – stop treating every attack like it's a knockout hit," groused Warra. "You can't run headlong into a battle thinking you can end everything just by putting all your power into every one of your moves. It doesn't work like that. I thought all that time training would've helped you to sort that out, but it doesn't look to be the case. You can't just muscle your way through everything! Be strong and be fast as much as you want; it doesn't do you any bit of good if you're wild and careless! Someone else in your position who doesn't get as lucky as you do would be dead ten times over!"

"Warra, you don't have to be so harsh," said Ramona.

"He keeps being reckless like that, he's going to get himself killed!" Warra barked at Ramona before redirecting his attention to Andrew. "You're becoming more of a liability than an asset. You're not only endangering yourself, but you're endangering all of us too; especially whoever it is that has to save you from your stupid and impulsive decisions! I've already seen plenty of people close to me suffer and die. I do _not_ want to be put through that again!"

Andrew frowned. "I'm sorry I'm not to your liking."

"Don't feel sorry; for me or for yourself," said Warra. "Watching you fight is infuriating. It takes more than being stronger, faster, or more powerful than your opponent. I'm more surprised that you're not wise enough to see that than I am that you continue to struggle. If you don't have the sense to understand that and adjust accordingly, you may as well just stay back at Rainbow City and let us handle things because you're proving more and more how incapable you are of being effective out here."

Andrew sighed and nodded. He put away his bladestaff without uttering a single word and turned to go down one of the available paths. Warra watched the shadow wielder walk and said nothing more to him. Daisy shot Warra a look, but he still didn't say a thing to Andrew as he trotted off.

"Andrew? Where are you going?" asked Ramona.

"Does it really matter at this point?" Andrew replied.

Neva rushed up to Andrew before he got too far away and tugged on his hand. "Don't go by yourself. Let me come with you."

"No, Neva," Andrew said. He slipped free from Neva's grasp and disappeared into the Mystic Lake fog. She huffed and frowned, hoping he'd turn around and come back. He didn't.

"I gotta side with Warra," said Marut. "He puts himself out there for a lot of punishment."

"Too much, too often," said Warra. "If he didn't have us, he'd be dead."

"I get it," Neva said as she came back to the group. "But you didn't have to come down so hard on him-"

"Apparently, I did!" shouted Warra.

The Kruna of Water must have touched a nerve, for Neva quick drew her bladestaff and pointed one of its blades at him. " _Apparently,_ you need to check your tone!"

"Put it away, Neva!" Daisy barked. "We're not doing this! Not here of all places in the middle of the night! Now let's just refocus and move along-"

"What about Andrew?" asked Ramona.

"What about him?" replied Daisy. "We'll run into him again when we're out of here or at some point before then. And since he's already off by himself, we may as well split up and search Mystic Lake that way. That ought to expand our scope so that at least one of us is bound to find Peach. If someone gets lost, then you're lost. Just deal with it until you find someone else, because we just might be in here for a while regardless."


	40. Chapter XL

The Mystic Lake Labyrinth!:

Andrew stalked off further into Mystic Lake alone. Two Ultra Mushrooms only restored Andrew to just around half of his full health, if that, and he really wished Neva had only given him one and avoided using up a second just for his sake. Especially after that last battle, he did not even feel worthy of one.

The Kruna of Shadow had no idea where he was going, but he kept an eye out for Peach in case he ran into her. For a while though, he didn't find anyone. He walked along paths and through small clearings with no one and nothing to keep him company but he himself and his own thoughts and feelings, all three of which had been tearing him a new one out of spite for another loss to King Boo.

"It's not like you lost on purpose," Ramona's voice suddenly said.

Though the Kruna of Light was not there, Andrew oddly saw her form up ahead. She glimmered like an apparition and followed Andrew in a hover when he walked past her. He didn't look at her or slow down.

"You're just trying too hard to be the best out there," the spectral Ramona said.

"I'm just trying to take advantage of what I'm good at," replied Andrew.

"There's a difference between highlighting and overemphasizing. Maybe that's what Warra was getting at?"

"Oh, I get what he was getting at."

"He's just overprotective and worrisome-"

"He thinks I'm an ineffective, useless liability. I heard it straight from out of his mouth. And if I'm all that, then what am I even doing here?"

"Please, don't do anything drastic-"

"I'm getting very close!"

When Andrew didn't hear any reply for a while, he turned around and saw that the Ramona apparition had disappeared. Again, he was by himself. He stopped and glanced all around the tree-laiden marsh just to be sure.

 _If that wasn't the lake doing that, then I must be going crazy,_ he thought, walking on at a hastier pace.

* * *

When Daisy reached the side of a wide pond, the Snifits and Bandits waiting there looked as real as they could get. The five raiders seemed lost and tired as they lay by a nearby tree trunk, but they jumped to their feet in panic once one of them noticed Daisy approaching.

"Oh boy; it's time, it's time, it's raider time," mumbled Daisy, putting up her fists.

"What are you doing out here, woman?!" a Bandit cried. "We called dibs on that treasure!"

"Those riches are ours!" a Snifit called out.

"What? Treasure? Riches? There's none of that here!" exclaimed Daisy.

"Oh yes there is!" another Bandit said. "We've been in here for three days now looking, and we're about to stumble onto it soon!"

"Y'all looked more likely to fall asleep just a moment ago," muttered Daisy.

"We don't need to hear any sass from you!" snapped a Snifit.

"You're right," Daisy replied, her left fist now rumbling with seismic power. "You _don't_ need to hear anything from me!"

"Yo, let's beat it!" yelled a Bandit. Not waiting around for Daisy to dish out an attack, the raiders scrambled and fled deeper into Mystic Lake. Daisy smirked and watched them run for a while until they disappeared into the fog, but then she felt something strange inside of her mind. Her inner eye reacted as if someone tried to reach out and contact her.

Though unknown at first, the person's voice gave away her identity when she first spoke in Daisy's mind. _Having fun, Sarasa girl?_

 _What do you want, Marissa?_ Daisy growled in thought. _Care to explain something?_

 _What – oh right,_ replied the witch. _I had Dark Siren lure you here. Surely you wouldn't ignore the call of a dear friend in agony, now would you?_

 _What are you saying?_

 _The mental images and hexes she sent searched for you all across the planet. They track their intended target from wherever they're hiding. I knew she would draw you out._

 _So then is Peach here or not?_

 _I don't know...is she? Maybe Dark Siren made the images a little more...real, this time? I'll let you figure that one out. At least you don't have to worry about me since I can't tell where you are in Mystic Lake; but you're in Dark Siren's territory, so she'll take care of you meddling fools soon enough..._

Marissa's voice faded out, leaving Daisy more enlightened but more confused too. Someone known as Dark Siren could be fabricating all the visions of Peach as a ploy to lure the Kruna into a trap. Or, Dark Siren could be actively hunting Peach down in Mystic Lake at that very moment. Or, Dark Siren already had Peach in captivity. Or, Dark Siren could even be in the process of torturing or killing Peach. Either way, it was bait; bait that Daisy had to take.

* * *

Warra had run into a trio of Anti Guys that hopped out of the section of the lake he happened upon. All three of them demonstrated explosive speed and powerful melee attacks that forced Warra on the defensive early and seemed reminiscent of both Daisy and Andrew. In addition, their illusory tactics made their movements unpredictable. So far, they spammed a movement technique that started off with using a split afterimage dissipation to confuse which direction they were heading in. At times, one of them would appear out of thin air with no visual effect or sound. The Anti Guys almost seemed like a tangible, hostile mirage.

He notched a Focus Palm on one Anti Guy as it tried to make a move, which actually turned out effective where all his water attacks and standard melee attacks didn't do much. The other two Anti Guys filled in where the other one had got cut off and launched an offensive on Warra, who took out his swordstaff to aid in defense. Though the Anti Guys resembled Shy Guys, they performed nothing like Shy Guys. They shifted and attacked in blurs like demons possessed.

So Warra activated his Alkemei Inpei to slow down their attacking. Now back to three, the Anti Guys were poised to strike, but they couldn't find the Kruna of Water. Not until he hit them with a Sonic Clap did they figure out Warra's position, but that didn't save them from taking the damage. Interestingly, the properties of Warra's attack also caused a distortion of the Anti Guys best described as horizontal splits across their bodies.

The odd reaction made Warra wonder what exactly he had been fighting. He pulled water from out of the lake and launched the mass at the Anti Guys, though like before, it didn't do much of anything to them at all. Warra immediately followed that up with another Sonic Clap to get them just before they went back on the move; and again, the distortions overcame their bodies, although more violently this time.

The Anti Guys looked disoriented from their now intermittent distortions. To Warra, no living, breathing, physical being he knew of could experience such effects on their bodies. It made him think of the possibility that he may not have been fighting anything at all.

Still experiencing surreal distortions, the Anti Guys made a move and scattered to go on a spread offensive and lunge at Warra from three different angles. Warra sighed and closed his eyes, deciding right then and there to put his guard down and stand tall. He stood and waited, his hands at his sides and his energy suppressed. When he opened his eyes, the Anti Guys had disappeared. Warra made a quick scan of the area to confirm he was all by himself before he continued on searching through Mystic Lake.

* * *

Neva got busy sniping Phantos out of the air with her bladestaff's crossbow. She had somehow barged into a whole swarm of them, who had to have awoken merely by her presence there. Alternating between shooting and dodging, Neva had to trace the Phantos and get out of the way fast, for they zoomed around with quick flight and tried ramming into her often. Their intermittent, paranormal shrieks gave away their positions when obscured from view, but they never stayed in place for long.

"Who sticks flying masks in a swamp?" Neva grumbled. With pinpoint precision, she shattered Phanto after Phanto with her ice arrows but took several hits in the back from their kamikaze attempts in the process. By the time she destroyed all of the Phantos, an almost intolerable amount of dull soreness took over her back as a result of all those cheap shots.

Maybe it was the fact that she was by herself in Mystic Lake, or maybe it was because of another in many occurrences of prominent and widespread pain, or maybe it was just the mental and emotional toll of being in such a bizarre world facing such a daunting enemy; but whatever the case was, Neva snapped. She flopped onto the ground and let herself just lay there. Not long had passed before she opened up and started crying. She tried her best to keep her sobbing as muffled as she could, though she couldn't stop it altogether.

 _I am so tired of fighting,_ she thought. _Ever since that day in Twilight City, that's all it's been for me. I'm so tired of it..._

* * *

Ramona had went with Marut, not wanting to try and get herself caught up in some predicament alone. They had passed through several portions and sections of Mystic Lake already. Rounding a bush and coming alongside a border for one section of Mystic Lake's actual lake, the two ran into Daisy.

"What did you guys find?" asked Daisy.

"Oh, we didn't come across anything," said Ramona. "Except for a group of...what did you call them, Marut?"

"Amazy Dayzees!" replied Marut. "They were these weird sparkly flower creatures that took forever to put down!"

"They kept puffing out some misty spores or something," said Ramona. "It was creepy."

"You're saying flowers are creepy?" said Daisy, raising an eyebrow. "Girl, you're crazy."

A bulge popped up out of the water and slithered in an arc to resemble a hump. The three Kruna only got their heads around to see the tail end of the mass return back underwater. Further out into the lake, the same bulge surfaced again for a brief instant before subsequently submerging.

"Now _that's_ new," Daisy muttered.

"Should we chase after it?" asked Marut.

"Or, you know...avoid it," mumbled Ramona.

"That lake is big enough to make chasing it an issue," said Daisy. "But it's not big enough to make it so that we won't see it again. If it comes back around, attack it."

"You're sounding like you're a little tired there, dude," said Marut.

"Aren't we all? It's gotta be well past midnight," said Ramona.

"Maybe we should just find the Crystal Tears here and leave," said Marut. "I don't think Peach is here."

"Andrew or Warra or Neva could have run into her already," said Daisy. "We won't know for sure until we regroup with them, so we're going to keep looking."

* * *

Andrew marched through path after path of Mystic Lake's winding labyrinth-like layout, attentive for anything resembling Peach, a Crystal Tear, or a potential enemy. What he got instead was an arrival in an oddly familiar section of the swamp. In fact, he recognized it almost right away in frustration.

 _This is, like, the eighth time I've ended up back at this same outcropping,_ he grumbled in thought. _I swear, I've taken so many different routes, and I just end up back here. That makes no kind of sense!_

The unknown source of the ambient blue lighting for Mystic Lake made no sense either, for it brought dim illumination all throughout where he had went without any hint as to its source. And now, sparkles fluttered in the backdrop. With close listening, he could hear the air itself shimmering.

 _I don't see any other way I can go,_ Andrew thought, crossing his arms as he leaned against a tree trunk. _I'll just have to diverge from the paths and make my own way out of here..._

A tall, spindly figure of pitch black form in a torn and tattered navy blue cloak faded into view at the entrance of one of the paths. The only other discernible features of the figure included a Shy Guy mask, angelic wings, a halo over his head, and a harp in his decayed hands. When he spoke, his voice measured several octaves lower than Andrew's, almost to the point of incomprehension.

"Everywhere you go, it always comes back to the same thing," the figure said. "You keep wandering, hoping you can find what you're seeking. But you don't ever find it. Will you ever?"

Andrew said nothing to him. The Kruna of Shadow shifted to pull out his Umbra Bladestaff and fiddled with it in his hands. The noble contours of its blades reflected weariness.

"Your own teammate said it to you," said the figure, hovering closer. "You are not good enough. You continue to fall short... The Kruna before you, elemental wielders before you, all those that may come...you bring them either disappointment or laughter."

Vexed, Andrew brought one end of his bladestaff up near his face. He sighed and then watched the blade face bisect the vapors of his breath. When he turned his bladestaff so that the edge lined up perpendicular to his face, he saw that the figure had come to just a couple feet away.

"You are on borrowed time," the figure said, hovering around Andrew. "Why do you continue with your shameful existence when you know you're not doing any good? What is your reasoning?... Because maybe somehow, someway, you're going to get better?... At some point, you must realize how futile and irrational going on such a fantastical belief is."

"I believe in the fantastical," Andrew sternly declared. "I believe in dreams, and faith, and miracles, and destiny, and fate...and hope. I believe in it all, and I have no explanation or justification. I don't need any. Belief is more powerful to me than any rationalization."

"Do you really believe you'll accomplish that which your duty asks of you?" the figure asked. "You really think you'll matter in the end? That you'll actually make a difference? Surely you won't last long enough."

"I will fulfill my role," said Andrew. "And then after that, we'll see what happens."

"And if you are unable to fulfill your role, then what?"

"Then it will be time."

The figure leered at Andrew for a while, though the Kruna of Shadow didn't move or even look directly at him. Eventually, the figure told Andrew with harshness, "Heartbreak and devastation shall be your only company in your downfall...believer..." In a matter of moments afterwards, the figure faded away.

Andrew sighed and returned his bladestaff to its holster on his back. He started for a gap through the trees in between paths, not giving any second thought to the figure in the Shy Guy mask.

* * *

Neva hobbled along the lake shore, moving under the sparkling ether. At this point, she had only one thing on her mind; regroup with the others so they could get out of Mystic Lake. Not like she had come across anything of interest wandering around the swamp anyways. She was tired, she was hurting, and she just wanted to get into bed.

Soon, she considered the possibility of herself being much more tired than she felt, for she could have sworn she started seeing what looked like a bump in the water rise up for just a handful of seconds before it submerged back into the lake. _Did I just hallucinate that?_ Neva thought.

The mass didn't rise back up again, so Neva ignored it and went on along the side of the lake. But just to be sure, she kept her Blizzard Bladestaff up with a soft flow of elemental energy running through it. She didn't feel confident at all about her chances of survival if she got ambushed right then and there, especially if it came by surprise.

Neva made her steps slow and light, staying alert for the slightest disturbance in the area. She kept particular focus on the lake, as if something would jump out of it if she gave it the chance to lash out at her. But through her cautious strut, she discovered no immediate threat.

 _Maybe I did hallucinate that_ , Neva then thought.

* * *

Over where Warra was, the bumps Neva saw splashed out of the lake at the side of him in much the same manner. He got forced into a making a quick draw of his Tidal Swordstaff when he heard a massive splashing sound come from further out into the lake. The giant head of an Unagi Eel hurtled toward Warra and burrowed back into the water just a handful of yards away from him. Warra swung his staff to divert the ensuing splash away from him, but he knew he had a much larger problem lurking in the lake than getting wet.

The Unagi Eel shuffled around underwater some before it popped up again, this time lunging at Warra to try and devour him. The Kruna of Water leapt out of reach of its jaws, and the eel retreated back into the lake. It was smart to avoid getting stuck on land, for that would've meant at least one easy hit for Warra. The Unagi zigzagged underwater, just waiting for another opportunity. Warra stayed back and away from the edge.

 _Obviously, not an illusion this time,_ Warra thought, positioning his swordstaff for defense.

* * *

When Neva reached a path at her section of the lake leading back into the marsh portion of the swamp, Daisy, Ramona, and Marut came out of it and joined her. "Oh man, am I glad to see you guys!" Neva hollered.

"I take it you didn't find anything?" asked Daisy.

"Nothing but trouble," replied Neva.

"Did you run out of Mushrooms?" asked Ramona, taking note of Neva's stunted posture.

"I have a few left," said Neva. "I didn't wanna waste them in case I ran into someone who needed them."

"So we didn't accomplish anything," said Marut as Ramona gave Neva a Super Mushroom. "We just lost Warra and Andrew. That's it. So now we have to look for them and Peach and the Crystal Tears too."

Daisy took a deep breath and frowned, about ready to admit that Peach probably wasn't in Mystic Lake at all. But before she spoke up, a musical melody started playing through the swamp. None of the four Kruna saw anything new when they looked around.

"Is that...a guitar?!" asked Marut.

"Acoustic," said Neva. "Not steel-string, I think. Probably classical."

"This is one creepy, creepy place," Ramona whimpered.

"So thank you for the petition," a voice sang. "You have my thanks... We are two very different people... But we both know in our heart of hearts..."

"Peach?" Daisy wondered aloud.

"We're one of a kind," the voice sang. "I know you and you know me; you're genuine from what I see. A static friendship in a frantic world; a part of ways only lasts for days. Through thick and thin – we stand hand in hand, in time..."

"This has to be a trick," murmured Neva.

"Things are gonna be different; changes of significance," Peach's voice sang. "I hope to see what awaits for me and you... Like a waterfall on a raging fire; the stars shine bright when the scene is dire. Through the chaos and turmoil I hope to still see you..."

With a soft laugh, Peach's voice stopped singing. The guitar continued playing, looping back around to the start of its tune. Much like the ambient lighting and sparkling of Mystic Lake, the sound of the guitar had no perceptible source.

"Well, I don't know, you guys," said Daisy. "I'm about as confused as the rest of you are."

"Isn't that the proof you were looking for to show that Peach is here?" asked Marut.

"I _want_ to believe that's her," said Daisy. "But...no...this is just too weird. Everything about this is so weird..." She paused, then added with a deep breath, "I _heard_ her sing that song before."

"I thought I heard her humming this once," said Ramona. "Or something like it, at least."

"Actually, doesn't this play sometimes in item shops?!" asked Marut. "This sounds so familiar!"

"And I've heard the song before over the radio," said Neva. "It's some cheesy, sappy song about friendship or whatever. Barf."

"But it's one of her favorites," said Daisy. "So it could very well be her...or this place has a knack for screwing with one's mind. I don't remember her playing a guitar... But, I might have seen one in her castle-"

"I vote for screwing with one's mind," said Neva. "There must have been like, four or five times where I went around in circles because everything in here looks like a copy-paste job."

"Then what are we going to do?" asked Ramona.

"Follow that guitar," said Daisy. "That's what we're gonna do. We'll go in the direction where it keeps getting louder. Then we'll see if that really was Peach, or a trick like everything else in this swamp."

* * *

Warra ran from the Unagi, the eel now soaring through the air as if it were slithering underwater. He thought he'd be safe from it by diverging deeper into the marsh portion of the swamp and away from the lake, but the Unagi kept its pace and contorted its body all around the trees to stick with him. Whenever Warra made quick cuts around tree trunks to bait the Unagi to chase and get trapped in entanglement, the eel slipped its body through lanes between trees to prevent from getting caught. It did not follow Warra exactly, but rather, it choose the widest gaps available to slide through.

 _As primitive as this eel appears, it is clever and cunning,_ Warra thought.

Shortly after Warra went into an opening, the Unagi shot through a gap and rammed into him. As the water wielder tumbled on the marsh, the Unagi rolled and careened into a horizontal loop in the air and opened its mouth on its way down to scoop Warra up with its teeth. Warra pushed himself out of the way and rocked back to his feet to slash his swordstaff at the eel's body as it passed by. The beast howled and roared, but then it made a tight flex of its body to lash back at Warra in retaliation. The Unagi pinned Warra to the ground and would have devoured him had Warra not kept the eel's mouth pried open with his swordstaff.

At that moment, the Unagi's body jolted and twitched. Warra peered around the eel's mouth and saw Andrew with an elbow making an impression deep into the Unagi's flesh. With the Unagi stunned, Warra wrenched his swordstaff free and rolled out from under the eel. A followup kick from the Kruna of Shadow launched the Unagi into the trees at one side of the opening, and a near-fatal stabbing blow on the beast's head from Warra kept the Unagi down.

"Thanks," said Warra.

"I'm going this way," said Andrew. He spoke nothing extra as he marched off down another Mystic Lake path.

"Andrew, wait-" Warra called out.

The Kruna of Shadow stopped and looked behind him. "Warra, don't apologize for anything. We're good. Just leave me alone for now."

As Andrew turned and headed on his way, Warra nodded and mumbled, "Okay..."

* * *

"We haven't come across this path before," said Ramona, speaking for herself and Marut. The group of four had just entered a more distorted section of Mystic Lake with noticeably more colorful growth and foliage and a brighter yet hazier ambient blue tone lighting up the environment.

"I haven't been here either," said Neva.

"Me neither," said Daisy. "But the guitar's sounding clearer, so we're getting closer going this way."

"Did any of us even notice this part of the swamp _before_ the guitar started playing?" Neva asked.

"You know what...no," Marut said. "Huh..."

"There's a lot of neat-looking flowers here though," said Daisy. "Maybe we can pick some to bring back for Bowser. Who doesn't feel better when they get flowers?"

"I'm sure he's the kind of person who adores flowers," said Neva. "Are we gonna ignore how bright it is now? Daytime hours everywhere else under the Nirvana Barrier aren't even this bright – and these sparkly things in the air are getting so annoying!"

"Daisy, if it isn't Peach playing the guitar, who could it be?" asked Ramona.

"All I can think of is Dark Siren," said Daisy. "That's what Marissa told me earlier through telepathy."

"She knows where we are?" Neva asked.

"She knows we're here," said Daisy. "She doesn't know where in Mystic Lake we are. Whatever is up with this place is throwing her Remote Viewing for a loop, I'm sure; just like Ramona can't scope with her Motomeru in here. So we shouldn't have to worry about her hunting us. I doubt she'd want to manually search through here."

"I think we should still try and hurry up," said Ramona. "She could have told you one thing and then decided to do something else entirely."

"I know," said Daisy. "That's why when we leave here – Peach or no Peach – we'll need to be extra alert..."


	41. Chapter XLI

The Girl in the Marsh:

Andrew had made his way into the same region of Mystic Lake Daisy, Ramona, Marut, and Neva had; but he didn't see any of them, and he had already walked away from Warra. The guitar he noticed playing in the background stopped shortly after his venture into the brighter, livelier section of the swamp. At this point, he had no idea where he was going. But he went on, aimless and lost under a growing sense of drowsy fatigue. Soon, he wondered if he would just walk himself to sleep.

He trotted into another opening in the swamp with the hopes of finding Peach or even just a single Crystal Tear. Instead, he found something entirely different. In the clearing and next to the lake water, a young, thin girl stood under the dense, hazy tealish-blue light that had no apparent source but shined its brightest right there. With thick and asymmetrical layers of body wave brown hair and a traditional brown and beige dress, she looked out of place, lost, and alone. Her diamond-shaped face looked dainty and fragile, but it also seemed perfect and untainted. She did not move, but her head slowly creaked up to lock onto Andrew's position.

"Um...hi," said Andrew, waving his hand. He kept his distance, unsure of whether she was friendly or hostile. She smiled and waved at him with a slow, lazy motion.

"Are you alright?" Andrew then called out. "Are you here with anybody?"

The girl shook her head and seemed ready to cry just seconds later. Andrew jogged over to where she stood and frowned, upset to see her so distressed. She sobbed and whimpered for a little while, her pouting the only thing audible in their glade.

"Please don't be sad," said Andrew. "You can come with me. I've got some friends here too. We can all help you get out of here."

"I'm so scared," the girl whimpered. "This place is frightening..."

"Then come on, and let's go," said Andrew. "This is not a good place for anyone to be. It's dangerous in here-"

The girl started crying harder, unsettling Andrew even more. She looked absolutely defenseless and trembled without control. Saddened, Andrew got closer to her and softened his tone.

"Everything will be okay once we're out of here," Andrew said. "Don't cry. I'll help you. We'll get back outside. Nothing's going to get to you. Would you feel better if I held your hand and walked you out?"

Andrew held up an arm for her. The girl's crying eased up some, and she grabbed the Kruna of Shadow's outstretched hand. The moment she felt the warmth of his palm, she stopped crying altogether and looked at their joined hands.

The girl then snatched Andrew's other hand with her free one. She gazed at his hands, and then she looked up at him. He didn't know what to make of her advance and just froze in place. He got even more dumbstruck when she closed the gap between them. She was only an inch shorter than him.

"Please, stay here with me..." she murmured. Her voice was so smooth and soft that it sounded like the voice a pillow would have.

"Uh...what?" asked Andrew. He suddenly felt a soothing, sedative sensation overwhelming him.

"Everyone keeps leaving me..." she said. "They always leave me behind... Please don't leave me..."

"I know that feeling... But I'm not leaving you. I'm going to guide you out of this marsh."

"Just stay with me..." she mumbled. "Just stay...don't leave me..."

She kept gazing at the Kruna of Shadow and wrapped her arms around him with a tight squeeze, locking her stare on his face. He looked at her emerald eyes as if he were peering into her soul and felt so numb, yet her hold on him felt so relaxing and secure. She then pulled him in closer to the point where the tips of their noses were just inches apart. He could feel her breath nuzzling him in the face.

 _Okay, this is just getting really weird here now_ , Andrew said in thought. He felt ready to break free and back away at the blink of an eye, for he was essentially being embraced and caressed by an utter stranger. The idea of it made him feel nothing short of uncomfortable.

They stood there for a while, to the point where the world felt timeless. The girl did not ever break eye contact with Andrew and barely blinked. The confusion intensified when the girl put a hand on his forehead and ran it down the side of his face to his cheek.

 _What the hell is with this creep?!_ Andrew grumbled in thought. He then said out loud, "Okay, you can let go now, lady. This is a nice hug and all, but I feel like you may be misinterpreting me-"

Suddenly, the girl reworked her hold on him and latched onto his arms. Even with his excellent strength, Andrew found himself unable to wriggle free from her grasp. All the while, she stared directly at him with unblinking, unwavering attention.

"Don't go..." the girl whispered. "Don't leave..."

* * *

"So I take it none of us found anything?" asked Warra, regrouping with the other four Kruna in the core of Mystic Lake.

"Nope," said Daisy.

"Well, that leaves one spot," said Ramona. "It's in the direction where Andrew initially went. None of us ran into him at all?"

"Maybe he found something?" said Marut. "Maybe Peach, or Crystal Tears?"

"No, I ran into him," said Warra. "He was alone, and he didn't mention anything about the tears."

"Let's return and look for him once we get this potential guitar source checked out," said Daisy. "We have to search all through this area now that the guitar stopped playing."

"Oh, glad I'm not the only one that noticed the guitar," said Warra. "And was that Peach singing?"

Daisy shrugged. "Could have been. Could have not been. I don't know why she would do that here of all places."

* * *

"Don't leave?" Andrew asked the girl. "Miss, we have to leave. In fact, I've got my friends walking around right now and someone who could very well need help-"

"Relax..." the girl said. "Just relax..."

"Relax?" Andrew snapped. "You're a complete stranger, and this hug has lasted way too long! Can you kindly get off of me so I can help you?!"

"But you are helping me," said the girl.

"What...I don't understand..." muttered Andrew. At that moment, he felt a soft stabbing sensation across his chest. That feeling turned into a pull and a squeeze, then a push and a freeze. He didn't understand where it came from, for the only thing pressed against him was the girl who refused to let go.

"Just relax," the girl said with a giggle. "You are right where you need to be..."

"I'll be the decider of that," Andrew said. Standing tall, he turned around to try and move away from the girl, but she kept his hold on him and held up her feet. The Kruna of Shadow frowned with the girl hanging on him, who only adjusted her grip to make sure she didn't slide off.

 _I swear, I have A FRICKIN' LEECH ON ME!_ Andrew screamed in thought.

"We don't have to go anywhere, my darling," the girl said.

Andrew's eyes broke wide-open. "What did you just call me?!"

"You're my darling protector, are you not?" the girl said.

 _Oh, that's just great_ , said Andrew, creeped out and blue in the face. _This is the last time I try and be nice to anybody!_

"Stay here and relax," the girl said.

"I heard ya the first time," replied the Kruna of Shadow, contracting his arms. "I'm sorry for this, but I tried being nice."

Using brute strength, Andrew tried to bust out of the girl's grasp. Nothing happened. The girl didn't move. He tried to snap free from the girl's grasp several times, but he could not escape. Strangely, the girl's hold on him felt as secure as metal bindings. He made one more attempt, yet the girl held on tight and did not budge.

"You have a strong physique," the girl cooed.

"Shut up!" snapped Andrew. "Just get off of me already!"

Assistance would come for the Kruna of Shadow a few moments later when his teammates entered the clearing. To say that the scene involving Andrew and the strange girl incited surprise was an understatement; especially in Neva's case. The Kruna of Ice's vision narrowed in hateful disdain on the girl who still did not let go of the shadow wielder.

"Hey, Andrew," Daisy said, a little confused. "Who's this? What's going on here?"

"Why is she all up in your business like that?" asked Marut.

"I don't know!" Andrew responded. "I wanted to see if I could help her, and then the next thing I know, she's all over me!"

"Oh, I see – got that black and purple charm going for ya, man," said Marut, grinning. "Smooth, suave shadow wielders don't gotta do a thing to win a girl's heart, huh?"

"I wasn't trying to win anything!" Andrew grunted between his teeth.

 _BUT_ SHE'S _TRYING TO WIN A GRADE-A-CERTIFIED FREEZER-BURN BEATDOWN!_ Neva screamed in thought. Her whole body quaked and quivered under her increasingly pepper red head.

"Andrew, come on," said Warra. "We need to go. We've got a search to continue."

"No, I can't leave," said Andrew. He wanted to add that he legitimately _could not leave_ or escape from her hold _,_ but there was no telling what would result if he spilled that information. "She keeps insisting that she needs me to stay here," he decided to say.

"What?" replied Daisy. "For how long?"

"Uh, how long do I gotta stay here for?" Andrew asked the girl. "My friends and I really need to get going, and-"

"No," the girl said. "Stay here... Please stay with me."

"But for how long?" asked Andrew.

"Don't ever leave me...please," said the girl. "Never leave me..."

"I don't think he can do that..." mumbled Ramona.

"This is going nowhere quick," muttered Daisy. "Miss, have you seen a blonde woman anywhere here in Mystic Lake?"

"There's the light wielder and the angry ice wielder over there," the girl replied.

"Besides them," said Daisy. "I meant earlier. One in white, pink, and yellow?"

"Pink and yellow...like Crystal Tears?" the girl asked.

"Um, not really," said Daisy. "I take it you haven't seen her."

"Probably not," the girl said.

"But since you mentioned them, do you have any Crystal Tears?" asked Warra.

"I have seven," the girl replied. "They're small and beautiful."

"Wow! Really?!" Marut exclaimed. "Do you mind giving them to us? We need them for an important mission! And you having them actually puts you in a lot of danger."

"Hmm... Yes..." the girl murmured. "I can give them to you." She moved just enough to brush the bottom of Andrew's face with the top of hers, but did nothing else. A few moments passed, yet still, she did not reply or do anything to reveal any Crystal Tears.

"So...uh..." Marut mumbled. " _Are_ you gonna give them to us?"

"Only if you promise to depart from this place and leave me alone with my suitor," the girl replied.

Neva raised an eyebrow. "Your _suitor?!_ "

The girl sighed into Andrew's neck. "My eternal suitor. Just leave us alone so that we can be together, and I will give you my Crystal Tears."

"Okay, this has gone on plenty long enough," said Ramona, now stern. "You're gonna have to let him go."

"No," the girl said, clutching the Kruna of Shadow tighter. "Never. Oh, my inamorato, please keep me at your side forever, as I am yours, and you are mine. No one else matters to you and I; please send these deviant pariahs away."

"Pariahs?!" hollered Marut. "What does that even mean?"

"Andrew, just muscle her off," said Daisy. "This shouldn't be that hard-"

"I tried," Andrew replied between his teeth. "She _won't_ get off..."

"Look, missy; this guy's not just yours to claim and own!" Neva barked. "He's got business to take care of, and we need to be on our way! So back off of him already so we can go, or I'm gonna get _mad_ and knock that pretty little face of yours into this swamp's mud!"

"No! He is mine!" the girl growled, her voice suddenly fierce. "You all must go away and leave us alone!"

"Andrew, please tell her that you can't stay any longer!" shouted Ramona.

"I...I'm feeling kind of tired..." muttered Andrew.

Neva backed up and then launched herself at the girl. She put all her strength into her right leg and slammed it into the girl to knock her off of Andrew, who stumbled a bit and went down on one knee in fatigue. Strangely, Andrew had a mark of teal light over his chest featuring some unknown symbol in a double circle.

"Touch him again and see what happens, ya hussie!" Neva yelled.

The girl had landed face down on the ground and didn't get up immediately. But when she did, she looked far more angered than before. Her eyes gained a faint, translucent red glow as she flashed her carnivorous teeth.

"HE WILL NEVER LEAVE!" the girl screamed, leaping off all fours at Neva. She pounced on the Kruna of Ice like a feral feline and growled at her, kept at bay only through Neva's use of her bladestaff. A quartet of water bullets shot through the air and pierced through the girl, courtesy of Warra. The girl flew off of Neva from the attack, but she dug her now clawed hands into the marshy turf to prevent her from sailing into the lake.

Daisy and Warra leapt forward to either side of Neva while Ramona and Marut went to check on Andrew, who had been clutching his chest since the moment Neva freed him. The teal symbol over Andrew's chest went into a quick-revolving spin and dissolved through his armor and shirt. Unknown to him, a red tetragram holding a stylized triangle on each of its four points and bound on its border with twelve ancient characters branded into his skin on the center of his chest. As soon as the mark lit up with a dull glow, Andrew jerked forward and gasped at the resulting piercing burn. Ramona saw his anguish and offered a Mushroom, but he waved it away.

Daisy, Warra, and Neva had their own predicament developing, for the girl who had been trying to claim ownership over Andrew entered a metamorphosis from her hound-like stance. A growl escaped her mouth as thick red fluid flowed out over her lips like slime. Her claws elongated and turned into wiry, muscular digits harboring talons, and translucent hybrid wing-fins shot out of her back. She levitated off the ground, her body glowing with a mythical teal light and her hair waving and fluttering out to her sides. The pupils in her eyes disappeared as more viscous red liquid oozed out from her eye sockets.

Dozens and dozens of vines gathered from the surrounding area and flew at the girl, wrapping around her dress and body. Several more vines branched off from her back and limbs in an oddly animated fashion. The girl began to let out intermittent wailing, sounding like a cross-combination of angry growling, distraught screaming, and miserable bawling.

"LEAVE OR SUFFER!" the fiendish girl screamed. She swung one of her arms, vines following and shooting out from around it. Warra got his swordstaff up to cut and deflect the ones at the forefront, but he didn't know of the ones coming directly behind those. The vines cracked at him like a whip and flung him into a tree trunk way at the back of the clearing. The fiendish girl then turned her attention to Daisy and Neva.

Daisy took a step back, put a hand on the shaft of her Terra Bladestaff, and went into Nova Form. As Neva kept her Blizzard Bladestaff at the ready, she noticed an Alkemei snapped into place around the girl's neck now that the girl's hair wasn't obscuring it. Though unknown to them, that pendant was the Alkemei Albion – Pendant of Hunger.

"I got a feeling she's Dark Siren," Daisy said under her breath to Neva.

"She's definitely not human," grumbled Neva.

The fiendish girl grinned as non-verbal confirmation of Daisy's assumption. Against better judgment, Andrew stood up and tried to sling a shadow bolt in Dark Siren's direction. Not only did the attack seem considerably weaker than usual, but it disbanded in a hazy, erratic mess just before it reached the fiendish girl. Andrew stared at his smoking hand as if he had just lost all his fingers.

"Dude, what was that?" asked Marut.

"I don't know," murmured Andrew. "I thought I put in at least three times what actually came out..."

With her other hand still resting on her bladestaff, Daisy used her free hand to wave up some of the marshy ground at Dark Siren in an attempt to get her attention. Dark Siren floated higher up to avoid the earthy uprising and then took off on a mad jet for the Kruna of Earth. The fiend coming at her at high speed, Daisy pulled out her bladestaff for an Iaido slash. Vines came in around Dark Siren just in time to protect her from the brunt of the hit and to defend against the wall of ice Neva launched her way.

"Perfect!" Daisy yelled as she put her bladestaff away. Warra came back in time to see Daisy jump at Dark Siren with her left hand clutching a seismic orb. The Kruna altogether then got a chance to see the first on-field use of the Nova Form earth wielder's Breaker Punch when she threw her left arm in an overhead arc, crushed the earth power in her palm, and followed through with her fist. The seismic energy rumbled the vine defense apart and out of the way, allowing Daisy to land her punch on Dark Siren's exposed form.

"Shield broken!" cheered Marut.

Dark Siren flopped onto the marsh. Neva and Warra stood ready to attack alongside Daisy, who felt excited knowing her new technique had successfully worked. In an irate grumble, Dark Siren pushed off the swamp floor into a low hover.

"I wanted to save the first attempt for Dark Sentinel," said Daisy. "But I don't stick to plans well."

"Don't look now, but she's changing her tactics," said Neva.

Dark Siren split vines apart and wrapped them around her body in a tighter arrangement. Before long, she had constructed a whole set of armor-like vine padding. Her chest, shoulders, forearms, legs, and even her wings and her face received a protective sheet of plant matter. Only her waist, hips, upper arms, hair, forehead, and neck remained uncovered; all areas where more viscous red fluid began leaking over once she had secured herself with her vine armor.

"That can't be blood," Ramona said of Dark Siren's red leakage. "It's too thick..."

Andrew rolled over on the ground and clutched at his chest in a cringing grimace. His breathing had become rapid and shallow over time, and it developed with an accompanying sweat from the spike in his already naturally hot body temperature. Ramona and Marut moved the Kruna of Shadow to a nearby rock and propped him up there to give him an Ultra Mushroom, no doubt worried from his deteriorating condition.

All of a sudden, Dark Siren disappeared. The fiend left no trace in her vanishing act, making the Kruna wonder for a brief moment if she had fled the battle. That suspicion fell apart when Dark Siren reappeared right behind Daisy and tried to grab at her. Only Neva's quick reflex at the trigger of her bladestaff's crossbow prevented Dark Siren from latching onto Daisy and likely doing the same thing to the Kruna of Earth that she did to Andrew.

Neva's ice arrow stuck into Dark Siren's neck, though the fiend proceeded to yank it out and crush it in her fist. In spite of her frail appearance, Dark Siren had a serious amount of strength to her. Daisy turned and bashed her right fist low in Dark Siren's waist for a critical hit on her unarmored abdomen, but she caught some of the red fluid seeping through the fiend's dress on the outside of her hand. Just a couple moments later while Dark Siren was recoiling and trying to recover, Daisy's right hand muscles fell under a veil of fatigue. The wrist and fingers of that hand were slow to respond when Daisy willed for her fist to open. She felt every muscle in that hand lose tension and go lethargic.

"What the – hey, don't touch her!" Daisy called out to her team as Dark Siren disappeared again.

"Don't touch her?" Neva repeated.

"At least, not that red liquid," said Daisy, opening and closing her affected hand. "It's some sort of relaxant. I can barely put any force through this hand."

Dark Siren then appeared behind Warra and swept her leg under his to trip him up. From there, she jammed a harsh elbow on his back that planted him face down on the marsh. Dark Siren looked crippled from Daisy's brutal punch, though that changed when she activated her Alkemei Albion. With a soft, transient full body teal glow and a renewed vigor, Dark Siren pulled back a leg and smashed it into Warra. The Kruna of Water went flying across the opening and dropped into the lake.

"Shoot," Neva muttered, taking off in a dash for the water.

"Don't worry about him!" Daisy shouted at the ice wielder. "He can breathe underwater for a short while. He'll come back up on his own. Let's just make sure no one else ends up in there!"

Neva nodded and turned back around to rejoin Daisy. The Kruna of Ice held her bladestaff up high and focused her elemental energy to power-up. A misty white and light blue frost surrounded Neva as her vast reserves of ice power opened up. The sound of a blizzard developed and emanated from Neva, coinciding with an uptick in intensity of her snowy, frozen aura.

 _For a weak little thing, she has a_ lot _of power,_ Daisy thought, watching Neva go.

Dark Siren's eyes narrowed as she used her Albion again. Once more, an invigorating glow overcame Dark Siren. Oddly, the aura around Neva regressed some before it built back up again.

Neva twirled her bladestaff and smacked it on the ground, kicking up a line of thick, irregular icicles at Dark Siren. The fiend dodged with a sidestep to the right of the incoming ice just in time to see Neva sprinting at her. Quickly changing direction and going to the left of the ice, the fiend got cut off by Daisy.

The effects on her hand now worn off, Daisy went straight on the offensive. Dark Siren took the full brunt of another crushing punch Daisy dished out, followed by another punch the Kruna of Earth chained into a hook. Then that hook flowed into an uppercut that transitioned into a spin-kick-turned-double-kick for a six-hit combo. Dark siren's vine armor did little to cushion against Daisy's strength; and with a final two-handed smash, the fiend buckled into a harsh rebound off the marsh and into the air. This time, Daisy had made sure to avoid touching any of Dark Siren's bizarre red fluid.

Although Dark Siren endured massive damage, her plight didn't last for long. Again, her Alkemei Albion lit up and generated another short full body glow of revitalization as she got up and flew away to create some distance. Soon, Dark Siren looked like she had only been hit once or twice. Daisy, Neva, Ramona, and Marut all felt a sudden lapse in concentration, followed by a degree of fatigue already added on to their tired states.

Warra popped out of the lake water and dragged himself ashore, though he didn't feel well enough yet to try and jump back into the action. The last hit on him laid a hefty amount of harm on his back. As for Andrew, the Ultra Mushroom failed to elicit any effect on him.

"Hey, Daisy..." Neva mumbled as Dark Siren touched down on the ground. "Are we just getting sleepier, or is something strange going on?"

"No, something's definitely not right," said Daisy. "It feels like I'm burning off more energy than usual."

"Me too," said Neva. "Why does she still look fresh?"

Daisy scowled. "I don't know, but I got a good feeling this isn't some illusion."


	42. Chapter XLII

The Warrior Spirit:

With the standoff Nova Daisy and Neva held against Dark Siren, Ramona and Marut checked on Andrew, who still lay against the rock they sat him against. The Kruna of Shadow had been grabbing at his chest ever since that glowing symbol from Dark Siren fazed through his uniform and emblazoned the marking there on his skin. He had yet to even notice the new, red, triangle-pointed tetragram taking up most of the surface area of his pectorals and rib cage.

"Hey dude, you doing any better?" Marut asked Andrew.

"This is an edgy, provocative instance that needs strong language for an adequate response," grumbled Andrew. "In fact, I'm gonna double down here – how do you think I'm feeling, you goofball?!... Ahem; sorry for my obscene diction."

Ramona smiled and laughed, albeit with concern. "Glad you're the goofball not taking this too seriously, but you don't look like you're handling this very well."

"Whining and complaining won't do me any good," said Andrew. "Especially since I don't know what's going on. Something's pulling on my chest, but I can't feel anything there. And Mushrooms didn't help at all."

"Why not take off your armor and your shirt and check what's going on there?" suggested Marut.

"No, I am not taking them off," said Andrew.

"Why?" asked Marut. "I thought you didn't mind the cold."

"He's paranoid about being shirtless," said Ramona.

"For what?!" said Marut. "He's, like, the fittest one here! I'd think dudes like him would be showing off!"

"Exception," said Andrew. "And I wouldn't say 'paranoid.' I'd say 'averse.' Maybe I'm just having a heart attack now?"

"No, no; not that," said Marut. "I don't need somebody else in my life dying from a bad heart. I already lost my uncle because of that."

"I don't think I have much of a choice if it is my ticker," said Andrew.

"Not only are you too fit, but you're too young for it to be your heart," said Ramona. "Come on now, you're not even twenty yet."

"Then what's wrong with me?" Andrew said.

Dark Siren waved her arms in a non-synced, clockwise motion out in front of her. The translucent pearl circles she created with the gesture spread and exploded, causing a distortion all throughout Mystic Lake. A motion blur effect developed everywhere the Kruna could see.

Having just dragged himself fully ashore, Warra looked at where Daisy, Neva, and Dark Siren stood, but he could only see blurred out versions of their forms. Though Ramona and Marut were closer, their vision didn't have much clarity either. Daisy and Neva had the clearest sights of Dark Siren, who then disappeared in a blur that the two Kruna could barely even notice.

Daisy had no retaliation for Dark Siren when the fiend made a move very similar to the one she had pulled on Warra. Dark Siren plowed a fist in Daisy's back, almost knocking the earth wielder comatose on the spot from the combination of the force applied and point of contact. Before Dark Siren could land what would have been a sure finisher hit, Neva stepped in and blocked the fiend's incoming foot with her Blizzard Bladestaff. The hit Daisy took put her on the ground, writhing in agony.

Neva got furious and flung Dark Siren's foot off her bladestaff with a hard push, chaining into a kick of her own at the fiend. She followed that up with a charge at the stumbling demon and stabbed one end of her staff clear through Dark Siren's vine armor for a piercing blow just below her neck. Not satisfied, Neva kept up her charging stampede and forced Dark Siren up into a tree before freezing the entirety of the fiend's upper body through the exposed wound her bladestaff dug into.

"I do critical hits too!" Neva screamed. In a relentless display, she twisted her bladestaff back and forth a handful of times into Dark Siren's wound before she pulled the tool out and backed away. Ramona had to direct her attention elsewhere, for the gushing of blood from the damage Neva inflicted on Dark Siren was very much discernible even with the illusory distortion the demon had imposed. Shortly after Neva's onslaught, the world around them returned to normal.

While Neva ran over to help Daisy up, Dark Siren's Alkemei glowed yet again. Neva and Daisy both felt an uncalled for sense of extra weight bearing down on them. Ramona, Warra, Andrew, and Marut then felt the same sensation themselves. Once Daisy had regained some semblance of solid consciousness and got standing under her own will, she peered at Dark Siren and noticed the wound Neva inflicted in her upper chest area closing up as the fiend clawed away chunks of ice from her torso.

Daisy perked up and gasped with a sudden realization. "She's using our energy to heal herself!"

"No way!" Neva cried. "She's been doing that the whole time?!"

"It has to be that Alkemei she has," said Daisy. "Every time it lit up, we've been feeling energy leave us. The Alkemei probably shuttles it all straight to her, and she uses what she collects to mitigate her injuries. You see how that wound you put on her is trying to close up?"

"Yeah, it's crazy," Neva said. "So then what do we do? Should we try and get the pendant off her?"

Daisy shook her head. "She's too strong and too fast. I doubt we'd get the opportunity."

Dark Siren had healed all she could with what energy she took and now stood at the ready to resume conflict, free of ice. The penetration Neva made had all but disappeared, a thin sheath of scar tissue now sealed overtop it. Though the Alkemei's usage offered explanation for Dark Siren's healing at the expense of the Kruna's collective energy, Andrew's current state was likely the result of something else altogether. Only now did the Kruna of Shadow's distress ease enough to a degree where he could relax.

"Then...then how can we beat her?" asked Neva.

"We're just going to have to burn through all our energy so she can't steal it anymore," said Daisy.

"Is that really going to work?" said Neva, skeptical.

Daisy nodded. "All Alkemei require at least some form of energy available to use. How much depends on the Alkemei, but I'm sure that Dark Siren has to be using a fair amount of energy in order to steal from us. If the Alkemei's user is low on energy, it can't be used at all. You noticed this, right?"

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" exclaimed Neva. "But then that means we're all going to be wasted if we just expend ourselves like that. Can you even maintain Nova Form without any energy?"

"It's just gonna have to be one of those kinds of fights," replied Daisy, biting her lip. "And thanks to Geno helping me hone this Full Power Nova Form, I don't need to burn energy to maintain it. Although from what I remember in the Marissa fight, everything hurt a little more when I got low on power."

Warra hobbled over from the lake to join Daisy and Neva. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to recover. That hit she laid on me came too close to shattering my back. I didn't know if I was even going to be able to get up from it."

"Just about every hit she has landed so far has been a cheap shot," said Daisy.

"She's not looking to fight," said Warra. "She's looking to incapacitate. So any vulnerable area we have, she's targeting there, and she's putting her full force behind each attack."

Warra pulled out his swordstaff and got in position for battle, but Daisy had something else in mind. "Warra, that's alright," Daisy said. "Stand down. Neva and I will handle Dark Siren ourselves. You go with Ramona and Marut and take Andrew away from here. It doesn't matter where or if you find a way out of this swamp or not, just as long as it's far away."

Warra perked up, a little dumbstruck. "Wait, but don't you think you need some help here? She's not to be taken lightly at all!"

"Trust me – in this case, it would be easier to take her out with fewer people around," said Daisy.

Warra nodded and turned to go get Ramona, Marut, and Andrew. Dark Siren didn't pay him any attention. She had been doing another sequence of arm motions, amassing more haze and fog in the area. The opaqueness of the collective mist increased in a slow rise from off the ground.

"Whatever she's doing, I'm not giving her any more time to do it," said Neva, firing off an ice arrow from her bladestaff crossbow. In a shocking display, Dark Siren caught the high-speed projectile at its shaft and crushed it in her hand.

"Neva, did you misfire that?" asked Daisy.

"I fired that like all the other ones!" said Neva. "That arrow shouldn't've flown any slower!"

Dark Siren giggled and narrowed her gaze. The fiend didn't say anything and didn't make any further movements as fog engulfed her form. The development was disconcerting, to say the least; but it got even more unnerving when the fog disappeared and showed no trace of Dark Siren. Daisy and Neva saw the ice arrow the Kruna of Ice had fired lodged into a tree trunk well behind where Dark Siren formerly stood.

"No, wait..." murmured Daisy. "This could be an illusion-"

Just as Warra, Ramona, Marut, and Andrew got to a path out of the clearing, Dark Siren appeared in front of them to cut them off. "HE DOES NOT LEAVE!" the fiend screamed.

"Damn it," Daisy grunted, turning around and rocketing at the demon in a mad dash.

Dark Siren raised her talons to slash at Ramona, who had been holding Andrew up. In a counter, Marut flew into the demon's strike with his Dragon Bladestaff guiding him into a gusting aerial Drill Spin. Both attacks clashed and canceled each other out, leaving either party unharmed.

Before Dark Siren could try and attack again, Daisy leapt at her and spiked her into the lake with an overhead punch. A towering splash erupted at the point of Dark Siren's entry into the water as Daisy landed. "Hurry up and go already!" Daisy yelled at her teammates.

The four fleeing Kruna took off down the path leading out of the clearing. Neva ran over to join Daisy by the lake and waited for Dark Siren to emerge. For a while, the lake remained still. In fact, it remained still even when Daisy and Neva both heard a loud splash come from it.

Daisy and Neva looked up and saw Dark Siren's form fading into view high over the lake. The demon glanced at Warra, Ramona, and Marut leaving with Andrew, and she freaked out. She almost disregarded Daisy's and Neva's presence entirely as she flapped her wings and soared over the two Kruna in a burst of speed.

"You guys need to look out from behind!" screamed Neva.

Dark Siren moved too fast for anyone to react and clawed Ramona in the back, ripping right through her armor and tearing deep into her flesh. Warra tried to recoil, just to get the same treatment along his neck. If Marut hadn't come in to block the next swipe, Warra would've lost a fair chunk of his head. Dark Siren's talons proved lethally sharp, as evidenced by the depth of Warra's and Ramona's wounds.

"You get distracted too easily!" Daisy screamed, ramming into Dark Siren. With two fists leading, the Kruna of Earth pressed and forced Dark Siren back in a bull rush. She got the demon pinned up against a tree and then initiated her Flurry Punch to chain together rapid jabs, though mostly with the intention of buying time for the others to get away. Her focus went less towards dealing damage and more towards avoiding the fatigue-inducing red fluid still hanging on to parts of Dark Siren's body.

Ramona's back wound hampered her, so Andrew helped her escape as opposed to the other way around. Marut backpedaled to serve as a rear guard behind Warra during their getaway. Luckily for them, Daisy did an excellent job keeping Dark Siren at bay. That is, until Dark Siren broke the Flurry Punch and launched Daisy off with a high kick. Neva shifted into position just behind where Daisy formerly was and bathed Dark Siren in frost and ice through her Novado blast. The demon worked extra hard shrugging off and deflecting the ice before any of it caught on and began to freeze her. That offensive too didn't last, for Dark Siren sent out a wave of shadow energy from her body in a counter to end Neva's continuous elemental wave and throw her off balance.

Dark Siren could have made an easy, potentially brutal hit on Neva, but she was more concerned with the fleeing Kruna at the moment. When she turned to look for them however, she didn't see them anywhere at all in the haze and sparkling blue light of Mystic Lake. She turned back to Daisy and Neva, now even more vexed than before.

"You will pay dearly now," Dark Siren hissed. "I assure you, the price for you taking my swain away will be the most costly."

"I don't want to hear your stupid vine-covered mouth anymore," Neva grumbled. She got into stance and let her ice elemental power flow again much like she did before. Frost and cold swirled up and around her, generating a magnetic field that warped the nearby fog and haze.

While Neva powered-up, Dark Siren used her Alkemei Albion to draw more energy from both Daisy and Neva. Compared to when the other Kruna were there, the amount of power she pulled from the two wielders before her alone did not add up as high. As a consequence, Dark Siren had to activate her Albion an extra two times to make up for the loss of the four Kruna and the prerequisite energy needed for every use of the Alkemei's ability. Daisy and Neva both saw Dark Siren's Alkemei light up in activation multiple times, but they did not try to stop her. No matter what happened, the battle would end with all three of them depleted of power.

"No one else here, no distractions," said Neva, intensifying her charge.

Dark Siren tore the vine mask off her mouth and licked her lips with her absurdly long tongue, making Daisy shudder in disgust. In one huge flap of her wings, Dark Siren went airborne. Neva released frost skyward at the ascending demon and caught one of her wings, dragging her back down to the ground. Incensed, Dark Siren leapt at Neva and smashed her frozen wing against her to not only free herself of the ice but notch a forceful hit on the Kruna of Ice with her own element.

Daisy dashed at Dark Siren with a Crystal Kick formed for a quick and potent offensive. Immediately after contact, she thrust at the ground ahead of her to hit the demon from underneath. With a weightless jump and twinkling eyes, Daisy pulled both of her hands back on one side of her body and slammed her palms into Dark Siren. The demon shot down into the marshy terrain in a loud crash that kicked up plenty of dirt, grass, and bog.

Landing in front of the impact site, Daisy looked down at Dark Siren's unmoving form and waited for the demon to start stirring. For a while, the fiend remained immobile. Then Daisy caught on to what was going on an instant before Dark Siren appeared behind her and grabbed her. One hand grabbed both of Daisy's wrists while the other one cuffed Daisy's mouth. But before Dark Siren did anything drastic using the leg she raised to strike with, Neva flew at her with a spear kick and knocked Daisy free of the demon's hold.

Just after Neva's hit, Daisy whipped around in a vicious roundhouse on the fiend. Neva followed the path Daisy's attack sent Dark Siren in and jumped onto her to stomp her down onto the ground. Neva wanted to get in a punch while she had Dark Siren pinned down, but the demon threw out a slash of her long talons that forced Neva away in evasion. The Kruna of Ice stumbled backwards as Dark Siren leapt up and swiped at her over and over with her dangerous claws. A couple of close calls bypassed Neva's armor and caught her in her right arm and her left thigh, then the ice wielder let another one get way too close as a result of her late dodge. That one compounded onto the right arm gash.

Luckily for Neva, Daisy hopped ahead from behind and took the offensive with her low-angled Smash Punch. Neva followed Daisy with a punch of her own, and then Daisy put out another punch that chained into a kick from Neva. Combined, the two Kruna put together a multi-hit, rapid barrage of pummeling attacks sufficient to not only damage Dark Siren but wear out the fiend's vine armor. Right after Daisy lashed out, Neva came up right behind her, and Daisy would come back around with another attack in a cycle.

Their efforts forced Dark Siren back near the lake, at which point Daisy jumped and kneed the fiend in the forehead. In the worst condition she had looked so far, Dark Siren got propelled from Daisy's knee and plopped into the lake. It was only a matter of time before the demon flew out of the water, but Daisy and Neva welcomed the opportunity to catch their breath.

Nova Daisy pushed her jagged, spiked hair out of the way to wipe at her forehead. Neva clutched low on her profusely bleeding arm and almost flipped out when she looked at it. To a lesser degree, the same sight plagued her wounded leg. She wanted to use some sort of recovery item to lessen the injuries, but she knew she and Daisy both had to withhold from using them. Otherwise, they would give Dark Siren an opportunity to steal more energy and likely prolong their battle against an opponent far too ferocious to fight any longer than necessary.

Daisy winced, hearing pain in Neva's moans. She saw Neva's legs collapsed inwards and shaking. Red droplets streamed down her affected arm and leg onto the grass. Blood loss, pain, fatigue, and sleepiness weighed on them both, but Neva especially.

"Neva, if you need to stop, I'll take over," said Daisy. "She got to you real bad there."

"No, I'm not stopping..." grunted Neva. "She'll do you like she did me if I let you go solo... I'm staying by your side..."

Dark Siren rose from the waters and hovered overhead, no more vines aiding in protection. She moved inland before descending, her Albion active once more to pull energy from Daisy and Neva. After multiple activations of the pendant, a good deal of the demon's damage healed. Despite that, a large portion of damage remained on and within her body. Dark Siren needed more power to use for healing; but at this point, Daisy's and Neva's energy had dipped too low for her to waste her own energy trying to steal from them.

"Neva, I don't mind picking up for the both of us," Daisy said.

"No, I'm not giving up!" snapped Neva. She straightened her posture out, gritted her teeth, and shifted into an attack-ready stance. Daisy gazed at Neva and thought back to earlier when Andrew faced-off against King Boo. The Kruna of Ice had just copied one of Andrew's base stances in near-perfect fashion. Wide-eyed, Daisy had in her sights a girl completely changed from the first time they met.

"Get ready," Daisy said to Neva. "She's preparing something."

Dark Siren raised a hand and materialized a dark orb laced with lightning-like purple tendrils. When she threw it, the path of travel did not flow along a straight line. Rather, the orb curved way off to the side, almost grazing into the trees. Dark Siren took off and flew a similar trajectory on the opposite side, talons up and ready to pounce.

In a powerful thrust of her palm, Neva sent a thick burst of snow to clash against the incoming shadow spheroid. Daisy timed her Crystal Smash to erupt in front of her just as Dark Siren got nearby to score a heavy amount of damage with the crystalline mounds and spikes. Her vine armor gone, Dark Siren experienced several punctures in her body as a result of a Crystal Smash that Daisy made extra spiky and sharp this time around.

In an angered recoil, Dark Siren slashed one of her claws in Daisy's direction to rip an intense cutting wave of shadow. Dark Siren's elemental attack obliterated Daisy's wall of crystals and unleashed its wrath on her. Though she got her arms up to block, she took the brunt of the dark power as it tore away at her like scything wind. Neva prevented Dark Siren from completing any followup with a rapid firing of six ice arrows, no misses this time.

On their last remnants of power, Daisy and Neva held off on attack and waited for a reaction from Dark Siren, who had started looking relatively weak herself. Again, the fiend went airborne. In a spinning tackle, she dove at Daisy and pushed them both into the water. Neva could only turn around and look at the lessening disturbance in the lake where the two submerged.

Underwater, Dark Siren had Daisy by the throat in an attempt to choke and drown her. Her legs squirming around and her hands pulling on Dark Siren's arms, Daisy was effectively at the demon's mercy. She had already lost a fair amount of air as a result of the hold Dark Siren had on her. But recognizing that she couldn't wrench herself free, Daisy flipped her legs up into Dark Siren's head to knock the demon off.

Not wasting a second, Daisy ascended through the lake and resurfaced for air. She attempted to jump back on land just for Dark Siren to grab her legs the moment she left the water. Back down under Daisy went, Dark Siren dragging her down where the Kruna of Earth saw an eerie, macabre sight. All around the bottom of the lake lay bones and skeletons of various shapes and races. If she didn't do something quick, she would face a watery grave and join the submerged bone yard.

Summoning a formidable amount of strength, Daisy curled her legs up to lift Dark Siren over her, got her hands clasped together and pulled back, and swung them up in a diagonal arc into the underside of Dark Siren's head. That strike jarred the demon off of Daisy's legs. The Nova Form earth wielder put enough force under a second, identical attack from the opposite side to smash Dark Siren out of the water and up over the lake, at which point Neva leapt into the air and batted Dark Siren back into the battlefield with her bladestaff.

Daisy came up to the top of the water and pulled herself ashore just after Dark Siren made a hard landing on the soft marsh. Neva landed and set her bladestaff down to help Daisy back to her feet. Dark Siren did not get up for a few moments, difficulty apparent in just pushing herself off the ground.

"Throw me at her," Neva said to Daisy, holding up her Blizzard Bladestaff. "As hard as you can. It won't be pretty, but we can end this right here."

Daisy nodded and grabbed Neva by her waist as the ice wielder held her bladestaff overhead. As soon as Dark Siren got on two feet, Daisy picked Neva up, ran a handful of steps, heaved her friend over her, and hurled her at the demon. Out of a quick somersault, Neva propped her bladestaff against her side to brace it with one end sticking out in front of her. She angled herself like a missile as she soared at Dark Siren, her feet parallel to her staff. With her high speed of trajectory, Neva was poised to land a finishing strike.

Except Neva didn't hit anything. She ended up flying straight through Dark Siren's body with no slowdown in her speed. Shocked, Neva flopped out of her momentum and tumbled to a stop along the ground. Shooting back to her feet, Neva looked all around the battle area as she returned to Daisy.

 _You can't be serious – she picked a fine time for another illusion trick_ , Daisy griped in thought.

Until now, things had generally been going Daisy and Neva's way for the duration of the battle since the other Kruna had left. Sometimes, that bodes well for the overall turnout of a fight or competition. Other times, a single sudden change can turn the contest over on its head. No one can tell when, how, or why such a shift occurs; it just does, whenever it happens, however it happens, for whatever reason it happens. Such a shift came when Dark Siren reappeared in front of Neva and forced the Kruna of Ice to hit the brakes on her movement.

And then Neva felt the worst pain she had ever known; a pain so severe, it overloaded her senses to the point of her almost not even being able to feel it. Dark Siren's talons dug deep through Neva's abdomen, poking out to the other side. Daisy quaked and gasped in horror, but it only got worse when Dark Siren forced her left claw deeper in. Neva couldn't even scream. She could only stand there, wide-eyed and paralyzed. In one vicious, savage motion, Dark Siren then ripped her claw free, leaving Neva's abdomen a mangled, bloody mess.

Before Dark Siren got a chance to do anything else, Daisy raced at the fiend and threw a vengeful fist into her that sent her skidding along the ground. Neva grunted and wheezed, eventually collapsing and falling down, face-up on the marsh. Tears streamed from Neva's eyes as she dug her fingers into the grass and grimaced in agony. Daisy went to her knees by Neva's side in devastation.

"This...is the worst...feeling," Neva said, struggling to speak. "Damn it...it won't stop! Daisy...why does this have to hurt so much? I can't take it... This is too much... I'm...slipping... Sick... Eighteen years is a full life, right?"

"No, it's not at all!" Daisy replied. "Don't talk like that!"

"It hurts..." cried Neva. "It...hurts... Everything..."

"I'm going to get you out of here!" Daisy said, eyes leaking. "We'll be back at Rainbow City in no time, and you'll be all patched up and good to go-"

"Dying hurts...so much..."

"Stop talking like that! You're scaring me!"

"Please..." Neva barely got out. "Tell him...I love him...so much... And thank him, for me..."

"Neva, no...you'll get to tell him all that yourself! This isn't the end for you! Not out here! Not like this!"

Then Neva's face relaxed into a soft, semi-conscious smile for a brief instant. "Daisy...thank you... Can I... Before I die...can I call you my big sis'?... Huh...Daisy?..."

Neva stopped trembling. Though her eyes still remained open, her consciousness had all but faded. The Kruna of Ice did not move a single centimeter. Crying and teeming with rage, Daisy stood up and faced Dark Siren, who had since recovered and now was pulling together a dark orb.

"Neva, I promise you I'm getting you out of here alive," said Daisy. "Just you hang in there, and don't you even think about giving up."

"Your friend paid the price," said Dark Siren. "And so will you."

Daisy pulled out what little energy she still had left and let it flow. Her Nova Form amplified the silver rumble of her seismic power some, but she largely did not have much to work with; neither did Dark Siren considering she had a shadow orb at the ready instead of having her Albion active. The demon stared at the Nova Form earth wielder with soulless nonchalance.

"Oh come now," Dark Siren said. "You're supposed to be a warrior, right? Warriors don't cry."

"You shut up!" Daisy yelled. "Of course you would say that because you don't care! You hurt my friends – and you could obviously care less!"

Suddenly, the flow of Daisy's power increased and intensified in spite of her low energy. In an unceremonious move, Dark Siren hurled her shadow orb at Daisy. The Kruna of Earth didn't flinch and let it zip close just to deflect it with the swipe of an arm. The powerful deflection startled Dark Siren.

Out of a raging scream of emotion, Daisy's aura of earth power magnified in ferocity and cracked the ground she stood on. A split second later, she was off and running at Dark Siren head on at speeds she couldn't even reach when fresh. The gut punch Daisy hammered into Dark Siren echoed a thick, crunching noise on impact. Daisy's spinning back kick reverberated a similar noise, as did the followup two-handed smash that smacked Dark Siren down in a bounce on the marsh.

Daisy grabbed her Terra Bladestaff for an Iaido swing on the ground, sending a pounding uprising of the terrain at Dark Siren that assaulted the demon and carried her away in cascading earth. Spinning her staff around, Daisy thrust it forward to bring up the ground behind Dark Siren so that her rippling attack would carry the archfiend into the barrier to get crushed between the two masses. With an exhale, Daisy replaced her bladestaff across her back and gathered her seismic energy into her hands.

Dark Siren exploded out of the upturned pile of earth and flapped her wings to remain airborne. Daisy quickly changed her stance and rebalanced her concentration of power, for Dark Siren dove down at her with claws flared and ready to shred. Daisy crouched and threw up a high kick as Dark Siren got in range, only to discover she had just attacked another illusion when her foot fazed through the demon's head. The real Dark Siren faded into view right behind her and slashed both claws parallel together in a diagonal, armor-ripping sweep across Daisy's back.

Though no shallower than the deep wounds Dark Siren's claws had inflicted on Ramona, Warra, and Neva, the lacerations failed to put Daisy down. If anything, they made the Kruna of Earth more irate and elicited a recoil attack. Dark Siren intended to slash at Daisy again, so when Daisy dished out a back kick, she hit Dark Siren at the exact same time the fiend swiped.

Stumbling forward after sustaining the slash to her leg, Daisy had tolerated about all she could stand of Dark Siren. Turning around, she charged at Dark Siren before the fiend had even straightened herself out from Daisy's kick. Dark Siren didn't block the crushing fist Daisy threw at her, nor did she get up her guard in time to defend against the punch that followed, or the kick that came after that, or the punch Daisy delivered after that. Dark Siren's refusal to go down only angered Daisy that much more, for she just wanted the fight to end so she could get Neva to safety as soon as possible. Every successive punch and kick Daisy assaulted Dark Siren with gained in strength out of the urgency.

After taking several more hits, Dark Siren caught one of Daisy's punches and held her there. Daisy tried to throw a kick, but Dark Siren grabbed hold of her ankle with her other hand. That alone ate up more time trying to break out of, further imperiling Neva's life. The Kruna of Earth tried pressing into Dark Siren, only for Dark Siren to hold and push back. Daisy had to use her free arm to keep balance, or else get forced into a compromised position Dark Siren no doubt would take advantage of to the fullest.

 _Damn it, just go down!_ Daisy screamed in thought. _This is wasting too much time!_

Daisy pressed on, but Dark Siren pushed back. Moved off balance, Daisy had to lower her raised leg. Now, she could use her free arm for attack. However, Dark Siren let go of Daisy's leg and then caught Daisy's ensuing punch.

Bursting out crying, Daisy couldn't think of anything else other than Neva laying there alone in the grass. Every second brought the ice wielder closer to death's door. Dark Siren's apathy on the matter infuriated Daisy to no end. The image of Neva dying and Dark Siren's indifference replayed in her mind in a loop that tormented her and tore away at her spirit. So much turmoil and distress mounted and boiled within as a result, quickly escalating with time continuing to elapse and time running out for Neva. The cumulative effects of it all culminated into a breaking point that pried open a chasm in Daisy's heart.

More inspired than ever, Daisy forced out Dark Siren's arms and belted her with a punch to the chest, an elbow to the head, and a jumping kick to the neck. Daisy ran at the staggering, backpedaling demon and swiped a knifehand at her throat. Just as Dark Siren fell, Daisy grabbed her, twisted her around, and bashed a knee hard into her lower back that generated an ear-rattling pop and crackle.

Dark Siren's legs went limp as Daisy grabbed her by her neck and jumped into the air. At the apex of her height, the Kruna of Earth wound up Dark Siren in her left hand and slammed her at the ground in a savage sidearm. Dark Siren's high-speed, high-impact landing out of Daisy's throw occurred head-first. In fact, the slanted angle at which Daisy had thrown not only busted Dark Siren's skull but shattered the demon's neck as it bent sideways on contact far beyond a ninety-degree angle. Daisy descended and did not notice any further movement from Dark Siren.

The sparkling blue light that covered the entirety of Mystic Lake faded away, leaving the region more or less the same as the environment around it. In a tearful hurry upon landing, Daisy snatched all seven Crystal Tears from Dark Siren's dress and rushed to go get Neva. She picked up her limp body, careful not to cause extra harm and disruption to her gory midsection, and ran through the corridors of the now free swamp in the direction she sensed the other Kruna.

* * *

Shortly after the surreal, magical teal veil had vanished from Mystic Lake, Warra, Ramona, Marut, and Andrew found their way out of the swamp and entered the open fields beyond it. Warra had called for the Koopa Cruiser as soon as they had cleared Mystic Lake's borders. There, they waited for Daisy and Neva to emerge.

Between the four of them, they only had three Mushrooms left; all Ultra. Unsure of what Daisy's and Neva's conditions would be like when they arrived, they didn't use any of them. Warra and Ramona had been sorely hurting from Dark Siren's talon gashes. Andrew's condition had calmed from earlier, though he still had the marking on his chest that remained unknown to him and the others.

"We've been able to sense energy signatures again ever since that blue field disappeared," said Warra. "Have any of us sensed anyone besides Daisy and Neva?"

"I don't feel anyone else around here but us..." said Ramona. "So that means that Peach isn't here."

"Wait, I can sense Daisy...but I can't sense Neva..." said Marut.

Andrew gasped. _I can't sense her either,_ he said in his mind.

The four had to wait a while longer before they saw Daisy and Neva again. The Nova Form earth wielder ran as quickly and smoothly as she could to get Neva to them in a safe, speedy manner. Warra, Marut, Ramona, and Andrew gazed at the mutilated midsection of the unconscious Kruna of Ice in absolute shock. Ramona and Marut both had to turn away from the sight within seconds.

"N-...Neva..." Andrew murmured, turning pale.


	43. Chapter XLIII

Waiting:

With Toadette helping Warra and Ramona tend to Neva in one of the Koopa Cruiser's medical units, Marut took her place at the helm to co-pilot the airship alongside Waluigi. In Neva's condition, she could not eat any Mushroom to help her heal. Toadette, Warra, and Ramona did the best they could to sustain Neva in the hour-plus it took for the Koopa Cruiser to take off from Mystic Lake and return to Rainbow City.

When they returned to the sky citadel, the group got Neva out of the ship and took her straight to Rainbow Hospital as dawn broke over the floating chain of islands. The specialists there admitted her immediately without question and took her into the emergency room. No one was allowed to follow Neva in.

While Neva's fate lay in the hands of Rainbow City's medical professionals, Daisy, Warra, Ramona, and Andrew got their injuries taken care of. Marut had managed to come away from Mystic Lake as the only one not in poor condition, so he waited outside in the lobby. The past night had been a cruel reminder of how easily and how sudden death can come, and it kept his liveliness largely subdued. Anxiety filled him and made him antsy for the hour or so that he waited by himself.

Bowser entered the lobby with a bag full of extra sets of the Kruna's elemental garb and joined Marut at about the same time Warra exited the room he had been in. The entirety of the right side of the Kruna of Water's neck and his right cheek was covered in bandages and medical wrapping. Right away, Bowser could tell just what an awful gauntlet of a night their trip had been.

"When Toadette came and got me, I didn't know what exactly to expect," murmured Bowser.

"I shouldn't have any noticeable scarring," said Warra. "Probably some on my neck, but not too much. It shouldn't cause me pain. I'd say, besides Marut, I'm the one that got hurt the least; other than my spine, which has quite the unpleasant soreness right where Dark Siren hit me. It feels like it's radiating outwards to my limbs too."

"I wish you all would've gotten me before you left," said Bowser.

"For as long as we were down there, you would have surely succumbed to your Giga Soul," said Warra.

" _The_ Giga Soul, not _my_ Giga Soul," Bowser corrected.

Warra nodded. "Sorry. But in any case, don't let your absence weigh heavy on you."

Toadette and Waluigi walked in with Rosalina, Athelstan, and Polari behind them. Rosalina and Polari both looked more irate than concerned. A large show of emotion on Rosalina's part was rare, especially one of anger.

"Where's Daisy?" barked Rosalina.

* * *

Daisy, reverted to normal, had just gotten her back and leg wounds sewn up when the Rosalina group entered her room in the hospital. Bowser handed Daisy her replacement earth wielder outfit, and she proceeded to go into the bathroom to change into them and out of her tattered, torn clothes. When she came out, Rosalina and Polari stared at her with unpleasant looks.

"You went to Mystic Lake when I explicitly said not to go there," Rosalina hissed. "And without your full team, at that. You can not procure for me the adequate language to describe how disappointed I am in all of you."

"We thought... _I_ thought that Peach was down there," Daisy said. "It turns out she wasn't."

"You're all that we've got," Rosalina barked. "You can't just go out and endanger yourselves in such a way! Dark Siren could've easily done away with all of you! That's the kind of opponent that mandates an Elemental Seal. When you don't restrain a being with that level of power early, then you have what happened down in Mystic Lake. I'm surprised you got away _this_ lucky!"

"Geez, you guys," Daisy grumbled at Waluigi and Toadette. "You had to go and tell her everything?"

"They disobeyed a direct order – surely, insubordination like that should call for a stiff penalty," said Polari.

"I would very much like to!" Rosalina snapped. "But that wouldn't help anything. I hope you know what to do should Neva pass, Daisy, because as of now, there are no ice wielders around powerful enough to take her place!"

Rosalina and Polari stormed out of the door, and the room turned uncomfortably silent. Bowser, Toadette, and Marut followed them out, leaving Athelstan, Warra, and Waluigi with Daisy. The doctor Hammer Bro who had been working on Daisy jotted down a few notes on his clipboard and handed Daisy a large card. The information on it detailed her procedure and injuries, and it listed a medication for which Daisy could use to assist in her recovery.

"Don't do anything extreme for a week," the doctor said. "The prescription should speed up your healing. After ten days, come back here to get your stitches removed."

* * *

Rosalina and Polari entered Andrew's room in the hospital, followed by Bowser, Toadette, and Marut. Ramona stood alongside a Noki doctor, a human doctor, and a Pianta doctor each conversing in confusion around Andrew. The Kruna of Shadow sat shirtless on the examination bench with the red, triangle-pointed tetragram and its odd bordering symbols emblazoned all across his chest and down to the top of his upper abdomen.

"Cool pec tattoo, dude," said Marut.

"I never got any tattoos!" Andrew exclaimed. "I don't even like tattoos! Look, docs, can we please hurry up and get this over with?"

"You know, come to think of it, none of us have ever seen you without a shirt on," said Marut.

"Great," said Andrew. "This'll be the first and the only time. It's way too revealing."

"You're the last one here who should feel self-conscious about being shirtless," said Ramona.

"I don't care!" cried Andrew. "I feel all exposed and naked."

"So then how do beaches and pools work?" asked Bowser. "Do you just jump in the water with your shirt sticking to-"

"He can't swim," said Ramona, her statement drawing an angered reaction from Andrew.

Bowser laughed and handed Ramona an extra set of her light wielder outfit. "You should get those stitches of yours covered up."

"Thank you, Bowser," Ramona said. She took the clothes and hobbled over to the bathroom to change out of her torn up wielder kit.

Rosalina and Polari got close to Andrew and examined the bright red mark taking up the top half of his torso. So far, the mark had left the doctors completely stupefied as to its presence and meaning. Andrew cringed and clawed at his bench in a nervous tremble while Rosalina and Polari studied him.

"Can you settle down and not move?" asked Rosalina. "We're trying to get a look at this marking."

"I'm sorry!" Andrew replied. "It just feels creepy with you two staring at me like this."

"The more you keep moving, the more time this will take," Polari said. "If you stay calm, this won't take as long; but you're otherwise making reading this curse mark more difficult than it needs to be."

"What did you just call it?" Andrew asked.

"Curse mark," said Polari. "Dark Siren has placed a hex on you. Curse marks are fairly rare due to the difficulty in administering one."

"Marissa's Mark of the Witch counts as a curse mark," said Rosalina. "Though, hers is an objectively more beneficial one than the one you have."

"What's the one I have?" Andrew asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," said Polari. "Is the mark bothering you now?"

"No, not really," said Andrew.

"That narrows it down, at least," Rosalina mumbled. "You have a high amount of scattered scars on your left side. They're distorting some of the characters."

"At least the seal overall is large enough to not require reading glasses," said Polari.

"And now you're saying it's a seal?" asked Andrew.

"Yes, a curse mark can act as a type of seal," Polari grumbled in annoyance.

"Did anyone find out what that red design on Andrew is?" Ramona asked when she lurched out the bathroom.

"Just that it's a curse mark," said Rosalina. "The characters in the upper left quadrant signal a very high-class spell."

Eventually, Daisy, Warra, Athelstan, and Waluigi entered the room too. Much to Andrew's chagrin, they all wanted to get a look at his impossible to ignore curse mark. Rosalina and Polari kept reading the outside binding characters, though their expressions turned more grim as they moved clockwise along each of the four quadrants.

"Oh dear..." Rosalina murmured after the third quadrant. "Andrew, could you flare a portion of your shadow power?"

Andrew nodded and held out his right palm. A wisp of darkness came out and erupted into a raging mass of shadows. The other Kruna noticed a considerably higher amount of strain on Andrew than normal. When he tried to force more power out, it pulsed into his collected mass before the whole thing then downscaled to near nothing altogether not a single second later. This coincided with a dim glow of the mark on Andrew's chest.

"That...hurt..." Andrew said under his breath.

"Polari, I do believe we may be dealing with a Gatekeeper's Seal here," said Rosalina.

Andrew couldn't hide any of his naivety when he gave Rosalina a clueless look. "So what does that mean?" he asked. "Dark Siren wasn't a troll, and I didn't see her near any bridges or gates."

"No...it's not specifically her seal," said Polari. "She simply knows how to create it. The Gatekeeper's Seal has been around for centuries, but very few practitioners of magic can pull it off. I shouldn't be surprised that Marissa appointed an archfiend that could."

"This is a very high level curse mark," said Rosalina. "I can't think of many hexes in general that are more problematic."

"But Grand Elder, what's it supposed to do?" asked Andrew.

"This curse mark affects your power output," said Rosalina. "If you let your energy rise too high, the mark will cause you pain. The same thing will happen if you run low on energy. If your energy remains high, the mark will strip you of that surplus. Altogether, it's a _restrictor hex_ meant to limit your power and prevent you from both overexerting and powering-up."

"Is it really that bad?" asked Ramona.

Polari nodded. "I'd say his new upper threshold is now decreased by perhaps as much as three-quarters of his original maximum."

"Screw that," said Andrew. "Daisy, throw me a Refreshing Herb."

"Those are for poisons, venoms, illnesses, and intoxications," said Rosalina. "Not hexes, curses, or any other magic."

Andrew smirked. "Alright. We'll just see how restricting it is when I get back out on the field."

"I wouldn't try overriding this seal," said Polari. "It _will_ recoil and lash back at you if you do."

 _Wow, this is bad,_ Daisy thought. _With Neva and Andrew in their current states, we're in trouble when it comes to facing Marissa..._

"At least tell me there's a way to get rid of this thing," Andrew grunted.

"Actually, that's where the worst of it manifests," said Rosalina. "We know not of a cure for this curse mark. You may well be stuck with it forever."

"You can't be serious!" the Kruna of Shadow shouted.

"If there's a way to get rid of it, we don't know it," said Polari. "In comparison, we are much closer to separating the Giga Soul from Bowser; and we all know how that recent attempt worked out."

Andrew frowned. "I can find a way. Somehow... If I try hard enough, I bet I could overload the mark. It can't just be set in stone like that."

"You're far too idealistic for your own good," Polari grumbled. "You're hexed. Get that through your head. The sooner you can do that, the sooner you can move forward from there."

"I agree with Polari," said Athelstan. "This may just very well be something you have to deal with now."

Andrew got up from the examination table and headed for the exit. "Yeah, well don't be surprised when I break this hex."

The Kruna of Shadow opened the door, walked out of the room, and shut the door behind him with haste. The very next second, he reopened the door and came back in the room with a furiously red face, realizing he didn't have a shirt or his upper body armor on. "Hey, Bowser-" he asked.

"Yeah, I brought an extra set for you too," Bowser replied, digging into his bag.

* * *

After Rosalina and Polari left moments later, Toadette and Waluigi waited with the seven able Kruna in the lobby to hear from the doctors about Neva's condition. Another hour or so of tense waiting dragged on well into the bright and golden morning hours past daybreak. Apparently, word had spread quick of the Kruna's latest ordeal; for one by one, Donkey Kong, Wario, Lubba, Toadsworth, and Koops joined their group.

Daisy leaned up against a pillar and tapped her fingers on her arms. Ramona twiddled her thumbs in her chair next to Andrew, who propped up one of his legs on the chair he sat on and hugged it with his mouth resting on the knee. Bowser paced back and forth along the outside of the lobby, restless over his absence in Mystic Lake despite what the others kept telling him. Marut rolled his Dragon Bladestaff in his hands over and over again in nervousness. Usually uptight and snarky, among other things, Waluigi had been mellow and subdued in his seat. As for everyone else, they all sat around in sparsely broken silence.

Warra walked over to Daisy and gestured with a head motion at Andrew. "You don't see him get scared over anything," he murmured. "But right now, he's looking pretty terrified."

"I'm with him," Daisy replied. "I wish I could've finished off Dark Siren sooner..."

"You did what you could," said Warra. "All we can do now is just wait for fate to make a decision."

"I thought I had the power to take the decision out of fate's hands!" Daisy replied with a voice crack.

"Bro, we saw Dark Siren," said Marut. "That girl was way more trouble than we expected."

"But should it have been?" Daisy said. "What does that mean Marissa's going to be like? What about Kokoro sneaking around on the surface? That sadistic bastard's just itching to snuff us all out. And he's not going to just be looking to kill us off as quickly as he can like Dark Siren. No, he'll want to do it in the slowest, goriest way he can come up with. You can think back to when I fought him in the Ice Shrine if you're lacking an example!"

Daisy paused and waited for a response – from anyone, really – but she went on when she got none. "We can't have stuff like this happen, especially when we look at who's waiting for us in the not too distant future! If there's a large gap in power between Dark Siren and Marissa, then we can't act like we're going to fare well against the demon witch when that time comes! We've got to be better than we are now! Every single one of us! We've got one life, and we don't get it again once we lose it!"

Silence took over the lobby, Daisy's heavy breathing barely serving as the only audible noise. The Kruna of Earth had seized everyone's attention with her outburst, even startling some of them in the process. It took some time for Daisy to calm down as she wondered if she had spooked her friends out. She still had the floor, for no one had spoken up.

"Sorry..." Daisy mumbled. "It's just...we've been through a lot, is all. We've all been through so much together, and any one of you...being gone... If I'm not strong enough to save Neva, then what if I can't..." She didn't finish what she was going to say and shrugged as her mouth failed to form words. With an uneasy laugh, she wiped at her eyes and folded her arms again. "I'm being overly emotional again... Overreacting... Sorry. You guys just mean a lot."

"I think we all more or less share the same sentiments," said Warra.

"I'm not gonna lie – I've enjoyed our adventures together," said Athelstan. "However hard it has been, and however this all ends up turning out, it has been a pleasure. I know I've got brothers and sisters here."

"You guys have been family to me," said Marut. "I don't have anyone waiting for me in Nimbus Land. My uncle's gone, my parents have been long gone, and I don't know of any other relatives I do or don't have..."

"And with my family in Mekarsari dead, I have much of the same to say," added Warra.

"I've got the same set of feelings too," said Bowser. Out of a chuckle, he added, "I'm only here because of you all. Otherwise, I would've stayed a miserable, vengeance-driven wreck..."

"Andrew and I have been the only constants in our lives," said Ramona. "Pretty much everyone else besides our dads has come and gone. It means a lot that we've all stuck together this long."

"Neva has thrived with us," Andrew said. "Even if she's snappy and bitter most of the time, she feels the same way."

A koopa doctor came out from the hallway and joined the group in the lobby. She was one doctor among others treating Neva in the intensive care unit. Judging by her grim expression, the outlook did not bode well for the Kruna of Ice.

"Kruna Neva's stuck in critical condition," the doctor said. "She could go either way. Considering the excessive blood loss, visceral organ damage, and potential infection, early prognosis does not look good. She may well not make it, but we are trying to the best of our abilities to bring her to a state where we can proceed with surgical operations. If she does survive this, she'll need a month of recovery. And that's the optimistic scenario."

Andrew hopped out of his chair and walked towards the doctor. "Can we see her?"

"I'm afraid you can not," said the doctor.

"Then can _I_ see her?" asked Andrew.

"It matters not the amount of people in the unit," the doctor replied. "Only medical personnel are allowed in at this time. Once you all have your discharge papers taken care of, I recommend leaving. If she does return to a more stable condition, it won't be today... I'm sorry."

The doctor turned and left, leaving Andrew with his head hanging low on his way back to his seat. He kicked an imaginary rock to the side and let out an exceptionally long exhale. The others watched him throw himself back into his chair. Ramona leaned over and gave him a lengthy hug, but he started tearing up anyways.


	44. Chapter XLIV

Stalled and Stuck in Frustration:

With a sleepless, nightlong trip weighing on them, Daisy, Warra, Marut, Ramona, and Andrew returned to their respective rooms in the Rainbow Suite to get some rest. Athelstan went to the Cosmic Archives to continue his translation work with Rosalina and Polari. So with the sun rising higher in the late morning sky, Bowser had a whole day by himself. He decided to put most of it toward meditation.

The Kruna of Fire felt freer and more awake than he had been in a very long time. Only the Giga Soul had been holding him back from an absolute rebirth; and as he was now, sitting in tranquility at the Elemental Training Grounds, the malicious spirit had no footing. A day removed from the failed extraction, the Giga Soul had next to no influence on Bowser. Even so, the Giga Soul still reared its ugly voice through his head.

 _These are your enemies,_ the Giga Soul said in Bowser's mind. _These are the same people that brought about the destruction of your kingdom. You can get revenge and destroy everyone now if you really want to finally gain your peace._

 _No!_ Bowser snapped. _I'm trying to start anew, and you're setting me back! This is the end for you! Because soon, you will be eradicated! You will not plague me any more than you already have!_

 _The witch is right,_ the Giga Soul said. _You are but a pawn for a society that does not care about you. Why care about them? Destroy them. They're the ones setting you back. They're holding you captive and you don't even realize it._

 _Enjoy what little time you have left,_ Bowser said. _I am ascending to a new level of being, and_ you _are_ not _going to be there when I top that plateau. Every day brings us closer to your inevitable banishment. And then, I won't have to deal with you ever again._

 _You can't ignore me,_ the Giga Soul said as its voice faded from Bowser's thoughts. _I am a part of you..._

Bowser then broke from his meditative state. _You have nothing other than false truths. I'm not listening to a word you say._

* * *

Marut opened and entered through Andrew's door later that evening in the Rainbow Suite, interrupting Ramona and Andrew's tea time. "Why are you guys drinking that stuff on the floor?" he asked.

"How did you get in here?" asked Andrew. "I thought I had it locked!"

Marut shrugged and walked in. "Huh... You know, you should really get that lock checked out. If you're not careful, people can just barge in whenever they want."

Andrew was about to say something, but then he shook his head and stayed quiet.

"What's up, Marut?" asked Ramona. She had been lying flat on her stomach because of her back injury's nagging pains.

"Daisy wanted me to come get you guys," said Marut. "We need to discuss something."

"Where are they?" asked Andrew.

"They're down at the diner," replied Marut.

"Then just tell them to come up in here," said Andrew. "We just got our cups brewed."

"Why can't you just put that stuff in the fridge and heat it up later?" asked Marut.

"Are you insane?!" Andrew hollered. "The only thing worse than sweet tea is reheated tea!"

"Then take the tea with you," muttered Marut. "Just drink it downstairs."

"Well besides that, I'm not making Ramona move," replied Andrew. "It took a while to get her in a position where her back wasn't bothering her."

"I'm very comfortable right here," said Ramona. "Could you please see if they could come up instead?"

Marut left and brought Daisy, Warra, and Bowser to Andrew's room. Daisy and Bowser stood, leaving the chairs for Warra and Marut. From their no-nonsense expressions, Ramona and Andrew feared that something bad had happened in regards to Neva's critical state. Fortunately, that was not the case.

"With Athelstan still decoding and translating, and Neva in her condition, it's just us six now," said Daisy. "And aside from Bowser and Marut, we're all in fairly bad shape. Andrew, the Gatekeeper's Seal is affecting your shadow power; and Bowser, you still have the Giga Soul to deal with. Considering all this, Marut is the only one of us available at somewhere near full power. So, it's not a good idea for us to make a trip back down to the surface for a while."

"Hopefully, Athelstan will get information we could use to further the search for the Gate of Time," said Bowser. "And the Black Mages want to take another shot at pulling the Giga Soul out of me soon. Toad and Alden should have replacement armor for Daisy, Ramona, and Neva ready within the next week or so."

"Warra, Ramona; given how horrible of a time I had trying to sleep today, I'm sure you didn't fare much better," said Daisy. "And we could easily disturb these stitches and aggravate our injuries if we're not careful. You guys can see where I'm coming from."

"I don't take pain very well, but my back isn't actually hurting as much as it did at first," said Ramona. "What pain is still there feels really sharp and tight."

"Dark Siren must have cut into you really deep and destroyed some nerve tissue," said Warra. "Mine is more superficial, but enduring a neck laceration is not favorable in any sense."

"Can't you guys heal with Mushrooms?" asked Marut.

"I wish we could," said Daisy. "But these kinds of injuries are outside the scope of what any Mushroom can help heal. They may help speed things along, but..." She sighed with an unsettled smile. "Damn, that demon got to us real bad, didn't she?"

"And you're really saying me being there would not have done any good?" said Bowser.

"Only because another person there would've meant she would've had more energy available to steal," said Daisy. "Really, Marut got lucky. Bowser, you would've suffered like we did. Narrowing the battle down to just the two of us ensured that the battle would end in the quickest way possible, and that in and of itself reduced the chances of Dark Siren doing more of what she did to us. None of us thought what happened to Neva would've...actually happened."

Andrew put his cup down and made a heavy sigh in his hands. "I can't get over the fact that it really did happen... Why did it have to be her?... Why couldn't it have been me?"

"That's the risk we all take," said Warra. "Whether in a fight or not, the chance for death can come in an instant, unannounced."

"I know..." Andrew said, sniffling. "But she has been beat up enough in life already..."

"If she does die, we're without an ice wielder," said Bowser. "There may be one who can replace her should it come to that, but no one else. And that's Echo."

"The Skalfer," said Ramona. "In Memory Forest... But would he even agree to acting in her place?"

"I don't know," said Bowser. "And yet, if he does, then Home doesn't have any protection. Their wielders aren't strong enough to stand up to whoever Marissa has left roaming the Earth."

"Why don't we just camp in Home, then?" asked Marut.

"Then we'd eventually just draw Marissa's attention there again," said Daisy.

"We really are kinda stuck then, huh?" said Ramona.

"The good thing about this is that we're in a pseudo-standoff," said Warra. "We have thirty-nine Crystal Tears right here in Rainbow City, and Marissa doesn't know that this place exists. Neither we nor her can do anything with the tears until all of them are together. And we can't do anything to dethrone Marissa without Neva and Andrew at full power. Surely, Kokoro could end up quarreling with one of Marissa's archfiends at some point for whatever reason. Same thing with King Boo. Is it bad to say that while we're recovering and figuring out answers for Bowser's Giga Soul, Andrew's curse mark, and the Gate of Time's location, among other things; we just let them...well, for lack of a better term, _gnaw_ at each other?"

"The thought of it just sounds disturbing," said Bowser. "That's like allowing a bunch of carnivores in a zoo exhibit to rip each other to shreds."

"And I don't like the thought of essentially telling the world to wait any more than we already have," said Daisy.

"Well, if it means that maybe Kokoro or King Boo or an archfiend gets weakened or even eliminated, is it that bad?" asked Warra. "We can't do anything about it as we are now because we'll just get maimed. We're going to need at least a few days after our stitches come out, so that's two weeks alone from now right there. Neva would need at least another three weeks after that. If Andrew's stuck with that curse mark, that's another issue. So while we have our hands tied, the world won't get better; but it also won't get worse."

"But does taking a backseat to things like this really sound like what a Kruna would do?" asked Daisy.

"Have other Kruna been in a position like this?" responded Warra. "Answer: we don't know."

"We're not gods, Daisy," said Bowser. "We're not even demigods. We're not titans. We're mortals. We have special traits that help bolster who we are, but we have restrictions. Don't try and go on some dauntless tirade when you're in no condition to. Be smart. If we're not smart, we lose. If we lose, everyone loses."

Ramona sighed. "Because there's no one else here but us..."

* * *

The next few days that passed went by under a whole new atmosphere. Word spread early like wildfire throughout Rainbow City of what had gone on down in Mystic Lake. Everywhere any of the Kruna went, they received concerning, anxious looks from the residents rather than the hopeful, optimistic demeanor that their initial arrival in the sky citadel had instilled. To say everyone's confidence in the Kruna Yura had shaken was an understatement.

Daisy, Ramona, and Warra collectively had a very painful time just going through everyday life. Especially for Daisy and Ramona, simple things like moving around, putting on their uniforms, and even sleeping proved difficult and almost always came with some noticeable form of discomfort. They would have to deal with obstacles and roadblocks like these until their injuries became more bearable.

Ramona and Warra decided to try and help Athelstan and Rosalina with their translation work. Even if they couldn't contribute a lot, they couldn't do much else since they had to take it easy. Bowser and Marut spent a lot of time training with each other, the both of them heavily inspired and motivated. In the past week and counting, Marut had felt more pressure to keep up with the rest of the team and not take his role as Kruna Yura of Air for granted. Though he more or less remained who he was at heart, he felt the need to take everything he encountered just a bit more seriously.

Unable to train, go to the gym, or partake in any sports, Daisy had no doubt developed a sour mood; though being there for and supporting Andrew helped take her mind off her temporary disability. The Kruna of Shadow had a tough time dealing with the Gatekeeper's Seal now a part of him. He had only two speeds in his mind when it came to elemental wielding: stop and go. Nothing or everything. Calm or fierce. So whenever he tried to use his shadow element, his instincts forced him to put out as much power as he usually needed and used for the specific technique. The Gatekeeper's Seal activated every single time his power raised too high, and every single activation elicited a sharp, shooting pain emanating from the mark on his chest to all throughout his body.

On the third day after their return from Mystic Lake, Daisy went with Andrew to the Elemental Training Grounds again; this time, Marut tagged along with them. And again, Andrew ran into difficulty with the Gatekeeper's Seal. Too stubborn to give up, he kept trying to start one of his elemental moves just to have the seal cut it off and strike back at him.

"Andrew, can you please stop hurting yourself?" said Daisy. "Why not try using less power?"

"Like, every technique I have has a high base energy cost," said Andrew. "So if I can't get my power up to where it needs to be because of this stupid curse mark, I don't think I can use any of my elemental moves! And...and then what?..."

That same day, Bowser had another meeting in the Rainbow City Sportsplex with the Black Mages for a second attempt at extracting the Giga Soul from him. However, the trial went much like the first attempt. Even the addition of a paralysis spell on the Giga Soul failed to promote a favorable outcome, for the Giga Soul had remained attached to Bowser's Spirit from the first extraction attempt. The Black Mages once again had to cancel their ritual to avoid both entities leaving Bowser's body. And with that, they started to wonder if they themselves were even capable of ridding Bowser of the Giga Soul.

Bowser replayed the failed ritual later that evening when he sat in the Rainbow Suite's dining hall with Daisy and Marut. The koopa fiddled with his bowl of salad more than he did actually eat it. He felt confident about his situation even with another attempt that didn't work, but that didn't stop him from feeling impatient.

"Bowser, just like you told me to be patient with our time up here, you be patient with the Giga Soul," said Daisy. "O-for-2 is not a favorable batting average, but you'll get more at bats."

"It's not gonna stay there forever, bro," said Marut. "The Black Mages ought to come up with something. This is all trial and error."

"It's a stubborn thing, for sure," Bowser grumbled.

Athelstan walked into the diner and took a seat at the group's table with a large clipboard in hand, followed and joined shortly after by Ramona and Warra. "Good news!" the Kruna of Stone bellowed. "We got something out of all those documents from the Light Shrine!"

Athelstan proceeded to describe a temple mentioned several times in the tablets as a place housing secrets out of reach of civilization – because the temple itself resided somewhere underwater. Though it did not hold the Gate of Time itself, Athelstan said that the documents likely pointed to the submerged temple as the place that would give them direction for where to find it.

"Can we even go anywhere underwater?" asked Bowser.

"When I run by Toad and Alden's shop with this information, I'm hoping they can come up with something that can get us there," said Athelstan. "The only thing we're lacking is an exact location."

"If we run into Arka Knight again, we'll have to ask him," said Ramona. "A secret place for a secret society is not going to be found anywhere in the Cosmic Archives. But for one, it's very doubtful that they'd put the temple out in the middle of the ocean. I'm almost certain they built it near a coastline somewhere."

"Before anyone asks, it's not the Water Shrine," said Athelstan. "The documents made no mention of the Water Shrine at all."

"I'm hoping we won't have to go back to the Light Shrine again looking for more answers," said Daisy.

"We _might_ have to," said Athelstan. "Or, I could go solo if needed and save you the humdrum toils of backtracking. But I think we're finished with that place."

"So what's the deal with Neva?" asked Ramona. "Have you all heard anything about her condition?"

"No, they've given us no update," said Daisy. "Nothing has changed from a few days ago. She's still in poor shape, and she has yet to regain any semblance of consciousness at all. Andrew is at the hospital right now, hoping they'll let him in on something."

"And how's he doing with the curse mark?" asked Warra.

Daisy shook her head. "Not good. The Gatekeeper's Seal is biting him every time he tries to use more than a fraction of his total power. And it doesn't look like that mark is letting up anytime soon."

* * *

Alone in Rainbow Hospital's lobby, Andrew sat in wait to hear any potential news from Neva's doctors. He looked at the windows and watched night fall over the sky citadel while he tried to keep as much patience as he could. It wasn't right away by any means, but a koopa surgeon eventually came out and walked over to him.

"I can't say I have good news for you," the surgeon told Andrew. "We got her cleaned of debris, we realigned the organs in her abdominal cavity, and we now have her patched up with no open wounds...but the damage and blood loss may well have been too much for her to recover from. We tried a blood transfusion to kick-start her hemopoiesis, but her body is not taking to it very well. Her overall healing abilities are weaker than we expected. Even though we've got her injuries fixed, her condition has deteriorated."

"Can I please see her?" murmured Andrew.

"We are not accepting visitors for her at this time," the surgeon replied.

"But that's my friend in there-"

"You have to wait until we move her out of her current unit, and that'll only be if she awakens. As she is now, entry is currently restricted to medical staff only-"

"And if she doesn't make it to then?"

The surgeon didn't respond.

"Please..." Andrew said.

The surgeon paused to think, possibly getting swayed from Andrew's wet, sad puppy dog eyes. With a sigh, he decided, "Okay, fine."

Andrew didn't know what to expect when the surgeon led him into the room that night, but he knew he had been waiting for this moment through hazy days and nights of tossing and turning. When he opened the door, he saw Neva lying at an incline on the bed. The unconscious ice wielder in a hospital gown had a mask on over her nose and mouth and had been hooked up to various machines. She had a number of tubes attached underneath a covering over her abdomen. Where Dark Siren got her with her talons had been stitched and stapled shut. Neva's torn up, bloodied armor lay against the wall away from her bed.

"Make it quick," the surgeon told Andrew, gesturing for him to enter.

The Kruna of Shadow nodded and went in, and the surgeon closed the door behind him. Andrew made slow steps towards the bed, too drowned in shock by the surreal sight to even consider it as reality. A sickening feeling developed in his stomach that radiated out through the rest of his body. No part of him ever thought he'd see Neva in such a condition, no matter how possible it was.

Andrew wanted to say something, even though Neva could not hear him. Despite the desire, he had no idea what he wished to say. Just thinking about what he wanted to tell her made him tear up even more. He ended up putting in more effort trying to hold back from crying instead of actually speaking words. So for the time he was in there, the only sounds came from the very machines aiding Neva in sustaining her comatose life.

Lying there in the bed with her arms at her sides, the ice wielder looked peaceful in her unresponsive state. That alone made Andrew feel at least a little better about the situation. For a moment, he broke a soft smile through his weighted breathing. It didn't last for long though, since he knew the surgeon could be knocking on the door for him to come out at any point. And the second he walked out, he knew he might never see her again.

In one final gesture, he leaned in, brushed Neva's hair off the top of her face, and laid a warm kiss on her cold forehead. He then backed away from the bed all the way to the exit, turning around only to open the door to leave. Neva's body remained as still as it had been in the silent room when Andrew let the door close.

* * *

The image of Neva in the hospital bed replayed in Andrew's mind as nighttime progressed on while he, Daisy, and Ramona sat on the rim of Central Island's courtyard water fountain. "It only took one bad night," Andrew said. "One bad night...and now everything's turned sideways..."

Daisy and Ramona watched as Andrew bowed his head and clasped his hands together in prayer. They both could feel the turbulence and frustrated emotion resonating inside of him, which became tangible when they noticed the shakiness of his body. The whole time Andrew kept his head lowered, Daisy and Ramona stayed quiet.

"I don't want to see _anyone_ like that ever again," muttered Andrew, looking up. "I hate hospitals enough already. I don't want to see someone bed ridden and helpless...and about to die like that... I don't want to see you like that, Ramona. Or you, Daisy. Or Bowser. Or Marut. Or Athelstan. Or Warra. Not anyone... But now, I can't even do anything about it because of THIS DAMN SEAL!"

Andrew's voice traveled far through the night sky and bounced off buildings. Suddenly, streaks of electric-like shadow flickered around him, prompting Daisy and Ramona to get up and hop away. The shadow energy increased for only a little while before the Gatekeeper's Seal activated and castrated him again. In a cringing, crying flop, Andrew fell onto the ground.

Ramona walked over to him and helped him stand up. As Daisy watched Ramona embrace Andrew in a long hug to comfort him, the Kruna of Earth then further understood the other, more delicate side of the shadow wielder he tried not to leave out in the open. It was then that Daisy made a decision regarding Andrew right there on the spot.

"Andrew," Daisy said in firmness. "Tomorrow, I'm going to train you."

"You're going to what?!" Ramona responded. "No, you can't do anything like that with your back torn up!"

"I said train him, not train with him," replied Daisy. "If we're going to move forward with our duty, we need him as powerful as he can be."

"I don't understand," said Andrew. "We're of two entirely different elements."

"It'll be a special kind of training focusing on power," said Daisy. "For one, we're gonna try and get your Gatekeeper's Seal desensitized if at all possible. Maybe that'll make it so that you can access more of your power without the seal reacting. Second, we gotta make you more efficient with your power so you're not burning off a ton of it through your techniques; and that's gonna need more control from you. Think you're up for that?"

"Well, yeah, if you are," replied Andrew. "Are ya sure _you're_ up for that?"

"Totally!" said Daisy. "I feel like Terran and Geno did an awesome enough job teaching me for me to teach somebody else, even if it is cross-element! I mean, Geno was a light wielder anyways, so there ya go! Obviously, I can't do too much myself until these stitches are out of me. But that can't get in the way of me instructing you!"

Andrew laughed some as he wiped at his face. "I...that sounds...like something I could really use...and something I'd be grateful for!"

"Awesome," Daisy said with a smile. "Be ready to start tomorrow."


	45. Chapter XLV

Thank You:

Starting the very next morning, the Kruna Yura collectively made the most of their unplanned spare time. Minus Neva, they had full attendance at the Elemental Training Grounds. While Athelstan and Marut sparred; Bowser, Ramona, and Warra mediated. Daisy had been working with Andrew far off and away from the others. The Kruna of Earth sat cross-legged, facing her shadow counterpart, who did the same. Andrew had a small mass of darkness flowing between his hands.

"Keep your flow just like that," Daisy said. "I like how it's nice and steady and not jerky."

"I feel like I'm relearning shadow wielding all over again," muttered Andrew. "When you said 'training,' I thought you meant actually working with techniques!"

"We gotta get you to a point where you can use them first," replied Daisy. "You can barely even sustain them as you are now... Speaking of which, who taught you elemental wielding in the first place?"

"I learned some of the basics from my cousin," said Andrew. "But my dad wanted me to be a light wielder even though I can't, so I had to teach myself most of my shadow skills."

"Well no wonder you're wasting so much energy on all your moves! You must not have learned proper control!"

"What do you mean? I can control my element just fine."

"Yeah, but I bet you can be much more efficient with its use if you learned not to exhaust so much power in your wielding. Now while you're maintaining that dark mass, tell me exactly how you've been using your element in combat."

Andrew shrugged. "Normally, I just let a bunch of it explode outwards, and then I manipulate all the active shadows and dark energy into whatever technique I intend to use at the time."

"Huh? For real?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup!" Andrew said in a giggle. "Like a firecracker! Just like weightlifting in a gym! Put out a ton of force at once! I don't even think about it – I just do it! It's easy!"

 _Wow, this guy literally does not care!_ Daisy thought, holding back from laughing. _This might be harder to do than I thought!_

"See, this steady state thing you got me doing feels weird," said Andrew. "I save that for the boring stuff like illusions and making things darker."

"Alright, let's try this," Daisy said. "Go ahead and make your collected shadow energy more powerful; but instead of just letting it explode out, keep some conscious control of it while you push it out so that you aren't letting it go wild."

Not two seconds later, the shadow orb popped in front of Andrew in tandem with his Gatekeeper's Seal sending a wave of sharp pain through his body. The Kruna of Shadow flopped on his back, temporarily immobilized from the curse mark's effects. When he did return to how he was sitting, he noticed Daisy looking at him with concern.

"Controlled force, Shady," Daisy said. "Controlled force."

Andrew sighed. "But there's no fun in that."

"I'm sorry," snapped Daisy. "Did you want fun, or did you want some of your power back?"

* * *

In another week, the time came for Daisy, Warra, and Ramona to get their sutures removed at Rainbow Hospital. Though closed off, their bonded wounds did not yet have the tensile strength to prevent from reopening. Therefore, the doctors mandated that they avoid rigorous activity for another week – or a few days at the very least.

Neva remained comatose all through that week, with the doctors unable to predict when she would break free of it – if she even would. Her chances of awaking diminished with each passing day. That did not deter the Kruna from holding out hope that she would awaken at some point; especially Andrew, who had been more concerned with her health than his work in desensitizing his curse mark.

With the short forced rest, Daisy, Ramona, and Warra found themselves a little stronger compared to where they were before Mystic Lake. Their injuries and their bodies' cumulative wear and tear healed considerably in the time they had to take things easy. Besides the soreness and tenderness in the areas they had sewn up, the three felt fresh.

The same could not be said for Bowser. After a third and a fourth failure with extraction of the Giga Soul, Bowser began losing confidence in the chance of being free of the malevolent entity. He pondered the risk of just having both his spirit and the Giga Soul removed from his body, since the Giga Soul had pulled on his spirit whenever the Black Mages tried bringing it out in every attempt thus far. But if the Giga Soul wrenched free from the Black Mages' control and flew back into Bowser's body before the koopa's spirit did, then the entity could claim full control over Bowser's body. Such a scenario would not only put Rainbow City in jeopardy but would also leave Bowser without a body of his own.

Bowser did not want to think about either consequence, so for the time being, he told the Black Mages to hold off on formulating extraction attempts. When they brought up the prospect of searching for and using the Alkemei Teota, Pendant of Spirit, to try and extract the Giga Soul that way, Bowser did not change his mind. The mechanism through which the method would work mirrored the attempts they had already made in a near identical fashion, with only the means of extraction changing from a spell to a pendant ability. There was every possible chance that Bowser might have to live with the Giga Soul for the rest of his life. He just hoped that if that were the case, he could continue keeping it subdued.

Daisy continued to work with Andrew, though the shadow wielder made minimal ground on his Gatekeeper's Seal. On the thirteenth night since their return from Mystic Lake, they stayed out at the Elemental Training Grounds late without the other Kruna there. Rosalina arrived at the entrance to the fields and began a long walk over to the two Kruna while Andrew tried to maintain his Shadow Ripper.

"That's looking better," Daisy said to Andrew. "At least you're at a point now where you can use your techniques again. And this is your most powerful one, right?"

Andrew nodded, keeping a tight hold on his right wrist as dark power flowed from his free palm. "But it's not nearly as powerful as it usually is. It feels so much weaker than it's supposed to be."

"It seems the curse mark is still severely limiting the amount of power you can use at once," said Daisy. "But you haven't shown me anything that indicates that you've lost a lot of physical strength and speed, so maybe you can just rely on that for a while? I could teach you some of my melee moves!"

"Wow, that would be sweet!" Andrew exclaimed. He was spirited for just a moment before he frowned and cut off his Shadow Ripper. "But...Daisy, can I be honest with you? I feel like I need to confess something."

"Well, sure, what is it?"

"I don't know how the right way to say this would be, but...I feel like in the back of my mind, I've been trying to compare myself with you. The thing is, for as long as I can remember, I haven't exactly had the best opinion of myself. Nothing I've done has changed that for the better. It's not a confidence issue or anything like that at all – I'd take on Marissa at a moment's notice, curse mark or not... I just... I don't like myself very much. I don't like where I came from, I don't like who I came from, I don't like how I handled my circumstances... I've never felt like I've belonged anywhere. Not even on this team."

Andrew sighed, his eyebrows arching as he continued. "I thought I could excel as a physically dominant elemental wielder, and I wanted to be as helpful as I could so I could at least be of benefit to someone else and feel like I'm worth something. That was when I first picked up shadow wielding. When our team came together, I can't say I wasn't annoyed to find your style so similar to mine. Whenever you've gotten better as an elemental wielder, I've always made it a point to try and keep up. And whenever I felt like I have, you pull further ahead. So you helping me with this curse mark has been fairly humbling, to say the least. And because of how much this curse mark is restricting me, I don't know how useful I can even be now, if at all...or ever again, if I ever was."

Daisy walked over to Andrew and patted his shoulders, knowing full well exactly how he felt. "Hey, c'mon now! Don't ever get discouraged like that. Give yourself some more credit! I wouldn't be here with you right now if you weren't totally worth it! You're as useful as everyone else on the team. And if comparing yourself to me helps drive you to improve, then keep doing it – because then that'll give me drive to keep getting better too." With a smirk, she added, "So that I don't let you get past me."

Andrew smiled, even though he couldn't really take Daisy's encouragement too well on account of his Gatekeeper's Seal crippling his power. Still, he nodded and said, "Thank you, Daisy."

"You're more than welcome, buddy," said Daisy.

Andrew's smile soon faded, however. He lowered Daisy's hands from off his shoulders and looked away for a moment. Daisy could not tell if he was mad or despondent.

"Hey," murmured Andrew. "Listen... Ramona's my best friend ever, and I know I can go to her for just about anything; but there's just some things I really can't talk to her about... So...could I ask you something?"

"Of course you can," said Daisy. "I'm all ears."

Andrew paused for a little while before he presented his query. "Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if you never existed? I don't mean if you died. I mean if you never existed at all. Like, if you were a part of a mistake, but the mistake never happened. You would have never existed for anyone to miss. No one would have known it... And so, the world would go on just fine without you, wouldn't it?... I wonder... I wonder about that a lot...and if whoever would've taken my place would've done better. Have you ever?"

Daisy stared at him with no good – or even adequate – answer to give. She eventually said, "I don't know... That's a pretty loaded question..."

"I have some news for you," Rosalina murmured as she got near the two Kruna.

"Hi, Grand Elder," said Daisy. "What's it about?"

"From Rainbow Hospital..." Rosalina said.

* * *

Daisy and Andrew once more sat in the Rainbow Hospital lobby they were in when they awaited the initial prognosis for Neva. It was getting close to midnight, so the other Kruna were likely asleep or falling asleep. Rosalina stood next to Daisy and Andrew, having only said that the hospital asked for them while she had been waiting for an update on Neva's condition.

A koopa surgeon walked over to them from the hallway and grabbed their attention. "Kruna Daisy and Kruna Andrew, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's us," replied Daisy. "So what's going on with Neva?"

After a short pause, the surgeon replied with a soft smile, "She's awake."

"Yes – thank you, doc. Thank you," Andrew said, rising from his seat as Daisy and Rosalina sighed in relief. "Are we gonna get a chance to see her?"

"You can come see her now," the surgeon replied. "We just moved her to a new room on the second floor and have promoted her condition to fair."

"Yeah, let's go see her now!" Daisy said. She got up and went with Andrew to follow the surgeon, stopping seconds later to look at Rosalina when she noticed her not alongside them.

"You two go ahead," said Rosalina. "I will go and relay the news to whoever is awake."

The koopa surgeon took Daisy and Andrew up the stairs to the second floor and through a couple hallways before reaching Neva's room. He opened the door and gestured inside to grant them entry. There Neva lay, sitting at an angle in her bed and looking at Daisy and Andrew come in. With a tired grin, Neva inched herself to a more upright position when Daisy and Andrew got to her bed. She had half the attachments on her compared to the amount she had when Andrew saw her in the ICU, and she no longer needed a mask over her mouth.

"You're looking pretty happy for what you've gone through," said Daisy.

"Because I'm alive," replied Neva. "And that means I get to see my two favorite idiots again."

Daisy grinned and shook her head. "You mean me? The person you were ready to kill at a moment's notice?"

Neva nodded and laughed, holding up an open hand on the side of her torn up, stitched arm. "Yeah, you, ya big dummy."

Daisy laughed too and clasped Neva's hand, and the two got a firm grip on each others' palms. When they let go after a while, Neva kept her hand up and pointed at Andrew.

"You too, ya other dummy," Neva said.

The Kruna of Shadow had been taken aback not only from seeing Neva alive, but from seeing her in an otherwise great mood. He smiled and laughed, feeling a whole burdening load of anxiety evaporate. Andrew moved in to give the grinning Kruna of Ice a hearty hug, though he mostly let her hug him out of not wanting to put too much pressure on some potential problem spots of hers.

"We've missed you," said Andrew.

"I've missed you too," replied Neva. With a sigh, she hugged him tighter.

"How have you been feeling since waking up?" Daisy asked.

"I'm feeling kinda loopy because meds," Neva replied with a bunch of giggles. "That's not entirely why I feel so slow and weak, though."

"Yeah, you definitely look even skinnier than you were before," said Andrew. "What are these guys doing? Giving you just a straight amino acid IV?"

"I don't know what they've been putting in me," said Neva. "I can't really eat, so I've just been getting whatever's in the IV."

"Well they're obviously not giving you enough, and they ought to know better," said Andrew. "You were underweight coming in and your body has been burning mass amounts of energy trying to repair itself from injury and from surgery. I have a right mind to go to who's overseeing you and give them some lip; or just straight up crack 'em in their skulls."

"They might have just been low on resources," said Daisy. "I mean, we are on a chain of sky islands several hundreds of meters over a trapped planet."

"Right, there's no getting around that," mumbled Andrew. He moved out of the hug and grabbed Neva's near hand, and she swayed their connected arms back and forth like a playground swing. "But still..."

"How much is your midsection bothering you?" asked Daisy.

"It's not causing me any noticeable problems right now besides some persistent pain," replied Neva. "But so far, if I bend the wrong way or too far forward, if I laugh too hard, or if I put too much pressure on it, then it starts hurting pretty bad. They said they would give me another week or so and evaluate me for discharge at some point then."

"We'll see what progress we can get down on Earth while you're recovering," said Daisy. "Rosalina was talking to us about a trip we need to make in the next few days."

"Hopefully, I won't miss too much time," said Neva.

"Don't try to rush yourself back, alright?" said Daisy. As she looked at Neva's and Andrew's swaying arms, she noticed the ice wielder's limb looking particularly bony. "You'll have to spend time getting your strength back once you're out of here. You seriously look diseased."

"I know," Neva replied. "That's going to take a while..."

"We'll make it work," said Andrew. "I'll get you out of that bed, and you're gonna walk, and run, and bend, and balance, and eat, and throw snowballs and icicles at people-"

Daisy covered her mouth and half-stifled a laugh while Neva giggled and grinned. Their titters made Andrew pause and laugh some too.

"...And when we return to our own time, you're making it back with us," Andrew finished.

Neva's eyes lit up and glistened at him with her beaming face. Andrew more or less reflected the same expression back at her. From what Daisy could tell, she was right in the middle of a magical moment.

"Daisy, thank you so much for saving me and getting me here," said Neva. "And Andrew, thank you for...well...a whole lot of things..."

* * *

The other Kruna and those of the Rainbow City Guard got to see Neva the very next morning, all of them thrilled and relieved to have avoided a gruesome death. Rosalina, Lubba, Polari, and the Black Mages stopped by too. And with everyone there at some point during the day, Neva felt something she had never experienced in her apathetic and spiteful home of Twilight City.

Andrew stopped by at night and brought over all his tea making supplies to make him and Neva tea. They drank, they talked, they laughed; and at the end, Andrew gave her a long goodnight hug when he left. He did this again the next night and the night after that.

But then, at that time just a few days after Neva's awakening, Rosalina and Polari called the other seven Kruna to Elemental Outfitters on Northeastern Island. Inside the shop that evening, they found Toad and Alden with Rosalina, Polari, and Toadette. A cart had been set out with filtration masks, helmets, and seven sets of white uniforms otherwise resembling each of the Kruna's current kits.

"Though obviously not with the most favorable of circumstances, the time has come for you to resume your Crystal Tear search," said Rosalina. "You must return to the eastern hemisphere and head for The East Crater. A hostile environment of a volcanic apocalypse, The East Crater and its surrounding area is completely uninhabited. It is a colossal, active cinder cone volcano elevated high off of ground level. The Nirvana Barrier prevented the material from the eruption and explosion four years ago from entering the atmosphere, thus trapping the ash and molten rock in the vicinity of the volcano and therein catalyzing a mass decay of the entire area far worse than that of the rest of the world. The air of The East Crater is unbreathable by mortal standards, for it is contaminated and weighed down with plumes of smoke, poisonous gases, and heavy metals."

In animated, sarcastic cheerfulness, Bowser said, "Just when you thought things couldn't get any better!"

"Sounds better than a mall," said Athelstan. "A mall's sneaky dangerous. I saw a guy fall up a down escalator once. I'll let you all think about that."

"This mission is absolutely no laughing matter!" Polari snapped at the chortling elemental wielders. "Given Marissa's transformation of Earth into a near second Hell under the Nirvana Barrier, The East Crater is far past Cocytus and stands as this world's equivalent of Abaddon!"

"Oh, that's bad!" said Marut. "My uncle would always tell me stories about both Cocytus and Abaddon!"

"Say what now?" Andrew mumbled, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm glad your uncle fancied ancient tomes like the ones depicting the deep underworld, Kruna of Air," said Polari. "You have a good idea of what you're about to walk into."

"The metallic fumes of The East Crater have increased in toxicity over the past couple years," said Rosalina. "Not only that, but the concentrated heat of the region will make your bodies overheat in mere minutes. It is a temperature only the most experienced of fire wielders can handle."

"The temperatures at the base of The East Crater average about sixty-seven degrees centigrade," said Polari. "While the apex of the volcano can exceed eighty-two degrees centigrade, and the crater peak can reach excess of a hundred and beyond! Hot enough to start boiling your blood if you're not careful! And let's not even mention how hot it can get down in the crater chamber!"

 _Aw man, I'm fainting just thinking about that,_ Andrew muttered in his mind. _Why do we have to go to a hot place?!_

"That's why we're here at Elemental Outfitters," said Rosalina gesturing to the cart. "They have prepared special equipment for you to use so that you may infiltrate the volcano without burning up into...well, suffocating shriveled cinders."

"These individualized face masks will protect your eyes and ears, and they'll filter the air you breathe," said Toad. "This goes without saying...but DO NOT TAKE THEM OFF UNTIL YOU ARE OUT OF THAT HELLHOLE!"

"With Toad and Alden's help, we've made special all-white variants of your current outfits," said Toadette. "Their treatments of the fabrics have allowed them to absorb and reflect heat outwards and away from you. They're each detailed and highlighted with your respective elemental colors, of course. Just swap these out in place of your current clothes and put your armor on top."

"Speaking of which, we've got replacement armor sets ready for Daisy, Ramona, and Neva," said Toad. "I still don't understand how _anyone_ could've ripped through them in the first place, especially with natural claws. Is somebody going to take Neva's?"

Andrew raised a hand and walked over to Toad. "I'll hold onto it."

"You're okay to go, Warra?" Daisy asked. "I know your spine is bothering you."

"I can try," replied Warra.

"What about you two?" Daisy then asked, gesturing at Ramona and Andrew in turn.

"Yeah, I'm going," replied Andrew.

"I am, but I apologize in advance if I get a little gun shy," said Ramona. "I've actually been thinking about upgrading to a heavier and thicker armor set."

"But you're already slow," said Daisy. "You'll just be even slower if you do that."

"I think I'd rather trade off some speed for some protection," said Ramona.

"We can get this set beefed up for you some," Toad said to Ramona. "It won't be noticeably bigger, but it'll be denser for sure. It'll be ready before you all leave tomorrow, so just stop by and pick it up then."

"Thank you so much, Toad," said Ramona. "That means a lot for me."

"Thank you for all that you guys have done," Daisy said to Toad, Alden, and Toadette. "You've been a major help."

"No problem!" said Toad. "A fair bit of warning though; if you don't have to enter the crater, then don't! These altered uniforms won't offer you protection in those extremes for very long."

"I recommend you guys head out early in the morning," said Rosalina. "Tread lightly and with intent to move quickly when you arrive. There's a reason we now need you to go and search through there. The East Crater may well be close to erupting again for the second time in under five years. If it goes off, you won't be able to go anywhere near that region even with your protective gear. That's why you need to go there next while you can instead of elsewhere. That's actually part of why I wanted you to go there first before Mystic Lake. We haven't sent any reconnaissance pilots down there to view the region in a while."

"Alright, guys, you heard her," Daisy said to her team. "We leave early tomorrow. When we get down there, we go in, do what we gotta do, and then we're out. No nonsense."


	46. Chapter XLVI

The East Crater:

North of the center of the Earth's eastern hemisphere and firmly affixed along an active and turbulent fault line, the volcanic region known as "The Unlivable Zone" loomed in wait. The Kruna Yura's vantage point in the Koopa Cruiser from just under the Nirvana Barrier granted them sight of the region's main feature; The East Crater. Smoke and plumes of embers hovered out of the steep cinder cone volcano, filling the skies above and reaching out to the land below. The Koopa Cruiser kept some distance away from the volcano summit to prevent toxic fumes from getting inside when the seven Kruna opened up the diving hatch and leapt out.

With the Koopa Cruiser returning above the cloud barrier behind them, the Kruna Yura opened up their Sail Gliders and soared to a low lying part of The Unlivable Zone. Already, they could feel the heat of the region building up on them before they even got near their landing point. Their special elemental outfits, helmets, and face masks tailored to handle extreme conditions and toxins kept out most of the heat and made it so that the act of breathing would not poison them. However, the hot air that they inhaled felt incredibly thin and would likely equate to a stark reduction in stamina. Bowser, normally barefoot, opted to wear a pair of heat-resistant boots specifically made for this trip to spare having his feet burn up on the scalding volcanic terrain.

The Kruna landed on a flat plot of land a ways out from The East Crater that consisted almost entirely of stone. Whatever trees existed in the area were either decayed or on their side. Bowser pointed up the volcano, where red and orange streaks and flickering crimson and yellow masses littered the slopes both far and near.

"Lava's oozing out of the volcano," said Bowser. "It must be boiling over inside its chambers and leaking out the side vents. And this volatile and dirty air is causing widespread combustion in the heat."

"So fires could randomly erupt anywhere?" asked Warra.

Bowser nodded. The Kruna glanced around at the land and up The East Crater's slopes. The fire and lava of The Unlivable Zone lit up the dimness of the world under the Nirvana Barrier for the area, giving an odd rim lighting glow to most everything there. When Ramona scoped with her Motomeru and swordstaff, one Crystal Tear signal pointed up in the direction of The East Crater's peak. The other of the two signals came from along the side of the volcano.

"We're going to have to go over onto the left before we head for the crater," said Ramona. "There's a Crystal Tear over there a little more than halfway up."

* * *

Climbing the slopes of The East Crater may have been one of the most physically demanding tasks any of the Kruna have had to go through. The thin, super-heated air they breathed in, despite being purified through their masks, made them tire quickly. The higher up they went, the more lava and fires they had to maneuver around and avoid. Not only were the slopes hazardously uneven, but some of them had large gaps that forced the Kruna into some long, fatiguing jumps across either fire pits or drops filled with lava streams.

Visibility decreased the higher up they went. Dark gray smog soon blotted out sight of the Nirvana Barrier and subsequently obscured the top of the volcano to a degree too. Light from the fires and lava offset some of the occlusive gases and fumes, preventing the Kruna from running along the slopes blind.

After another precarious jump over a lava stream, Ramona directed the group into a deep trench scythed into the slopes that stretched and traveled up in a winding arc. The narrow, two-person-wide lane in the volcano provided a more straightforward, less exhausting route in contrast to running out on the slopes themselves. This allowed the Kruna to pick up the pace some, an hour already spent on their ascent.

"I got a feeling it's hotter here than Rosalina and them said it was," murmured Andrew.

"We should've brought a grill out here," said Athelstan. "I could've got some flame-broiled burgers and brats going."

Andrew sighed. "Don't brats seem kind of fatty, though? Why not something leaner?"

"Dude, don't say anything about food," replied Marut. "You eat the most boring, bland stuff."

"Well it works out for me since you and Daisy always eat everything else!" snapped Andrew.

"Quiet down," hissed Bowser. "Do you hear that?"

Bowser was referencing a rumbling that had developed. The sounds had no discriminate source and seemed to be coming from all directions. Marut floated out from the trench to get a look at the volcano peak, but he saw nothing more coming out than what had been escaping already.

"We are on a fault line," said Daisy. "So there's bound to be a lot of seismic activity."

"Okay, um; considering that, is a trench like this a good place to be in?" asked Ramona.

"Generally, nope," Daisy replied with a grin behind her mask. "But I think we should be fine. For now."

"Um...okay," said Ramona. "So then, uh, are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions synonymous? Like, is an earthquake going to trigger an eruption? Or, are they related at all?"

"I dunno," Daisy said, shrugging. "Too science-y for me. Athelstan?"

"Well, earthquakes _can_ result from the movement of magma," said Athelstan. "And then that magma can squirt through to the surface with enough pressure built up. This is not limited to the crater itself, though. As we've seen by the many lava streaks running down the slopes, the main magma chamber can branch off into side vents that could really be anywhere along the volcano."

"So we could be walking on one of those side vents right now?" asked Marut.

"Yeah, pretty much," replied Athelstan. "And because these mini-magma earthquakes are barely even felt, we could get lava popping up with minimal prior notice."

As if on cue, an explosion of lava blew up some of the slope a little further up on the volcano. Lava ran down and picked up speed on its way into the Kruna's trench. The moment they felt the heat radiate from the molten rock when it began to fill into the trench, the Kruna jumped out and returned to the slope surface. A little micro-volcano had developed as a result of the explosion from which lava escaped and pooled into the trench to descend in the opposite direction the Kruna trekked.

"You mean like that?" Andrew asked.

A split in the ground to the side of the Kruna developed. Though no explosion came, lava gushed out in a hurry and forced the Kruna into a dash away and up the slopes. Clear of the sudden and immediate lava danger, the Kruna reentered the trench and continued their ascent.

"It's always comforting to know I'm stepping on a MINE FIELD!" Bowser grumbled.

"Athelstan, what about an eruption coming from the top?" asked Daisy.

"As far as an earthquake triggering a full on eruption, it very much can," said Athelstan. "But an eruption more directly results from an increasing build up of pressure inside the magma chamber that forces lighter, less-dense magma up and out in favor of the more dense stuff coming from underneath. The more magma and more pressure, paired with a smaller opening, the more aggressive the eruption. At first glance, this volcano would explode at the vent upon erupting; but judging by the asymmetry of the crater, it looks like that already happened in the eruption four years ago. A whole side of the crater is blasted away, and that'll make a second eruption unpredictable in my best educated guess."

Ramona noticed her Motomeru glowing brighter with the nearing proximity of a Crystal Tear. She got her swordstaff out to scope and oddly had it guiding her down into the ground. "Does anyone have any idea what to do about this?" she asked.

"Is it really saying it's underneath all this rock?" said Athelstan. Pulling out his Obelisk Swordstaff, Athelstan focused his stone control and got ready to split through the part of the trench they stood on. Almost immediately, Warra got in front of him to stop him.

"No no no no!" Warra yelled. "We don't know if we're standing on one of those side vents or not!"

"Oh, you're right!" Athelstan replied with a nervous laugh. "You might have just saved all of us right there!"

"Athelstan, couldn't you control the magma too?" asked Ramona. "It's just molten rock."

"It is, but when it starts melting like that, then control gets really funky," replied Athelstan. "I can't really do anything with it. It's weird, but it's like it's not even rock anymore when that happens."

"Let's just judge this by temperature," said Daisy. "Is it any hotter here in the trench than it was lower down?"

"This is all hot if you ask me..." muttered Andrew.

"Yes, it's hotter, but I think that's just from us getting closer to the summit," said Bowser.

"Jump out of the trench just in case," Athelstan said. When the other six Kruna leapt out to the high side of the slopes, Athelstan brought down his swordstaff onto the trench floor to split it open. A gap emerged through which a chunk of the trench fell a few dozen meters down into a river of lava.

"Phew, it's BLAZING down there!" Athelstan hollered, backing away. "That's a whole load of heat I just let escape! Can you imagine how good those brats would turn out with this kind of heat?!"

"I'm not eating anything exposed to this air!" Daisy said. "No telling what kind of toxic stuff is floating around here!"

"I'll go down in there and scout the chamber out," said Bowser, leaping into the hole Athelstan made. With an agile aerial twist, he cut his large body to a ledge along one of the inner walls. The heat from the molten channel barreled at him in waves, making it hard to shrug off even with his special gear and the enhanced heat resistance native to fire wielders.

Peering around the small chamber, he saw a sparkling rose gold piece lodged into a wall on the other side of the river. But because of the low ceiling, Bowser could not make that large of a jump across the wide lava stream. "Athelstan, I need you to drop down some rocks!" he called up.

"But you'll get some serious splash damage from the lava if I do that!" Athelstan responded.

Bowser erected a shielding aura of fire around him. "Now I won't!"

"Alright, here it comes!" Athelstan yelled, kicking his right leg into the ground. His Boot Club assisted his precision so he could collapse the underside of where he himself stood without knocking the whole trench floor down. A handful of stone chunks flopped onto the lava river, prompting Bowser to intensify his flame shield and back away from the edge of the ledge. Once the rocks settled, Bowser leapt onto each one of them to get across to the other side of the flame channel. Out of caution, he maintained his aura of fire the whole way through.

The Crystal Tear had most of its tiny body stuck in the rock wall. Bowser saw right away the possibility of the tear falling into the lava if he tried blasting it out; so he activated his blazer claws, surrounded them in flames, and got to work digging it out. Any other time trying to dig through rock on the surface would have yielded not much more than some scratches and scrapes, but the intense temperatures of the chamber made the rock more malleable. Acting like he had on earth wielder claws to dig through dirt, Bowser used his flaming claws on the soft rock wall to shred the Crystal Tear free. He just had to make sure only the metal portion of his claw attachments made contact with the rock and not his actual fingers.

With the Crystal Tear in his possession – and about all he could stand of the 600-degree-plus centigrade temperatures – Bowser turned around only to find his rock platforms floating on down the lava stream. No time to spare, he darted for the last one and made a diving leap for it before it got too far away, his feet just narrowly missing the lava when he landed belly-down on the uneven stone platform. He scrambled and jumped for the ledge where he originally landed from above, but was now at a loss as to how to get out from his angle.

Some panic creeping into his voice, Bowser shouted, "I need some help out of here!"

Athelstan thrust his swordstaff up to clear away more of the trench floor and launched the free masses down the volcano slopes. He then shifted some of the walls in the chamber to act as a triad of platforms for Bowser to use as an exit. The Kruna of Fire scaled the platforms in a hurry to rejoin the others above ground and tossed the Crystal Tear to Ramona, tallying number forty for their combined total.

"Glad I got through that one," said Bowser. "I almost got burned!"

"No one else could have gone in there but you," said Daisy. "That's an excellent effort, Bowser."

"And now, there's only the summit to look to," said Ramona.

"Alright," said Daisy. "We'll follow this trench up until we reach the end and then scale the rest of the climb along the slopes."

* * *

The Kruna's ascension to The East Crater's summit brought on another long hour of trekking, jumping, and, at some points, climbing. Their collective fatigue with the low amount of air their masks gave them compounded with the increasing temperatures for brutal and hellish conditions. Lungs and muscles fried, dehydration mounting, and nerves blitzed from having to react from the irregular and spontaneous jets of magma flying out from the slopes, the seven elemental wielders did not seem like they would last much longer even with the added protection of their heat retardant uniforms.

The East Crater's summit looked even more horrendous up close. It was as if a bomb had went off on the side the Kruna stood on and unceremoniously cleaved free veritable portions of the terrain. This left the odd effect of a leveled-off but rugged and deformed stretch of rocky land on their side of the crater opposing the natural, pointy stone tower across from the Kruna.

At that point, the volcano started tremoring and billowing out more fumes and smoke. The Kruna got closer to the inner edge of the crater to try and see if it was anything within the volcano that had set off the disturbance, but they backtracked in retreat when they saw a large red and yellow mass rise up from deep within the volcano. If they saw lava shooting out or noticed any of the summit falling apart or exploding, they were prepared to leap off the ledge and fly down on their Sail Gliders. But no eruption occurred. Something did fly out, though not lava.

From out of The East Crater emerged the flaming wings of one of Marissa's more fearsome and magnificent archfiends, Savage. The creature unfurled its wings to reveal a body resembling what looked like a hybrid between a burly titan and a colossal phoenix made entirely of fire except for the rock armor it had on its legs, torso, shoulders, arms, and beaked head. Of particular note, its armored skull had four Crystal Tears lodged into its cranium.

"Get ready!" Athelstan yelled. "Things are about to get hot in here!"

"It's already been hot!" shouted Andrew as the team prepared for battle. "What, you want it hotter?!"

"Any ideas on how to beat this beast and take its tears?" Daisy asked.

"Not really," replied Warra. "Just hold tight and wait to see what it does."

Savage's flame wings kept its gigantic body hovering with minimal flapping needed, which made Bowser and Warra believe the beast was an embodiment of fire with no true physical body aside from its armored rock shell. The fiery fiend curled up into a ball and fluttered its wings to give it speed in an aerial tackle at the Kruna. In evasion, the elemental wielders split to the sides of their mini-field at the volcano summit and watched the flying wrecking ball of flame and stone soar out into the smokey, smog-filled skies.

"Seriously?" said Daisy. "Why does it feel like just about everyone we've faced can fly?"

"It's coming back around," said Warra. "Be ready for another tackle."

Savage in its flaming ball curved along the circumference of The East Crater's summit in a full circle and came out of its loop with another heated bull rush. Doubling his already hulkish strength with his Alkemei Odina, Athelstan set up and swung his swordstaff at the giant sphere of fire. Stunningly, he not only batted Savage away in a weird display of baseball, but the hit dropped the beast into a winding tumble down the volcano's slopes.

"Look at that!" said Athelstan. "I got baseball _and_ bowling out of that hit! I think I just discovered the framework for a new sport!"

Savage slid halfway down to The East Crater's base before it could propel itself into the air to stop from rolling any further. With a mighty crack of its wings, it canceled out its momentum, came out of its tuck, and headed back up to the summit in a furious flying ascent along the the slopes. Marut took to the air and headed for the fiend head-on. When the Kruna of Air got nearby, he braced his Dragon Bladestaff to his body to make a piercing point of attack for the tunneling spin of his Drill Dash. Athelstan had landed a hard and heavy hit earlier, and now Marut laid down a quick and barreling strike on the gargantuan being that sent Savage crashing down the volcano again.

"This guy's not so bad if you don't stay near him too long!" Marut hollered on his way back to the group.

Savage clawed its arms into the sloping terrain to stop itself and flapped its wings to again go airborne. The fire fiend flew back up on track for the summit just as fast as the last attempt it made as Daisy playfully began laughing and collecting energy for her Shotgun. Just as Savage neared the summit, Daisy made a daring leap off the edge straight at the flaming titan and released her Shotgun's seismic power onto its body the moment her feet touched its rocky chest plate. Daisy backflipped off Savage's stone armor after contact for some backwards momentum to make a landing close to where she had initially jumped; and for a third consecutive time, Savage flopped and rolled down the volcano.

"This is so cheap," Bowser muttered in between laughs.

Savage flew up a _fourth_ time, only to get much of the same result courtesy of Ramona's Photovado light blast. Then the beast flew up a _fifth_ time at a different angle, which Bowser countered with his Tavado blast's frenzied fire torpedoes. Down the flaming fiend went again, accumulating damage from both the Kruna's attacks and its own drops down the volcano. Lava oozed up from the cracks of several of Savage's impact spots on the slopes.

Then the sixth time came down to Andrew and Warra, though the former deferred to the Kruna of Water out of some uncharacteristic apprehension. Savage went down the slopes when Warra gathered what little moisture there was in the air and doused the fiend's flaming body in a splash of water. Though a comparatively weaker attack compared to the other Kruna, the water exercised an offensive advantage over Savage's fiery form and stunned it in its spot in the air. Warra could not do much else considering the environment, but it still set up well for a followup attack from one of the other Kruna. The whole time Ramona, Bowser, and Warra had been attacking, Daisy had been creating earth to harden and crystallize for a Crystal Fist. That Crystal Fist bashed Savage back down the slopes just a couple moments later when Marut picked up Daisy and flew her at the beast for her to swing a hardened hook.

"This pillock of a demon beast is intimidating, but it's quite funny how easy this is proving so far!" said Ramona.

"Good," Daisy replied as Marut flew her back to the group and set her down. "That means we can get out of this oppressive heat sooner. There really doesn't seem to be anything too special about this enemy at all!"

"But it looks really cool though," said Marut. "It has that going for it."

"And it sure can take a lot," added Bowser.

 _Alright, I gotta at least try something,_ Andrew thought, readying his Gemivado shadow blast. While everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves to a degree against Savage, Andrew had kept himself from attacking because of his Gatekeeper's Seal. Though not willing to admit it, anxiety filled him over the curse mark.

He could already feel the Gatekeeper's Seal piercing his nervous system and yanking at his energy, but he pressed on regardless and boosted his Gemivado just as Savage got close. With a vehement yell, Andrew released what was supposed to be a continuous wave of dark energy that, in actuality, only stretched out for a couple seconds. The Gatekeeper's Seal gave Andrew a nasty recoil jolt while his hampered attack darted at Savage. Though Andrew's curse mark distracted him too much for him to see it, the other Kruna watched his blast hit Savage and elicit almost no harm on the fiery beast. Savage rammed through the attack and finally reemerged in the skies over The East Crater.

"Oh no...I was expecting something like that to happen," said Ramona.

"That curse mark is limiting him more than I thought," said Daisy. "It's still restricting him way too much..."

 _Damn, I didn't do a thing!_ Andrew thought as he clutched at his chest and turned to face Savage.

"This might actually turn out to be a fight now," said Bowser. "Unless we can get the beast back down the slope again."

Savage folded its arms and created between them a wide, flaming disk he shot at the Kruna. The seven elemental wielders all jumped and let the disk pass by underneath and scythe through the volcanic smoke and ash on its way out into the distance. Light from Savage's flaming body cut through the cloudy, murky fumes when the fiery fiend flew in closer and aligned itself on the opposite, taller side of the crater.

"Go ahead, Andrew! There's your chance!" Daisy yelled.

Andrew flared a dark orb in each hand and threw them both at Savage, though they proved to be no more than a nuisance to the fiendish titan. Further angered, Andrew charged an even more powerful sphere of shadows that consequently made his Gatekeeper's Seal activate just as he threw it. Due to the curse mark's disruption on release, the attack only made it halfway to Savage before it fizzled out and withered away. Grimacing in pain, Andrew buckled and tremored at the knees more from the shock of his ineffectiveness rather than the stabbing discomfort his curse mark elicited on him.

"This is definitely a problem..." murmured Daisy.

Savage released a string of fire disks at the Kruna, each with varying heights of travel. The elemental wielders did not fall for the trickery. They jumped and dipped down under the disks as each one came to avoid them. Beyond vexed, Andrew summoned a swath of darkness around him and forced out as much energy as he could as quickly as possible. He thought for sure he could just overpower the Gatekeeper's Seal, but the curse mark proved infallible in its commanding authority over the Kruna of Shadow's power. His gathered aura disbanded and downgraded to a wispy flicker in seconds.

"Andrew, please stop," said Ramona. "You're just going to hurt yourself."

"But, Ramona, I can't!" Andrew exclaimed. "I have to do at least _something_ against the beast!"

"Just let us handle this," said Athelstan. "You clearly can't do anything."

"I...I what?..." Andrew said under his breath.

"Sorry, Andrew, but Athelstan's right," said Daisy. "We'll need to figure this out after we beat this fire bird thing and leave this place."

"Back away so you don't get caught in the crossfire," Warra said to Andrew.

In reluctance and dejection, Andrew moved to the side of the battle area. His body, mind, spirit, and heart soon felt empty, defeated, and worthless. If he had the Gatekeeper's Seal for life, then that would effectively end his status as even a competent shadow wielder. Ramona saw Andrew's state and bowed out of the fight to come join him, though her presence did not take him out of his stupor.

"How about we try and end this quick?" hollered Bowser.

Against Savage; Daisy, Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, and Marut stood at the ready. Motioning for the others to move up, Warra crouched and took on a charging stance. He had in mind for them to attack while he gathered and created water around him.

When Savage charged at Warra, Athelstan jumped in the way and deflected the titan upwards with a swing of his swordstaff. Marut arced around in the air and made a Drill Dash from above on Savage to send him on a collision course with the flat portion of the summit the Kruna had been using. By this time, Daisy had enough extra earth made and hovering around her to use for a Crystal Smash. Daisy jumped underneath the shadow of the falling fire beast just long enough to smash her fist down and anchor and harden the earth around her into the signature crystal spikes she often used. She and the other Kruna lunged out of the way in time to turn and see Savage drop onto the spikes. Though the Crystal Smash spikes gave way under Savage, they cracked and weakened the demon's stone armor.

Daisy pulled over the broken crystals to reform them into another Crystal Fist while Bowser threw out a Fanning Torch. Athelstan ran behind Bowser's snaking green fireball and brought down his Obelisk Swordstaff on the volcano ground once the Fanning Torch exploded in a flaming fan at Savage. A large portion of the rocky volcanic terrain under Savage bashed the titan in the back and made several extra fractures in its torso armor. Daisy finished with a Crystal Fist slam from above on Savage to split its torso armor open and flipped away before the escaping flames caught her.

Savage did not stay down for long, for it put its wings to work to return to an aerial hover. It spun around and produced twelve floating spheres of fire that then zipped at each of the Kruna. While most of the others had no problem blocking and deflecting the spheres flying at them, a few stray ones went in Warra's direction. Warra could not defend or move quick enough, for he was still amassing water and did not want to lose what he had collected. Thankfully, Ramona and Andrew both got in the way and deflected the incoming flame balls with their respective Ultima Staffs.

"Thanks, you two," said Warra. "I needed that."

Savage raised its arms and intensified the fires that made up its body in tandem with both a billowing release of excess ash from the crater and a rumble through the volcano's slopes. Its increasing flames did not gain much power before Bowser shot off a beam of plasma at the creature that bored a hole through its torso. The move surprised the other Kruna, for using the advanced form of fire came at an extra energy cost which likely exacerbated the existing strain that containing the Giga Soul elicited on Bowser. But if Bowser had the same mindset that they did right then and there, then they knew without question that he wanted to get out of that region as soon as possible.

The second and third plasma bursts drew less surprise from the other Kruna. After the fourth one, Bowser backed off in fatigue. His efforts produced four holes in Savage's fiery torso and left the beast stunned as setup for Warra to unleash a final attack. With enough water gathered, Warra released his Aquavado when Savage tried to redistribute its flames. Warra's hydro cannon technique smothered Savage and sent the fiend into a frenzied flounder of panic. Having lost most of its fire to Bowser and Warra's attacks, Savage had to abandon its remaining stone armor and conglomerate itself into a singular mass of flames with just its rocky head casing remaining as the lone definitive feature of its form. Its former armor chunks dropped down into the crater and sizzled in the horrendous heat.

"Marut, that's all you!" shouted Daisy. "Finish that thing off!"

The Kruna of Air flew up close to the floating mass of fire and then pulled off an unorthodox – and otherwise unethical – use of his elemental powers. He willed a vacuum around him and Savage by repelling every ounce of nearby air with the help of an inverted wind vortex. With all its flames now dying out, Savage soon withered away. Only the head piece containing the four Crystal Tears remained; but because the fires of Savage's form had been the only thing keeping the rock up, it dropped out of the air...into the crater.

 _Uh-oh!_ Marut thought. He put an end to his vacuum and took off in a furious dive into the crater. The temperatures climbed to maddening extremes in his descent, and the egregious amount of smoke and fumes threatened to blind his sight of the falling rock; but that wasn't the only thing he had to deal with. More shaking rocked through The East Crater alongside a rise in height of the magma within the volcano's main chamber. The other Kruna on the surface noticed the increasing tremors and the splitting of the volcano's slopes, quickly realizing that they were about to get caught in a cataclysmic event if they did not leave fast enough.

"How much you wanna bet eradicating that fire beast triggered the volcano?" asked Bowser.

"I'm not betting!" Andrew yelled, already attaching his Ultima Staff's Shadow Blades to his feet.

"Get your gliders out!" shouted Daisy. "We need to go!"

"What about Marut?" asked Ramona. "He dove in the volcano and hasn't come out yet!"

"We can't do anything to help him!" replied Daisy. "He can fly fast! Just trust that he'll get out of there!"

Marut burst down on a boost of speed and snatched the falling head piece. In a swift turn, he redirected his course of flight and shot straight up after almost grazing the rising magma. His special heat retardant outfit had long since reached the end of its limits, and he could feel his body start to massively overheat. Though he had built a gap between him and the magma in just seconds, the magma's ascension accelerated with the ever-increasing pressure and tectonic disruption underneath the volcano. It got to the point where he even twisted around and blew a continuous wave of air under him to help propel him up to the exit quicker. The moment he cleared back out into the open, he angled into a downward split-loop and kept low to the slopes while the explosion of scoria and tephra raged into the skies.

By the time Marut surged down the volcano, Andrew had skated a good ways down on his Shadow Blades and the others soared near the shadow wielder on their Sail Gliders. Marut looked back and saw lava oozing out the top while the entire sky behind him became a dark gray eruption cloud. A subsequent second explosion blew apart The East Crater's summit and launched debris in all directions.

"Look out for incoming rocks!" Marut screamed as he sped down to the group.

That's where Andrew had the advantage in using his bladestaff's blades as skates. While they all had to maneuver and dodge falling rocks from the eruption, the other Kruna would instantly drop for a lethal fall if they got hit in the air. But on the other hand, Andrew's path of travel had become unpredictable with parts of the volcano either caving in or erupting in jets of lava. The airborne Kruna altered their descent to stay closer to the slopes but far enough to be out of reach of lava when the amount of falling rocks increased. Even though the rocks flew at them from behind, Bowser saw them all as they came with his Alkemei's omnidirectional vision and directed each of the Kruna out of the path of incoming volcanic debris all the way to the bottom of The East Crater. Their descent took a meager fraction of the time their ascent did.

Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, and Ramona closed their Sail Gliders at the base of the volcano and took off into a sprint upon landing. They needed to get as far away from The East Crater as possible, and Bowser's alert of the pyroclastic flow that shot out of the remains of the summit added to their urgency. Marut kept his Alkemei Furaito active to stay in the air as he scooped up Athelstan, who ran considerably slower than the others. When Andrew skated off the slopes and started losing speed, he detached his blades from his feet and reattached them to his staff as he ran. Putting his bladestaff away across his back, he came up behind Ramona and picked the also slow-moving Kruna of Light up. With the world behind them falling apart, the Kruna could not waste any seconds in their hasty escape out into the open fields ahead. They did not stop their fleeing until they had gotten out of reach of the pyroclastic flow, which pooled at The East Crater's base and did not extend much further.

Under utter exhaustion and fatigue, the seven Kruna collapsed on the dirt in sweating, panting flops. Daisy, Bowser, Athelstan, and Marut in particular had parts of their elemental wielder getup burnt through. If any of the Kruna had been in their standard gear, they would have gotten cooked alive. Marut had it the worst out of all of them, having dove directly into the volcano where he had to deal with the brutal extremes of the magma's heat. Parts of the Kruna of Air's exposed skin showed signs of burns and scalds. Bowser and Warra both were gassed and had almost no power left. Daisy and Athelstan did not feel much better, and Andrew's curse mark had kept him down all day. Ramona got away with the least amount of trouble, but that was not saying much on a mission that ground all of them into a drained, worn out pulp.

"Get us the hell outta here!" Bowser grunted into his radio transmitter.

While Bowser called for the Koopa Cruiser, Marut tossed Savage's head piece to Athelstan. The Kruna of Stone picked the four Crystal Tears out from the rock, saying in between gasps of air, "Hardest Crystal Tears ever."

"I don't even know if I can say Mystic Lake was harder than this place or not," moaned Daisy.

"I'm just glad Neva didn't come," said Ramona. "With as hot as it is, she would've died out here even with a heat-modded outfit – and I'm not trying to be facetious."

"Marut, you get the Most Valuable Wielder award today," said Daisy. "You totally turned it on when we got to the summit."

"Just trying to do what I can," Marut grunted with a burn-burdened laugh. "I'm a Kruna too. I got the same responsibilities..."

"Dude, you're going straight to the hospital when we get back," said Daisy.

"Dreadful place, zero out of ten, would not recommend to my worst enemy," Andrew muttered, sprawled out like a star. "Wait, are we talking about the hospital or the volcano?!"

Though none of the Kruna wanted to get up, Toadette and Waluigi told Bowser through his transmitter that they needed to get further out from The East Crater for extraction. Begrudgingly, they returned to their feet and trotted away in speedy limps and lumbers from the volcano. Falling rocks from the expanding eruption cloud above plagued the Kruna and their trek until the Koopa Cruiser made its eventual landing to pick them up.


	47. Chapter XLVII

Across the Desolate Frozen Edge of the World:

Daisy threw herself face-down onto her bed in the Rainbow Suite, back in her standard earth wielder garb and patched up where she had gotten burned. Except for Andrew, who had gone to Rainbow Hospital to hang out with Neva, every one of the Kruna had retired early for the night when they returned from their mission at The East Crater. Ramona held forty-four Crystal Tears in the special case she kept in her room. Just twenty Crystal Tears remained, and Daisy had a good idea where to find at least seven of them.

 _Kokoro stole the seven we would've claimed from Dark Marauder_ , Daisy said in thought, glancing out her room window. _But I'm stealing them back. The next time I see him, wherever he may be, he_ will _hand them over to me. He won't have a choice, because we're not playing around anymore... We're coming up on the end of this Crystal Tear search, Kokoro. If you want to stand in the way...too bad for you...Master Pendant or not..._

* * *

"That sounds horrible," Neva said, sipping tea from her cup. There in her room in Rainbow Hospital, Andrew had made tea for them both and had filled her in on what had gone on at The East Crater. Judging from her expression, just the prospect of the whole ordeal unnerved her.

"With only twenty Crystal Tears left, here's hoping we don't have to scour another hot place," said Andrew. "Here's hoping looking for the Gate of Time doesn't make us have to either."

"Here's hoping I can get out of this bed before you finish," said Neva.

"Only when you're ready," replied Andrew. "Although...by the way you look now, I have to ask, Neva; why aren't these docs making sure you're well nourished?"

"They're giving me as much as they think I need. It's not like I can eat anything as I am right now. All I can do is drink. They gotta IV that nutritional jargon you talk about."

"Well they're not giving you enough. Look – I can wrap my hand around your upper arm."

"Yeah, but my stomach is getting pudgy and lumpy now."

"It's not pudgy – it's just organ and tissue swelling from the healing process. The rest of you is downright bony, and it's scaring me."

Neva shrugged and said, "I'll be fine...I think... But what about you, Shady? You know you've got that curse mark to have to deal with. If it limited you that badly at The East Crater, then what's going to happen when we face Marissa and need to do an Elemental Seal but can't because you can't generate the power?"

Andrew leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, propping up his face with a hand on his mouth. For what Neva asked, he could not think of a response.

* * *

The seven able-bodied Kruna Yura collectively needed a week to rest after The East Crater mission. Daisy's training with Andrew over the next few days yielded almost no results on the Gatekeeper's Seal; and with Neva in the hospital for a semi-indefinite period of time, that raised more questions about when they would even be capable of facing Marissa. Neva would recover at some point; but with each passing day, Andrew got more and more run-down and frustrated over his weakened status that appeared to have no end in sight. At least Bowser did not have such a crippling disadvantage in containing his Giga Soul and had a chance of eradicating the malevolent entity from his being. No one had any input or ideas as far as how to remove Andrew's Gatekeeper's Seal.

Even after a week of recovery, the seven Kruna felt like trash; but they agreed with one another to press on with the next location to hasten their search for Crystal Tears. With a majority of the tears in their possession, they had the end of their gauntlet search and the path to the Oracle of Fates within reach. On a blustery afternoon, the Kruna met Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba outside in Central Island's Courtyard Square to receive any further direction the cosmic entities had, if any, on where to take their search.

"The Northernmost West will be a pivotal location," said Rosalina. "Great Demon Baphomet guards the region and holds the Crystal Tears for the polar far northwest of the world."

"That's the only other place we can think of where you could find a lot of tears," said Polari. "The remainder may well be scattered about individually, claimed or unclaimed."

Daisy turned to her team. "What do you think? Head out tonight?"

"Let's do it!" replied Marut.

Bowser nodded. "Fine by me."

"Definitely," said Athelstan.

"If you're all ready to go, I'm okay to go too," said Ramona.

"Surely it can't be too bad," said Warra. "We just need to keep Andrew out of the way when we confront Baphomet."

Andrew just nodded with an empty, blank, eerily calm expression and did not react to Warra's statement. Ramona leaned in close to her best friend's ear and whispered, "He meant out of _harm's_ way."

Ramona's words did not change anything in Andrew's demeanor. Though he should have been happy about going to a cold region like The Northernmost West, he did not show any enthusiasm about that either. He just kept muted and quiet.

"Alright, tonight it is," Daisy said.

"I do hope you're really ready to go," said Rosalina. "You can not take Baphomet seriously enough. He is one of the first archfiends Marissa recruited, and he's one of the most powerful."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah; powerful demon, dangerous enemy, blah, blah, blah," said Daisy, waving Rosalina off. "We got this."

"Seriously?" Warra muttered at Daisy. "After the last two regions we've been in down on Earth, seriously?"

"Warra, can you quit being such a drag?" said Daisy. "Just, like, geez, man. I keep telling you ya need to loosen up!"

"But Daisy, you have to admit, we struggled at both Mystic Lake and The East Crater," said Ramona. "And you know as well as I do how much Dark Siren's gashes hurt."

"So we need to act like we're a bunch of babies lost in a supermarket just because stuff hurts and there's strong guys out there?" replied Daisy. "What kind of people would we be, walking around in fear like that? We certainly wouldn't fit our roles if we got fearful of every looming enemy! Buck up, guys! Some rough patches aren't going to be what shape our destinies!"

* * *

From the Koopa Cruiser just under the Nirvana Barrier and over the frigid environment of The Northernmost West, Daisy, Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, Marut, Ramona, and Andrew dove into free fall and opened up their Sail Gliders as their ride returned to the night skies above the red and purple cloud wall encircling the planet. They spread and aimed their descent for a flat runway-esque part of the icy terrain, subsequently sliding and skidding in their running stop a lot longer than otherwise due to the frozen ground. Once settled, they put away their Sail Gliders and surveyed the great, wide, lonely arctic world housing the Ice Shrine.

The Northernmost West, like the Great Valley, changed very little compared to the last time the Kruna were there. The only noticeable difference came from the temperature drop the Nirvana Barrier's sun blockage elicited during the day, and that made the night that much colder. The snow and ice did reflect back up what little natural nighttime lighting the environment had. Behind them, the tundra extended back into the mainland. Ahead of them, the ice and glaciers accumulated and took the place of the earth as the lone landmasses.

"Gosh, it's cold here," mumbled Ramona.

"Real cold," added Bowser. "Even for a polar region."

"It's okay out here," said Daisy. "We were getting cooked at a volcano not too long ago – what are you getting picky about?"

"A steady zero-degrees with no wind – this ain't nothing to complain about," said Andrew, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Definitely great football weather."

"What's your Motomeru saying about Crystal Tears?" Daisy asked Ramona.

The Kruna of Light took out her Luster Swordstaff and scoped the area. "There's a lone source coming from the icier part of the region," she said. "That'll be going out to the ocean."

"That has to be Baphomet," said Daisy. "But I don't think he would be underwater."

"Um, hold on," said Ramona. "It feels like I'm getting a second signal. It's much weaker though, so it's far away."

"Let's head for the first one," said Daisy. "I think I can sense the guy's power from out here. Man, that's pretty huge."

" _Pretty huge?_ " asked Marut. "He's close to Marissa!"

"Yeah, but he's not her," replied Daisy, advancing to the front of the group. With Daisy and Ramona walking point, the group proceeded northward on the icy terrain. They didn't get far before Andrew stopped and turned around.

"What happened?" asked Bowser.

"I'm going to go check out something over in this direction," Andrew said, gesturing at the inland tundra. "I thought I sensed something odd...over there by the hills."

"Cool, I'll tag along!" said Marut.

"No no, I...that's alright," said Andrew. "I'm going to go myself. You all keep moving on..."

"Are you sure?" asked Marut.

"I don't recommend going alone," said Warra. "If you run into Baphomet, you'll be in quite the unfavorable predicament with the way your curse mark is limiting you."

"No, I don't think it's anything dangerous," said Andrew. "Seriously, just go on ahead... But thanks anyways..."

Daisy and Ramona wanted to speak up, but Andrew was already well off on his way in the opposite direction. They both held their tongues and let him go, though something about his vacant tone bothered them. For the other Kruna, the sight of a dark speck against the ice off in the distance coming from where Andrew was heading bothered them more. They waited in quiet for a few minutes as Andrew and the enlarging dark spot headed for one another.

"Wait, is that what he sensed?" asked Marut.

"I'm starting to sense it too," said Daisy. "But it feels familiar..."

"If it felt familiar, he wouldn't have a need to go check it out," said Bowser. "And not by himself."

The dark spot became conspicuous as a brown-clothed figure the closer it moved to Andrew, though it was somewhat difficult for the Kruna to tell who it was in the darkness. But soon, Daisy recognized the form as that of Arka Knight's. Andrew, had since noticed Arka Knight had been coming at him and made no changes in his gait. Arka Knight shifted his line of travel when they got near just enough to make sure they would not walk into each other.

As they passed by one another, Arka Knight said, "Be mindful of your decisions and their impact, Kruna of Shadow."

Andrew gave no response and kept on marching, as did Arka Knight. Neither one looked back at the other. They kept it that way; and by the time Arka Knight reached the other Kruna, Andrew had vanished into the dark distance. Arka Knight still did not look back in Andrew's direction or acknowledge the Kruna of Shadow any further than he already had.

"Arka Knight," murmured Ramona. "But...if Andrew wasn't looking for you, then, where's he going?"

"We should get a move on," said Arka Knight. "Whether you are aware of it or not, we are in Baphomet's territory. I am sure you must be here to defeat him since all the other major archfiends have been felled, correct?"

"What? You mean Baphomet's the last of Marissa's archfiends to deal with?" asked Daisy.

"Yes, Kruna Daisy," replied Arka Knight. "I must say, I was quite impressed you got past Dark Siren when I scouted out Mystic Lake. I believed she would have given you the most trouble out of all of them."

"She sure did," said Marut. "That lady was crazy."

Ramona started to walk in the direction Andrew had went in with concern on her face. She took only a few steps when Arka Knight unlimbered his Povado Thumper and held it out in front of her to prevent her from proceeding further.

"Do not go after him," the brown Shy Guy sternly said.

"I just want to make sure he's okay," said Ramona. "He had this certain...'look' about him-"

"I can see you care for him deeply," said Arka Knight. "But he must go alone. He needs to do something you can not be a part of."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ramona. "What's...what's he doing?"

Tense silence followed for what felt like hours. Andrew was far out of sight past the low hills and inclines of the tundra. Ramona kept looking back and forth in anxiety at Arka Knight and the direction Andrew had went, but the stone wielder Shy Guy refused to offer her free path to her friend.

"Move forward," Arka Knight finally said.

Ramona's reluctance to advance into the outer realm of The Northernmost West did not deter Arka Knight, and so she eventually gave in. With Arka Knight in the back of the group, the Kruna began their northbound trek.

* * *

Truth be told, Andrew had no idea where he was going. He had no specific place in mind as a destination. For the most part, he marched on in aimless uncertainty.

His mind distracted him from the physical world as he thought of his father scolding him for his shadow nature, all the training and elemental practice he did before joining the team that he left Christmas Village for, and everything he had done on the battlefield as a Kruna. Focus strayed away from what he did well and instead centered on his shortcomings and failures. All those memories fed into the recent debacle in Mystic Lake with the Gatekeeper's Seal and his ineffectiveness both when working with Daisy and when trying to contribute to the battle against Savage at The East Crater.

And then, he thought back to his training when the Kruna first arrived in Rainbow City. Several days and nights in rain, wind, or snow, he worked as hard as he could to bolster his power and physicality when he had his solo sessions alone. Every step he made in progress felt to him like it should have been five. The only things that kept him from collapsing in absolute exhaustion on those days were the mental images that accompanied the comparisons he drew between him and everyone else on the team; especially Daisy. In his eyes, especially considering their similarities in combat, he had spent so much effort and energy aspiring to be like her that no one knew about. He just wanted to be as powerful as he could be and maybe then feel as useful, instrumental, and necessary as Daisy.

But he now realized that every last bit of it died in irrelevant redundancy the moment Dark Siren hexed him with his curse mark. Now, he could contribute _nothing_. As he walked on in the frozen region, some of the vulgarity and explicit language his father used on him as a kid on several occasions that no one but Ramona knew of sounded off in his head. Eyes blaring wide, Andrew's expression turned excessively morose.

A voice reminiscent of the negative octave from the deathly figure in the Shy Guy mask that haunted him in Mystic Lake then echoed in his ears, "It's time..."

Andrew only needed to notice the same black figure in a navy blue cloak with the same mask, angelic wings, halo, and harp hover up beside him from underneath the ice ground for him to stiffen his stride. The Kruna of Shadow continued onward with the figure following him at a distance from behind.

* * *

The other six Kruna and Arka Knight ventured towards the original Crystal Tear signal Ramona had detected. Their travel had been quiet and undisturbed so far, which presented an opportunity for some questions the Kruna needed answered. Luckily for them, Arka Knight did not disappoint.

"If you do think you know where an underwater temple might be, we need to know," Daisy said. "That place likely won't hold the Gate of Time itself, but it may well give us a clue as to where to go to find it."

"I know of only one such place," said Arka Knight. "An underwater temple off of Mekarsari Island and Pi'illo Island comes to mind, but nothing else."

"Mekarsari? Isn't that where you're from, Warra?" asked Daisy. "Mekarsari and Pi'illo island are right next to each other, aren't they?"

"Yes, they're very close by to one another," said Warra. "But that's all the way across this continent and out to sea. It's actually down into the Southern Hemisphere. That's a pretty far distance to have to go from the Great Valley."

"But it makes sense," said Bowser. "Anyone who would want to come look for their secrets – or anyone who would attack them and therefore possibly gain access to their secrets – would have an easier time finding them somewhere near the Light Shrine or in the Great Valley in general than they would having to go hundreds and hundreds of miles from there."

"Funnily enough, I was just near there in the Southern Hemisphere last week," said Arka Knight. "I encountered someone there who mentioned she used to live in the old Mushroom Kingdom where Marissa's One World Capital now is. It's a sad occurrence to come across people who have had their lives altered and disrupted because of Marissa's rule."

"Hold on..." Bowser mumbled. "You just said she used to live there?"

"Did I _not_ just say that?" replied Arka Knight. "I don't recall there being recent rule changes to language, and I believe I still speak fluent English. What's the problem, Kruna of Fire?"

"I didn't – there's no...ugh, whatever," muttered Bowser. "What did she look like?"

"You think you may know her?" asked Arka Knight. "She had blonde hair in a ponytail, she was in white and had pink armor, and she was on some sort of dolphin bike with some big sword and shield attached to its sides."

"Yes – yes, that's got to be Peach!" exclaimed Daisy. "That's what she looked like when she rode past us at the Great Valley! Good call, Bowser!"

"Who is this 'Peach' of which you speak?" asked Arka Knight. "That is a ridiculous name."

"Hey, that's one of my best friends, you jerk!" snapped Daisy.

"Hmm...now that's interesting," Arka Knight mumbled, rubbing the underside of his mask. "Best friend, and yet she's roaming around the planet miles away from you and liable to get killed in a multitude of possible fashions."

"I got busy!" Daisy yelled, Bowser now holding her away from him. "What do you want me to do?! Look, mask-face, I don't need your sass!"

"Ah, yes, well...in any case, she said she would be down in the Southern Hemisphere for a while," stated Arka Knight.

"And you _didn't_ stay with her because...?" Bowser asked.

"Because I was scouting around for archfiends," replied Arka Knight. "She had a sword and shield, so I let her be. It's not like she's some kid. A grown woman should be able to take care of herself."

"Wha- you just got on me for leaving her on her own!" snapped Daisy. "What kind of double standard nonsense is that?!"

"The kind where you shut your mouth and pay attention," Arka Knight responded. "There's someone in the vicinity."

The group neared the part of The Northernmost West where the tundra ended and gave way to an all-ice terrain when they started sensing a potent energy signature closing in on them. Problems arose when they realized that the power was not far despite Ramona's Motomeru telling her that the Crystal Tears were still a long way off.

"Ramona, your Alkemei's not malfunctioning again, is it?" asked Bowser.

"No, it isn't," Ramona replied. "It's working fine, and I'm not tired or doing anything differently..."

"This could be a deception," said Warra.

"Or it could be an unwelcome visitor," said Daisy. "Ramona, wave your swordstaff around."

Ramona pulled her swordstaff away from the direction of the initial Crystal Tear signal and swept it to her left and her right until her tool and Alkemei spiked in activity on the latter side. "Whoa! That's another Crystal Tear source, but it's right on us!"

"Then let's chase it down!" said Daisy. "There's not many left, so let's not let this one slip by!"

Diverting their course from the first Crystal Tear signal, Arka Knight and the Kruna turned right to pursue the more immediate signal nearby. After rising over a short incline, they found themselves leveled out on a flat on their way into a small town. The infrastructure had no special features other than the predominance of circular roofing and a preference for gray and light blue tones. The iced-over streets and blocks tended towards a rectangular pattern lacking curves. Upon entering one of the makeshift roads, Ramona's Alkemei reached its second-highest detection level.

"Have we been here before?" asked Marut.

" _We_ haven't," replied Warra. "This is most likely the town of Kareah... Grekka's hometown."

Daisy made a deep exhale. Grekka had endured plenty of abuse in this town; enough to drive him to a mental state of cynical misanthropy...or enough for the Master Pendant to urge him towards that mindset. To Daisy, their adventures and journeys to the elemental shrines to purify the elemental gemstones seemed so very far away from where they were now.

"Hey, Bowser," Daisy said. "Doesn't it seem like so long ago when we met Warra?"

"Oh, you mean when I thought you two were working with Elkon?" Warra added.

Bowser smiled. "Yeah, I certainly remember that... That was on our trip to the first elemental shrine we went to...the Fire Shrine... We've all been through a lot since then, huh?"

Daisy nodded. "Yeah... It almost seems unfair the amount of time that went by since then...which would be weird, because for us, it'll have been...maybe eight months and counting up to this point; but if and when we return to our time, it'll only have been one month."

"It's crazy," murmured Bowser.

"Oh, it's totally nuts," Athelstan said in a grin. "Nuttier than trail mix."

"Time passes, things change, people move, and everything seems strange," said Arka Knight. "The flow of time is cruel and unwavering in its travel. Its speed may seem different for each person, with or without Marissa Arkana's magical intervention... But time is unbeaten. It will never stop. It will keep moving on and on, like an endless, infinite, forever-branching river. Should you return to your time, then the timelines will split at the exact point before your arrival there. You will be back in your world on a new path from this one, and this world will keep moving forward just as your old world turned new will keep moving forward."

"And if we do leave...we'll never see this world again," said Marut.

"Yes," said Arka Knight. "You won't. But what you accomplish here will not be lost on the people of this world. And it will not be lost in your memories. Your memories will go back with you."

In an instant, Daisy's expression completely darkened with a fierce stare ahead. "Here's one memory I wish was forgettable," she grunted.

From the other side of the intersection in front of Arka Knight and the Kruna, the vampiric demon, Kokoro the Soul Stealer, stalked into view. As Kokoro came near and stopped his slow march, the Master Pendant around his neck pulsated a pink glow that reflected off his prosthetic right arm in the dark environment.

"Ahhhhhh...Daisy..." Kokoro said. "I had a feeling I would run into you and your crew here...seeing as how you lot have done a fine job in taking care of Marissa's archfiends."

"What a coincidence," said Daisy. "I was just wondering what you were up to not too long ago. Why are you out here?"

"Since Baphomet is the only major commander of Marissa's left, I wanted to pay him a visit," said Kokoro. "Marissa herself is surely on her way here too."

"What?! Why?!" asked Ramona.

"She knows we're hunting down Crystal Tears," said Kokoro. "You have to expect she'd realize that we'd come here to confront Baphomet for his."

 _Damn, that's not what we needed to hear,_ thought Daisy.

"But as far as here in Kareah, well, I did lose track of time some," said Kokoro. "I was reminiscing about the people I killed in this town."

The Soul Stealer's remark elicited a sharp grimace from Daisy paired with a hard closure of her hands into tight fists. Kokoro grinned a sickly, toothy smile upon seeing Daisy's reaction and the similar amount of disgust he incited in the others.

"It seems the weather washed away much of the blood in the eight years since," Kokoro said. "That's too bad. The smell of fresh blood spill is an invigorating scent. And screams of torture and agony are the kinds of melodies that always brighten my day. To have sealed their spirits into my Scroll of Souls was a most satisfying delight. That is, until you got in the way, beat me, and then destroyed my scroll. I remember how enraged I was to return to the Ice Shrine days after our initial encounter only to see ashes and burnt paper..."

Kokoro paused, his grin flipping upside-down. "I still need to pay you back, Daisy...for my scroll...for mangling my arm...for hoarding Crystal Tears from me... How many of those tears do you have now?"

"A fair amount," Daisy replied. "None for you to take."

"I do believe that whether or not I take is not within your power to decide," Kokoro replied in a chuckle.

Without averting her gaze, Daisy said, "Bowser, Ramona; take everyone and continue on your way to Baphomet."

"Come now; do you really want us to leave you alone with that sadistic sod?" asked Ramona.

"Yes, I do," Daisy replied. "It's about to get messy here."

"Daisy, I know you've always had this penchant for crazy talk and impulsiveness, but please reconsider," said Warra. "This is _Kokoro._ "

"I know it's Kokoro," Daisy replied. "And because it's Kokoro, I have to face him by myself."

"Daisy, we almost lost Neva not too long ago," said Ramona. "We don't want to lose you. Don't put yourself in a predicament like this. You do see that he's still wearing the Master Pendant, right?"

"Don't worry about me," said Daisy. "I'll catch up with you guys when this is over. I promise."

Warra sighed. "If you really insist."

Ramona kept her swordstaff out and scoped for the Crystal Tear signal the group had first moved towards. Once locked on to the signal, she led Bowser, Marut, Warra, and Athelstan away from the scene and back out of Kareah into the icy expanse. Interestingly, Arka Knight did not follow the other Kruna.

Keeping her head still, Daisy glanced at Arka Knight and told him, "I don't know what you want to do, but I'd appreciate it if you went with them."

The brown-clothed Shy Guy walked over to a nearby building, sat down against the wall, and crossed his legs and his arms, saying only, "I will watch."

The other Kruna now gone and almost entirely out of sight, only Daisy, Kokoro, and Arka Knight remained on the snowy, iced Kareah street. Arka Knight had no intention of interfering with the now inevitable duel between the earth wielder and light wielder before him. A hard grunt escaping her throat, Daisy transformed into Nova Form. The resulting flash of silver earth energy that accompanied the power-up kicked up some of the snow surrounding her.

"You're awfully confident knowing the kind of power I hold," said Kokoro.

Though Kokoro was all smiles and grins, Daisy developed an intense glare. Kokoro must have sensed the Kruna of Earth's no-nonsense mood, for he soon frowned and scowled both at her and her lack of fear. Arka Knight stayed absolutely motionless but kept complete focus on the two elemental wielders.

Ending the transient period of silence that had developed, Daisy dropped the tone of her voice by a considerable margin just to utter one distinct statement. "I've come a long way, Kokoro."

The Soul Stealer laughed in ascending volume and let power flow from his Master Pendant. A grisly pink aura erupted from the sealed Alkemei and infused into Kokoro's body. Boosted with the extra power, Kokoro got into a counter stance and concentrated light energy into both of his hands. His dense collection of light provided stark illumination in the dark Nirvana Barrier-enclosed night.

In position for battle, Kokoro yelled, "Attack, Sarasa!"

Daisy gritted her teeth and got into an aggressive forward lean; lead arm in front of her and back arm out to her side, forming an "L" with them and her body. A pivotal clash now just moments away from beginning, the Kruna of Earth expected nothing short of a barbarous effort from an opponent like Kokoro.


	48. Chapter XLVIII

Clash in Kareah!:

Since Kokoro deferred the first move to Daisy, the Nova Form Kruna of Earth went on the offensive almost right away. She zipped at the counter-ready demon and made a massive deceleration of her momentum right in front of him. Interestingly, she gave no attack and instead split out wide to the side. Such an odd advance and retreat made Kokoro drop his guard for a moment, just for Daisy to dash and jump at him with an ax kick. A pulse of sparkling, sizzling pink energy erupted from the Master Pendant and canceled out with Daisy's kick, opening up an opportunity for Kokoro. Nova Daisy's reflexes twisted her torso just out of the way of a light laser off his fingertips that ended up piercing through her right forearm instead.

Already, Kokoro had gained the upper hand and forced Daisy away and off of him with his scorching, burning usage of the light element. Daisy backpedaled several steps away before coming to a stop to glance at the crimson hole in her arm. Closing her right hand into a fist was still doable, but not without considerable pain.

Kokoro burst out in maniacal laughter at the grimacing Kruna of Earth. "Putrid start for you, Sarasa!" he taunted. His laughter escalating, he shot off another pinpoint laser from his fingers. This time, his laser burned through Daisy's left shin. That amounted to more blood loss for Daisy and another helping of a feeling akin to getting shot with a flaming, exaggeratingly hot bullet. Arka Knight watched from his spot against a snow-covered Kareah building and kept still.

"Pushover," Kokoro said under his breath. He jumped at Daisy, who was still stunned from the two light lasers, and grabbed her by her neck with both hands. Daisy got her hands up to pull Kokoro off, but he pushed back against her force. From what she could tell, Kokoro wasn't trying to just choke her...but crush her neck.

Kokoro then lifted her up off the ground with her face and active muscles twitching under the cutoff of air from his forceful squeeze. Her struggle only egged him on to press harder, getting to the point of occluding crucial neck vessels. Daisy summoned enough strength to keep him from cutting off blood flow, but she had only seconds remaining before she fatigued from the lack of air.

"This is the WORST effort you've put up so far," said Kokoro. "All that build up, and _this_ is all you can do? Ohhhhh...I can't wait to hear what your vertebrae sound like when they break! I hope they crack open with a nice, audible POP!"

Just as her grip and arm strength gave out, Daisy swayed her dangling legs back and whipped them upwards into Kokoro. She almost made a full flip out of the move and broke free with no time left to spare. As Kokoro stumbled away, Daisy landed in a flop on the ground. She rolled over and gasped for as much air as she could get to make up for the deficit built up from the demon's hold. The whole time that had gone on, Arka Knight had not so much as even uncrossed his arms or legs.

Despite Daisy breaking free, Kokoro laughed and cackled as the Kruna of Earth staggered to her feet. "The best kills come with the victims that fight the hardest to stay alive," Kokoro said.

Daisy gritted her teeth and shook under the piercing pain of the two lesions in her limbs. An uneven puddle of red had developed on the ice and snow underneath her. Only now did the cold air start to get to her and infiltrate her system through her damaged and exposed wounds.

"I'll cut you a deal, since I want to enjoy this as much as possible," said Kokoro. "Just give me your Crystal Tears, and I'll kill you later. That way, you only have to deal with the fear of me stalking you down. After I have collected all the Crystal Tears for the Master Pendant and received immortality through its sealed powers, I'll have all the time I want to kill and torture you and whoever else I please."

"Oh yeah?" Daisy muttered in disinterest.

"Oh yes," said Kokoro. "I'll usurp Marissa and become the new supreme ruler, and you all will be my pawns for amusement. And just for the hell of it, I'll make a new Scroll of Souls; one infinitely larger and longer. It'll tally the slain of the eternity to come."

"Look," said Daisy. "I get that you're hellbent on fulfilling your creepy pain fantasies, but this is way past the obsessive border at this point. Why do you feel the need to do that?"

Kokoro spoke eerily slow when he responded, "Because I hate all of you. And you all deserve...every...last...ounce...of suffering...you can...or can not tolerate."

The Soul Stealer advanced in a blur of motion and threw out a claw at Daisy's chest, but she batted the swipe away in time and deflected the subsequent attempt at her neck. Countering, Daisy made a twenty-four-jab Flurry Punch that, although Kokoro blocked with his arms, got the demon to back off. The Kruna of Earth then grabbed Kokoro's arms and slung him to the side behind her across the slippery ice road. Out of a jump, Daisy wanted to stomp a foot down on Kokoro, but she struck and cracked the ice instead when the demon rolled out of the way. Kokoro flipped out of his roll a couple times and fired another one of his piercing pinpoint lasers, though Daisy was prepared and smacked it into a building at the side with a sturdy palm strike.

"Your surliness is telling me you're not willing to hand over your Crystal Tears," said Kokoro. "I can just strip them from you with bloody force if that's what you prefer."

Daisy gave no response. She only reassumed the stance she started off with and glared at the Soul Stealer. If her wounds still bothered her, she masked it.

"Or, if you don't have your group's tears, one of your little friends is bound to have them," said Kokoro. "I'll delight in tearing each of them down one by one until I find out who's holding them."

Daisy narrowed her gaze and shifted her stance to bring both arms back for her Seismic Wave. Silver rumbling power flowed out around her, illumination muted in the dark night. The energy gathered around her arms and hands and mimicked the sound of an earthquake. In reaction, Kokoro held up his normal arm across his chest and charged a shining burst of light rays in his hand.

Both of the wielders continued intensifying their attacks, none of them making any moves to interfere with the other. They both intended to meet one another's blasts head-on, and that's exactly what happened when Daisy thrust her arms in Kokoro's direction. Her Seismic Wave exploded from her hands on its way to Kokoro, who released his beam of light in response. Boosted with a shot of energy from the Master Pendant, Kokoro's beam canceled out with Daisy's earth power in a clash that blunted Daisy's blast but elicited a splitting refraction of the demon's light.

Before Daisy could do anything else, Kokoro leapt through aftermath of the elemental reaction and swung a vicious hook at her face. Out of the backwards stumble, Kokoro tried to get a followup hit on her. Pulling a reversal, Daisy fell at the ground but caught herself on her hands to propel into a handstand that snapped her legs into Kokoro and sent the demon over and behind her.

After she set her feet down and twisted around, Daisy charged at Kokoro with a fist up high and ready to smash down. Kokoro rebounded off the ground and set up to defend with a light shield he cast in front of him, but that played exactly into what Daisy wanted to do. The Kruna of Earth got close and brought her Breaker Punch into Kokoro to disband and crash through his light shield, also scoring a direct hit in the process. Daisy skidded to a stop and let Kokoro flop around on the ice a few times before the Soul Stealer got some traction with his hands and feet to steady himself.

"What was that?!" Kokoro grunted in surprise.

"Something I had been working on," said Daisy. "What's wrong? You seem tense."

Kokoro growled and flared another rectangular shield of light energy in front of him, this shield with a considerably higher amount of power in comparison. "You're bouncing right off this one!"

Daisy once more readied her fist much like she did the first time she used Breaker Punch. She dashed at him and threw out another of the same move when she got up on him, and a similar outcome resulted. Daisy only put a little bit more energy into her fist to compress on this Breaker Punch, and the disruption of Kokoro's arms and his light shield paved the way for another clean hit on him. The Soul Stealer stood in befuddlement when he regained his bearings from the hit.

"That!" Kokoro yelled. "What is _that_ that you're doing?! You're just ignoring my shield!"

"Normally, I wouldn't mind explaining a technique," said Daisy. "It only seems fair. You, on the other hand, are not someone I'd deem honorable or respectable enough to give such a courtesy to."

As indignation welled up in Kokoro, Arka Knight looked on in silence. He still had not moved from his spot against the building he sat against, nor had he so much as even flinched from anything that occurred in the battle at any point. Daisy took opportunity in the stall in action to summon up an aura of earth power, likely in preparation of something with potentially large significance.

"I swear, you are an annoying cancer that just will not go away!" hollered Kokoro.

Daisy put out an extra pulse of power to intensify the silver aura built up around her. She looked even more intense in the face than she was at the start of the fight. Her Nova Form eyes flashed and glistened with strength and decisiveness, and her power flow became more vibrant and uninhibited than she could ever remember; something that made Arka Knight perk up in interest.

In a shaky and flustered tone, Kokoro growled, "Now what do you think you're doing?!"

* * *

Andrew had been wandering around for a while in the desolate icy tundra. The figure in the Shy Guy mask still hovered in tow, following Andrew not too close by but not too far behind. He made no aggressive moves towards the Kruna of Shadow. He simply tailed Andrew and stared at him.

Andrew did not know how long he had been walking, for his feelings and thoughts made him only half-aware of the outside world. Eventually, he got to a point at the bottom of a snow-covered hill where he decided to stop and kneel down. The figure noticed him stopping and sped up to float in front of him; again, not too close or too far away. The impatient manner in which the figure moved made it clear to Andrew that the figure had long since grown tired of waiting on him.

The Kruna of Shadow undid his armor and put it to the side. He then took out his Umbra Bladestaff from its sling and set it down in front of him. Next, off came his purple overshirt and his black undershirt; both of them fitted and short-sleeved, making for a minimal difference in how he perceived the sub-freezing temperatures of The Northernmost West. The cold by itself always made him relax and feel good, but this instance inspired no such feelings in anticipation of what was to come.

Andrew sighed a chilling, numbing exhale from his overheated body. _No more..._ he said in his mind, closing his eyes. _No more..._

* * *

Nova Daisy kept up her aura of seismic power that had taken on a shining, gleaming aesthetic to its rumble despite the darkness under the Nirvana Barrier night. The tremoring silver blur evolved into a flow of silky waves before Kokoro's and Arka Knight's eyes. By this point, the normally lighthearted and spirited Kruna of Earth had transitioned into a state of mind far more serious and maddened.

"If you ask me, _you're_ the tumor that needs to die already!" Daisy yelled. "I should be with my friends right now, but instead, I'm here dealing with you!"

"You're the one that sent them away," said Kokoro.

"To keep them away from you!" snapped Daisy. "Because this is all just some sick game to you where you take advantage of anyone you encounter who has a heart and a pulse! Who derives pleasure from suffering and abuse?"

"Don't act all heroic," said Kokoro. "Maybe you can't see through your own facade, but I can tell you want to rip my ribs out and drag my skull on the pavement. That's how hatred works. You want the ones you hate to suffer. Because that's what you feel is just. When one has been done wrong, the natural instinct is to hate... I hope you hate me as much as I hate you... Fear the ones that _truly_ hate you. You must fear me as much as I fear you."

"How's this for fearful acting?" Daisy yelled.

With an uptick in the pulse rate of the aura surrounding her, Daisy leapt straight at Kokoro and smashed a hook into his back when he tried to twist away. Immediately after contact, Daisy jumped ahead of him and kicked him up into the air as he fell at her. She went airborne for a double palm strike on him while he was still trying to shake himself out of the hitstun, and down Kokoro went onto the slippery ice. The impact at the point of landing broke up an area where a thick layer of ice had frozen over, leaving several sharped, edgy chunks sticking out. Daisy got into a more relaxed stance when she touched back down onto the terrain and waited for Kokoro to finish getting up before she did anything further.

Standing straight, though with some kinks in his posture, Kokoro murmured, "Then we are on even ground..."

"Let me ask you something, Kokoro," said Daisy, clasping her hands together in a two-to-one finger-up hand sign. "I've got a point to make. Do you remember any of these people?"

Daisy's Alkemei Orianthi lit up at its black gem with a prominent shine, and her aura calmed and faded with the massive amount of power she expended. Kokoro stood his ground, having not seen Daisy's Pendant of Power in use and therefore not knowing what ability it held. He soon found out once arms and heads began popping out from under the ice and snow all through the small town of Kareah.

The bodies of deceased humans and a sparse amount of koopas, toads, and yoshis rose up from underground where their bodies had sunk under years ago. Though they all had experienced decay and frostbite damage, some were even missing whole limbs and appendages. Exhausting a great deal of her remaining energy, Daisy had brought artificial life into close to a hundred total bodies. All of the reanimated corpses gathered from around the town to the spot where Daisy and Kokoro fought, aligning themselves near and alongside the Kruna of Earth.

"This is my Pendant of Reanimation's ability at work," said Daisy. "If I had more power, I could've easily brought out the rest of them lying buried under all this snow and ice. You don't remember who any of these people are, do you?" When Kokoro scowled and didn't respond right away, Daisy added, "Just say that you don't and it'll save time."

Daisy needed only to point an arm at Kokoro and give a gesture for the undead bodies to rush him down. Panic settling in, the Soul Stealer hurled bursts of light power left and right and all through the night with as much might as he might against any and all corpses in sight. It did him no good. He could blast a handful away, but there were plenty more coming at him whenever he got an attack off. Daisy even brought up an extra insurance batch just to make certain he had no way out.

Arka Knight finally got up from where he sat and moved to wall jump between the building he had leaned against and an adjacent building. The stone wielder-spellcaster Shy Guy perched himself at the top of one of the buildings and then resumed his seated state. Though the reanimated beings obeyed Daisy's order to a T, they followed it a little too well; for they could have easily, mindlessly trampled Arka Knight on their way to Kokoro if the brown Shy Guy stayed at ground level.

While the reanimated beings swarmed and attacked Kokoro, who kept fighting back with light burst after light burst, Daisy expended much of the remainder of her power creating earth to use and mold into a crystal mass. It took longer to create her Crystal Fist this way than it would just pulling from earth around her, but Nova Form sped the process along to offset the lack of her element in the area. By the time she had completed her Crystal Fist, she could hear Kokoro screaming out from the brutal beating the undead bodies of his Kareah victims laid down on him. Only when the Soul Stealer's cries turned weak did Daisy call off the assault.

Almost all at once, the reanimated corpses halted their attack, backed away, and then stood their ground more motionless than Arka Knight had been. Daisy marched across the icy street to the demon lying on the ground bloodied, bruised, and gasping for air. She held up her Crystal Fist to within a foot of the quivering Soul Stealer, who sat there and wondered why his Master Pendant refused to give him aid both earlier against the attacking corpses and right then and there.

"It would be fitting for you to die in a place you stripped of its entire population, wouldn't it?" Daisy said.

Kokoro swallowed and tensed up from her remark. In an odd and never before seen display, Daisy morphed her Crystal Fist into a lance-like dagger and pointed it at Kokoro's chest. Kokoro tried to back away, only to bump against the motionless bodies of corpses standing behind him. Daisy closed the gap between them and waved in with her free arm more of the undead to stand near and around Kokoro, therein preventing the demon from making an attempt to flee.

Kokoro still smirked in spite of the situation and threw an arm up with light energy charged, but he triggered Daisy in the process. The Kruna of Earth lunged at him and grabbed his neck with her free hand, her crystal dagger pulled back and poised to strike the moment he tried anything funny. Slowly, Kokoro lowered his charged arm and disbanded his gathered energy.

"Here's a deal _I'm_ going to make," Daisy said. "You can give me _your_ Crystal Tears. And I'll let you walk. This time. Or, you can stay stubborn. And die."

As if her point wasn't already made enough, Daisy honed the tip of her dagger. "Your choice. Either way, you're giving up your Crystal Tears. It makes no difference to me how I get them."

Kokoro did not do anything right away, but he soon realized he had to give up his tears. Daisy let go of his neck and held out her hand, her other arm still raised and ready to strike with its crystal dagger if necessary. Kokoro rolled over onto his side, pulled out four Crystal Tears from his hip pocket, and dropped them into Daisy's palm. Not taking her eyes off him, Daisy put the tears into one of the pouches in her Hammerspace Belt. However, she did not move from her spot or lower her crystallized hand afterward.

"All of them," Daisy said.

Kokoro took out two more from his pocket and dropped them in Daisy's extended palm.

"All of them," the Kruna of Earth repeated.

Kokoro took out three more from his pocket and dropped them into Daisy's hand. She put those five away with the other four, though she still did not move from where she knelt.

"Each one you have," Daisy said.

After a little clawing through his pocket, Kokoro dropped three more Crystal Tears into Daisy's hand. "Twelve. THAT'S ALL..."

"If you're holding out on me, my dagger is here to strike you down," Daisy said. "If that isn't good enough for you, I can always use my bladestaff. Or both. You like bloodying and maiming? You should experience it for yourself, shouldn't you?... It's only fair."

"Kill me and search my dead body – you will find no extra tears," Kokoro said, not hesitating.

"Alright then," said Daisy. "Why don't you take off that pendant too."

"I don't recall that being mentioned anywhere in the deal-"

Daisy forced her crystal dagger to within an inch away from Kokoro's neck, just over the Master Pendant. "Check the fine print."

Kokoro now felt impossibly uneasy. Daisy started tapping the tip of her crystallized dagger on his neck with impatience. Each tap increased in pressure and speed of application. Only after Daisy tapped hard enough to draw blood did the Master Pendant decide to react after all this time. A quick pulse of smoldering pink power flew out from the Master Pendant and clashed with Daisy's dagger when she tried to poke Kokoro again. The energy mass didn't just die down after that – it rammed into Daisy's dagger three more times and threw her off balance.

The Master Pendant glowed and sent out tendrils of power to surround Kokoro and raise his body into a hover off the ground. With no direct command from Daisy, the undead bodies around him did nothing. Daisy regained control of her body in time to see Kokoro seemingly floating against his will out of reach of the many corpses. The stringy energy barrier erected around the demon switched from pink to red to black and then back around again, almost as if sending out a warning signal.

Arka Knight saw the disturbance Kokoro created and leapt off the building he sat on as soon as he noticed the pattern. He ran through and around the motionless undead, snatched Daisy by the arm, and yanked her away from Kokoro. The Soul Stealer could not follow – and may not have even had any consciousness left after the Master Pendant worked its powers on him. Arka Knight pulled Daisy along in his hurried run as she looked back at the increasing rate at which the energy around Kokoro changed color.

"What's the deal?" Daisy asked. "Where are you taking me? What's going on with him?"

"We must get away in time," said Arka Knight. "You've got what you needed."

Daisy frowned and slipped her arm free, though she kept running with Arka Knight. Once they broke out past the town's boundaries, the two elemental wielders picked up their speed to distance themselves further away from Kareah. After passing over an incline, Daisy glanced back and saw a rapidly flashing bulb of pink, red, and black that exploded in an expanding dome just moments later.

Daisy twisted around into a backpedaling run that eventually slowed to a stop in awe of the burst of pink and white splotchy light now engulfing all of Kareah. The amount of power released with the brilliant mass lighting up the night inspired deep wonder, foreboding unease, and pensive sadness. She had intended to stay and survey the aftermath when the explosion died down, but Arka Knight tugged on her arm again to get her moving away once more.

"Don't look back," said Arka Knight. "Just don't. On to Baphomet. Come on."


	49. Chapter XLIX

Edge of Despair:

Bowser, Ramona, Warra, Marut, and Athelstan had ventured far north into the very outer reaches of The Northernmost West and eastward of where the Ice Shrine was. There, in this unexplored, entirely ice-laiden region, they found a long, large arena made of stone with a short staircase leading up to the elevated platform. A triad of thick pillars stood at each of the four corners, the middle one of each grouping several many times taller than the others. Lightstones on the pillars shaded the arena with a gray backlighting.

High above the arena, Baphomet hovered in a meditative trance. The archfiend awoke at the presence of the elemental wielders and began his descent to the arena floor. He stared at the Kruna out of his dark gray goat skull that held eye sockets containing luminous yellow orbs. This head attached to a thin and lithe, pale gray humanoid form. His sleeveless light gray tunic concealed his feminine upper body and overlapped a dark gray sarong covering up where his biped legs transitioned into top, larger pair of the four horns on his bare cranium jutted out near his angelic black wings, and his supple fingers held a macabre staff that used two sets of goat spines, rib cages, and shoulder girdles with a total of four folded limbs as a conjoined end taking up half the tool's total length.

Baphomet shifted his staff entirely to his right hand and touched with his left hand the white octagram at the center of his skull. A fifth skull extension just above the symbol lit up with the same color as his neon eyes. His chin beard seemed almost as pointy as his top horns and his wide, stiff ears.

In spite of his fearsome and occult appearance, his voice sounded fairly average when he spoke – even holding some sense of femininity in its tone. "Kruna, is it?"

"Yes," said Bowser. "Baphomet?"

"Yes," the demon answered. "You are here as expected."

"What, are we right on time or something?" Bowser said.

Despite the koopa's sarcasm, Baphomet replied, "Yes. You are right on time. Not a second late. Not a second early."

Once Baphomet got near the arena floor, he stopped his momentum and came to a still hover. With his legs crossed, he raised his staff up over his head and lowered his left arm down and out to his side. Where his staff pointed up at an angle, his left hand pointed in the exact opposite direction.

"You came here for my four Crystal Tears," said Baphomet. "That is the only reason why you came. You have no other business here. You will fight me for them."

"Yeah...that's about the gist of it, actually," said Athelstan.

"Fine," Baphomet said.

And that's all he said after that. Baphomet set his Mortal Staff in his lap and rested both of his hands on its shaft. He remained there in that exact position in his hover just off the arena floor and stayed silent.

"Uh...so...does that mean we're going to fight, or...what?" asked Marut.

"No," the demon said. "You will wait. And I will wait."

Ramona and Bowser shared a bizarre look, struck with disbelief. Athelstan shrugged and started fiddling with his Obelisk Swordstaff. Warra got into position for battle and readied his Tidal Swordstaff as if he expected Baphomet to lash out at any moment. But the demon did not attack. At all. He just stared at an empty point in space behind the Kruna. And he remained that way for a while in the awkward silence until a restless and confused Marut spoke up.

"For how long?" asked Marut.

"For how long what?" asked Baphomet.

"How long are we going to wait?" Marut clarified.

"Until it is time to fight," said Baphomet.

Once more, Baphomet resumed his silent state of stillness. Warra eased up his guard and relaxed some, for it seemed more and more apparent that Baphomet was completely serious. Ramona sighed and jammed the tip of her Luster Swordstaff into the ground, kneeling and leaning on it while she waited with everyone else. Bowser scratched his head and looked around at the icy world as he tried to make sense of such a unique situation. Several moments passed, and Baphomet still did not show any sort of aggressiveness. From what Bowser could tell, the demon may well not show any for a while.

* * *

Arka Knight and Nova Daisy trotted along until they got to a point far away from Kareah and the radius of the explosion that the Master Pendant had created. The blast likely took out all the reanimated bodies Daisy had brought up, but whether or not Kokoro had perished too was not so clear. The two looked back at the haze and vapor in the distance and still sensed something substantial, yet Daisy could not tell if that was from Kokoro or solely from the Master Pendant.

"Do you think he survived?" asked Daisy.

"I would suspect so," said Arka Knight. "But his body may not be his own anymore." He turned and started walking in another direction. "I'm sure he'll pop up again, but you should be able to beat him. From what I've seen back in that city, I have little doubt about that. You should go rejoin your team, Kruna Daisy."

"Huh – you mean you're not coming? To help fight Baphomet?" asked Daisy.

"You all don't need my assistance anymore," said Arka Knight. "My role is finished. I must go."

"Wait...does that mean we're not going to see you again?!"

"I just said that my role is finished. I need to move on to my next task. So this is farewell."

"Arka Knight, hold on!" Daisy called out. "Please."

The brown-clothed Shy Guy stopped and turned around. He waited on Daisy to say something, not directly responding himself.

"I just want to thank you for your help," said Daisy. "And I wish you best of luck wherever you go."

Arka Knight nodded. "The same goes to you."

"And, if you don't mind, then before you leave, could you please tell me why you gave me the Orianthi?" asked Daisy.

A short period of silence followed, after which Arka Knight marched back towards Daisy. The information was something Arka Knight had not explicitly addressed, and it was something Daisy had wondered about for a while. Understanding this, Arka Knight decided to tell her what she asked for.

* * *

Andrew sat alone, armorless and shirtless; bare-chested with his Umbra Bladestaff on the ground in front of him. Countless scars lined most of the left side of his torso, including his entire left arm. All of them appeared as a dull purplish-brown against his dark tan skin. He closed his eyes to the world around him, his breath the only thing in the physical realm he paid attention to. The area he sat in was completely barren with not a single sentient creature nearby. He had only the tall, cloaked Shy Guy figure that had followed him for most of the way through The Northernmost West nearby, and the figure only had the intention of watching.

 _I knew from the start that this is how it would end,_ Andrew said in thought. _I have made far too many mistakes. I am a collection of both physical and immaterial scars. Each one is a tally... I am of little concern to my own father, my own mother had discarded me like trash-_

In an instant, his grip on the shaft doubled in tightness. The ambient noise of the environment became more pronounced. Time seemed to not exist anymore.

 _I have failed as a Kruna, as a shadow wielder, and as a person. I am too weak to help anyone. I am too much of a broken, irreparable mess. I am useless...expendable...and unnecessary. There is no honor or pride in such an existence._

He reached for his bladestaff and rested the flat of the top blade on his head. Never before had the blade felt so cold and warm at the same time. Vibrations rose within him from his spine outwards.

 _This is the only honorable thing I can do._

Every breath felt so tranquilizing and sedative to the point where he would have passed out if he wasn't hard-set on what he intended on doing. Each exhale brought him closer and closer to blood spill.

 _I must concede now what I have not earned nor been worthy of... As Rosalina had said, someone will have to take my place when I am gone. Surely, the rest can prevail then with a better, more powerful, more resourceful teammate... I do this with the full understanding that my successor will prevail and triumph where I have not... I do this with the full understanding that I have reached the point of no return... I must do this._

Andrew heard footsteps behind him that got louder as they neared in proximity. The crunching, recurring sound of steps in the snow was hard to avoid, but he did not let it distract him; though, he did not expect them to have come from Marissa. The demon witch walked out in front of Andrew, blocking him from the Shy Guy-masked figure's line of sight.

"We'll all do our best to pretend we'll miss you," Marissa said. Even though Andrew heard and recognized her voice, he did not react, so she continued speaking. "Sad to see you go to waste though. I could have used you, but I think I like the idea of a Kruna offing himself in existential despair better anyways. I only wish I had some popcorn and a recliner, but I didn't expect to come here to this. Of course, I knew it was a possibility because of my Eye, but stuff's still surprising when seen in real time."

The Shy Guy figure floated to the side some to regain his vision of Andrew. Though he had no intention of bothering or interfering in any way with Andrew's pending deed, Marissa showed no such aversion.

"You should feel grateful," Marissa said to Andrew. "You get to do something I can't. Not because I don't want to, but because I literally can't. Do you think if you do this hard enough, I could feel it too? Like, I could feel what it's like to die through you dying?"

Marissa waited for Andrew to say something, but, like he had the whole time he had been sitting there, he kept quiet and spoke no words. Even with the lack of response, Marissa continued her taunts.

"Don't feel like talking?" Marissa said. "I take it you're not cold. I could tell jokes if that would make you feel better! How many shadow wielders does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Andrew said nothing.

"Oh, come on!" Marissa exclaimed. "You won't even acknowledge little ol' me for terrible light bulb schtick?..."

Again, Andrew said nothing.

Marissa smirked and started chuckling. "Not even any heroic bravado, huh? Ran out? Or are you already dead? If you're going to do it, just get on with it! You're _killing me_ with this suspense... Being alive sucks, doesn't it? Aren't you tired of it? I know I've had enough of it. Being immortal has given me insight on the world that I would have never thought of had my life force remained finite like yours. I got to see everyone that I shared a birth year with die. I have outlived my former elders' great-great-grandchildren. I have witnessed the evolution of civilization and the degradation of society both happening in tandem with one another. I've retained more youth than some of the people of today who haven't even been alive for thirty years. I've seen crisis after crisis addressed, an equal amount averted, and at least as many ignored. I have seen the decay of both the natural and the manufactured world of our planet. Several centuries or so of life – I don't even know anymore, why keep count – and I've had enough of it. A decision like mine just leads to an eternal trap. A decision like yours sets you free from a world that was a hellhole long before I laid my hands on it..."

* * *

"You want to know why..." said Arka Knight.

"Why me?" Daisy asked. "Why did you give me the Orianthi? Or, why did you give the Orianthi to me? You could've given me a different pendant, or you could've given the Orianthi to someone else. So either way, I ask; why? Why the sick joke?"

"I have no simple answer," replied Arka Knight, firm and forceful in tone. "The fact of the matter is, no other Alkemei was meant for you, and you were not meant to use any other Alkemei for this journey. I personally would've destroyed the pendant myself because I don't believe anyone should possess such an ability; but if you believe in the powers and intricacies of the Great Beings of the Universe, and if you acknowledge and full-heartedly put your faith in the influence that destiny and fate has on our reality, then you must realize that nothing about any of this is a sick joke."

"That's all it has felt like ever since I got the damn thing."

"But it has helped you get to this point, has it not? It has utility even for what it is. Reanimation is such a restricted and limited power that a non-deity would have to delve deep into the Dark Arts or have inherited the ability to even begin to exercise it. Fate decided that I must bestow upon you this cryptic, gruesome – and in ways, imperfect – power as a test. And to be honest, I saw it that way as well once I gave it to you."

"I don't think I understand..."

"Daisy, you came from wretched anguish and emerged victorious to evolve into the powerful warrior that you are now. _That,_ is no small feat. So many have suffered as you have and have fallen into the endless plunge of hatred and despair that those who recognize the ones liable to slip off the edge don't ask 'if' or even 'how,' but 'when.' No matter how close you drifted to the edge, or how badly you got tripped up, you did _not_ fall off the edge. Now, you have a responsibility on your strong shoulders. A divine power is yours. I wanted to see just what you would do with such a power, how well you would manage it, if it would change you in any way... You have handled it well, just as you have handled all the other adversity in your life. Now take care of it."

"How do you know so much?" asked Daisy. "And so much about me, at that!"

"My current role in the Universe, I can not reveal," Arka Knight said. "But as far as how I know of you, well...simple, really. Your old master informed me of you."

Daisy's face lit up in shock. "Terran...! You know him?!"

"Yes, I know him very well," Arka Knight replied. "From the great beyond that is the heavens of our Universe, the Otherworld... When I mentioned my fated role in providing you assistance, Terran asked that I keep tabs on you...for you are a critical piece of destiny's plans. I've actually done more than I needed to because of his request."

"I don't believe it..." Daisy murmured in awe. She shook her head with amazement. "He's dead, and yet...why do I feel like he's not?"

"Just because someone has died and passed from this world doesn't mean they no longer exist," said Arka Knight. "They exist on another plane that we could not possibly hope to imagine unless we see it for ourselves... He has been watching over you as often as he can, and he has not lost faith in you; even with all that has happened to the world. Don't give him any reason to lose faith in you now."

"I won't... But now, I wish Terran would have warned me about Marissa. If he knew about her, he could have at least given me a heads up."

"I do believe he thought of your father as a more significant and immediate threat than Marissa. But, wouldn't you know, the opposite turned out to be true instead. Really, Marissa doesn't like admitting to this, but the process of her achieving her immortality caused a massive drain in her maximum power as a side effect. She has spent centuries building her power back up to where it is now."

"Then, let me ask this," Daisy said. "I'm not going to ask for the how, but...if you knew that we were going to lose to Marissa on the night of the Blood Moon, then why didn't you at least try to help us against her? Surely with your help, we could've won! We were seconds away from a victory that night."

"Believe what you want, but the world that would've come about from your victory on the night of the Blood Moon would've been far worse and exponentially bleaker than this world. Your loss that day was a true godsend. Hopefully, you'll understand when you return to your time."

Daisy sighed. "It's hard to imagine how things could have turned out worse...but...I'll take your word for it... It makes things as they are now seem...a little better, I guess."

"With that, I shall be on my way," said Arka Knight. "Now that you've demonstrated control of the Alkemei Orianthi, you are ready for the next step. May the stars shine down on you, Kruna Daisy."

 _The next step?_ Daisy thought. _What is that supposed to mean?_

"Godspeed," said Arka Knight. He turned and headed on his way, leaving Daisy with a nagging feeling of wonder brought about from his previous statement. Before he got far, Daisy ran up to Arka Knight to ask him one more question before the stone wielder-spellcaster Shy Guy departed.

* * *

"Hmm...you've got me curious, boy," Marissa said. "You have been here for quite a while now... Are you even going to do it? You only have one simple thing to do, and then it's all over; and yet, from what I've seen, you can't even do that? Wow. Tragic. C'mon, now. It won't hurt for long."

Andrew opened his eyes and held up his left arm. With unquestionable intent, he ran one of his Ultima Staff's blades along the meatiest portion of his forearm, opening up a stream of red that drained with speed. "Pain is not an issue."

"Then what's holding you back?" said Marissa, her smile fading. "What, you think anybody cares? Let me tell you something about the world; people only care for as long as you're useful to them. And then when your usefulness has run out, chances are you'll stop hearing from those people until they're nothing but a distant memory. That's why you're better off forming no attachments to anyone. They will never last. No matter who it is. That in and of itself is a big mistake right there. Trust is temporary. Love no one. Not even yourself. That makes leaving all the more painless, doesn't it?"

"Yeah..." he replied, sighing as he closed his eyes once more.

Marissa wiped some of the blood off of Andrew's arm and then flicked what got on her hand in his face. "And still, I'm conflicted," she murmured. "I don't know whether I should keep harassing you or just leave you be. Either way is of no consequence to me. But you remind me of a sad puppy lost in a big city with nowhere to go. Oh...how much pain someone is in...how much pain someone is hiding that no one may ever realize is there, let alone ever conceive the depth of... Doesn't it feel so heavy? You're fit and strong and brawny, but you've got things that are too heavy for you. Wouldn't it be great to take the load off? Finally rest your shoulders from their burdens?... Yes... That's all you really _can_ do at this point. You're too weak to do anything else... You have nothing to contribute... How pathetic... How useless you are."

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?!" Andrew screamed, exploding in a burst of shadow energy. In one quick motion, he released a furious blast of dark power at the demon witch...only for it to do almost nothing to her. His blast knocked her back a few steps, but that was it. The Gatekeeper's Seal then lit up and sent a wave of dull pain through his body as penalty for the outburst.

"That sure proved my point, didn't it?" said Marissa.

The Kruna of Shadow buckled back to the ground, feeling utterly defeated beyond any possible measure he could ever comprehend. The anger at himself and his ineffectiveness boiled over as he grimaced and clawed at the ice. Out of an increasingly sickened state of teary self-hatred, his energy erupted in an uncontrolled, wild torrent of black and purple waves. Marissa's grin crept open as she watched his own power turn on him and slash at him until his energy died down just moments later.

"The tortured and tormented remain hidden and silent in the eyes and ears of the world," Marissa said.

Propped up on his hands and knees, Andrew reached for the shaft of his Umbra Bladestaff once more. All thought shut off, and he now moved in pure despair and complete loss of spirit. He shifted one of his knees forward to get on a foot, and he took his staff in two hands. With some adjustment of his tool, he positioned one of the bladed ends next to where his neck connected to his torso. He could feel his body go numb in preparation for the endless fall that would follow his fatal slit. No pain, weight, or burden would chase him down other than the guilt of failure from inadequacy.

He intended to drag his staff across his neck and down his chest, but then the strangest of twists prevented him from following through. Just as he made the initial impression on his neck that caused the beginnings of a red leak, Marissa grabbed the staff and ripped it free from his grasp. Andrew's hands still acted like they were running something by his throat until he realized he felt nothing cut deep. When he glared at her, she had no smile or scowl to her expression. She just looked blank.

* * *

"I can't believe...that this is actually happening right now," Bowser grumbled.

Baphomet. He sat there. Hovering in the air. The whole time. Without ceasing. At all. Bowser had been sitting on one side of Baphomet's arena just waiting for something to happen. Anything. But nothing did. The demon had not even spoke a single word.

Not too far from Bowser, Ramona and Marut were sitting on the arena floor playing some hand game with their fingers. On the other side of the Kruna of Fire, Warra and Athelstan had engaged in some sort of philosophical debate about yoshi eggs. Bowser sighed, his breath visible in the frigid air much like everyone else's. If Bowser could not sense energy signatures, Baphomet's visible respiration would have been the only thing that let the koopa know the demon was still alive.

 _What is he trying to do? Let us freeze up?!_ Bowser thought, eyeing the demon. "Hey! Baphomet!" he then yelled. "What's all this about anyways?!"

"I am weighing all possible outcomes," said Baphomet.

"Weighing all possible...what the..." mumbled Bowser.

"It is still not time to fight," said Baphomet. "Continue to wait."

"At least he's not mean," said Ramona. "Although I am getting pretty chilled out here just sitting around."

"This is absurd and asinine!" snapped Bowser. "For how long are we waiting?!"

"Until it is time to fight," said Baphomet. Though the Kruna wanted the demon to elaborate more, they were not surprised when he did not add anything to his answer.

"Ugh...whatever," grumbled Bowser. He closed his eyes and tried relaxing himself to enter meditation.

* * *

"I'll admit, that was hard to watch," murmured Marissa. "It was already leaving a sour taste in my mouth..."

For a while, Marissa did not say or do anything else. In that time, Andrew seemed to normalize out of his forlorn, despairing daze. Marissa chucked his bladestaff at his feet once he calmed to a less excited state. He showed some hesitation before picking it back up, though he did not make any moves on himself with it.

"This is not a proper way for this to end," said Marissa. "Not that I give one damn about you or anything like that. When I beat you Kruna, I'm beating all eight of you. I didn't make it all the way here just to win everything by default on a technicality."

The Shy Guy figure that had been stalking and watching Andrew lowered its head and backed away. With each passing moment, the figure became more transparent until his body had faded entirely. That just left Marissa with Andrew at her mercy...but she decided to do something other than Andrew had expected then and there of her. She walked over, grabbed Andrew's shirts and armor, and held them up for him to take.

"What are you..." murmured Andrew.

"You should put this stuff back on," said Marissa. "Unless you like your nipples cold."

Andrew gasped and immediately covered up his chest with his arms. "Perverted creep."

"What?" Marissa said in a laugh. "I just spoke an observation."

"Go ogle something else, ya weirdo!" Andrew hastily snapped.

"Are you gonna take these or not?" Marissa said, amused. She then pointed a finger at him. "And wow, you're steaming hot."

"Pervert! Shut up!"

"Oh, c'mon! You can't call me out like that when you're literally steaming."

Andrew had gotten flustered to the point where his body temperature had made vapors collect and flow off of him in the cold arctic air. His blood pressure rising throughout his entire body, he snatched his stuff from Marissa's grasp. He then waited for some kind of trick from the witch; really, anything that could have hinted at some hostility. Instead, she just stared at him.

Soon, Marissa proceeded to walk past Andrew. She gave him a parting wave, saying only, "See ya 'round."

Marissa's Malocchio Eye flashed for a quick scan of The Northernmost West as she distanced herself from Andrew. When she found what she wanted, she unlimbered her Dominion Scepter from her back, sat on it, and took off through the air. Calming down some more, Andrew put his shirts and armor back on and stared at the departing witch for a while before he broke into a run back into the icier northern portion of the region.


	50. Chapter L

The Biggest Fight That...:

Bowser maintained a soft flicker of flame in each of his hands as he sat on Baphomet's arena floor in meditation. Ramona, Marut, Warra, and Athelstan had gathered near Bowser's fires to keep warm, while Baphomet still levitated just off the ground in a motionless trance. The demon had not made any aggressive move whatsoever. At all.

"This is turning out to be very anticlimactic," said Athelstan.

"Maybe we should just kick-start this thing and blast him," said Marut.

"No – that wouldn't be right," said Ramona. "He's being nonviolent, so why should we disturb that with violence?"

"Because we do need to be on our way," said Warra.

Bowser woke from his meditative state and scowled when he saw Baphomet unmoved from the position he had been in ever since the Kruna initially arrived. "Are you KIDDING ME. He is STILL...THERE..."

Warra pulled out his radio transmitter to check the time. "We're getting close to an hour of this."

"And it's getting really cold out here," added Ramona.

"Okay, you know what," Bowser griped at Baphomet. "If you're not going to fight at all, then just give us your Crystal Tears so we can kindly be on our way and so that I don't have to keep acting like a living campfire!"

"I could give you the Crystal Tears...but then what?" said Baphomet. "You aim to end Marissa's rule, but what is truly wrong about her as an autocrat when there is no more crime, fighting, violence, and suffering in the world than there was without her in control?"

"Are you blind?" asked Marut. "Don't you get what's been going on here?"

"Are _you_ blind?" replied Baphomet. "With Marissa controlling the planet, all nations and their boundaries are irrelevant. They are just a single society under a single governing body. The nations are not warring and quarreling with one another as things are now. And all evil done through Marissa offsets the evils that are and have been going on without her influence. From your disjointed and biased point of view, you can not tell how much closer to neutral this world is than the one you know."

"What do you mean 'closer to neutral?' " asked Ramona.

"This is a world where conflict and violence more or less only come from selfish renegades and rogues and from ignorant and unenlightened rebels," Baphomet said. "There is more harmony and unity now than there ever was in a world of free-will and imbalances of poverty and prosperity. All significant power and control is in Marissa's hands. Everyone is subservient and dependent on her, holding few advantages over one another, leaving little room for inequality and conflict. Whoever told you what's going on in this world didn't tell you the whole story; or, you just looked at the situation through your narrow scope and picked out what you wanted to see just to further your interests when the fact of the matter is this world is closer to equality, harmony, and peace than a world lost in power struggles among dominant, monopolizing nations. Just _what_ are you fighting for, Kruna?"

"How about, for a world that does not need to find equality in suffering?" replied Bowser.

"It is not perfect or ideal by any means, but it is the best route for the world right now," said Baphomet. "All possible outcomes from this point onward are far more favorable than the outlook just a decade ago."

"That's quite a claim to make," said Athelstan. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're supposed to be here," said Baphomet. "That was what was meant to happen. If you didn't come here in the way that you did, you would see how much the world _really_ would have fallen. Know that though Marissa's clairvoyance is more expansive, my precognition is more advanced. Where she can only see alternate futures based on her knowledge or the knowledge of whom she projects the ability onto, I am not so limited in future sight. Now, I will continue weighing outcomes, and you will wait."

"Unless this is all just useless drivel," said Bowser. "And you're actually just stalling and waiting for Marissa or her Dark Sentinel to come here. I bet you've had some sort of telepathic link with her this whole time!"

"Hey – yeah!" snapped Marut. "This whole thing is really starting to stink like a bad freezer out here!"

"Marissa may or may not know that you five are here with me," said Baphomet. "Just because I am allied with her right now does not mean that I divulge all that I know and am aware of to her. There is information I have that neither her nor you can be aware of."

"Are you trying to say that you know exactly what will happen?" asked Ramona. "Is everything just...fixed?"

"I used absolutes selectively," said Baphomet. "Nothing is fixed because nothing can account for individual free will. But this is why I weigh possible outcomes. I see what is most likely. I see what is _meant_ to happen. I understand that the knowledge I have may be outdated with the occurrence of real time events. Even the best precognition is subject to error."

"Then, you're just allied with Marissa to fill a role?" asked Bowser.

Baphomet did not respond, likely implying the answer presented information he intended to withhold from the Kruna. He maintained his aerial hover and continued refraining from hostility.

* * *

Nova Daisy dashed northward through The Northernmost West's icy plains in the direction she sensed the group of energy signatures gathered together. Soon, she felt another energy source closing in on her, this one the largest of the ones she sensed in the region. The Kruna of Earth forced herself into a skidding halt on the frozen ground when Marissa flew past her overhead and came to a stop not too far in front of her. The witch disembarked her Dominion Scepter to stand across from Daisy, who had already gotten herself into position to fight. Marissa, on the other hand, did not try to engage.

"You can put those things away," Marissa said in reference to Daisy's raised fists.

Daisy did not ease up her stance at first, but she did when she noticed Marissa's relaxed and calm demeanor. Marissa glanced at the wounds left in Daisy's forearm and leg, which the Ultra Mushroom the earth wielder ingested on her way to Baphomet did not do much for other than induce clotting to prevent more blood loss. Peering into Daisy's steely gaze, Marissa sighed and frowned; though not out of anger or maliciousness.

"I'm tired," Marissa said.

"Huh..." mumbled Daisy. "Of what?"

"Of a lot of things, really," said Marissa. "Of you Kruna opposing me...of this whole campaign of yours...of you hiding...of the world in general...of living... I just make mistake after mistake, don't I?... Not even complete control over this world makes me happy... All that I've done, all that I've worked for, all that I accomplished...it has done nothing to make me feel better. Nothing will make me feel better, at this point... I am bored... I am lonely... I am broken... I am empty."

"You mean...even after all this?" murmured Daisy.

"Especially after all this," Marissa said. "If you think I don't have regrets and remorse, think again. They continue to mount by the day. I'm obviously too far gone for forgiveness. I'm not going to ask for it."

* * *

"I am attaining and guarding Crystal Tears," said Baphomet. "That is what Marissa asked of me. That is the role I hold. She gave me four, and I have been here guarding them ever since. Marissa did not ask me for anything else. But when I fail in that, then I will move on."

"At least you know that you're going to lose," said Athelstan. He then quickly realized the irony in his statement and felt more awkward than the situation had already made him feel. "Wait, do you _actually_ know that you're going to lose?"

"Is that just lack of confidence or your precognition telling you this?" asked Bowser.

"I know how this battle will go," said Baphomet. "And I know its likely final result. Out of the assessed outcomes, the only notable variable is how many of you will get injured or die. But I shall still fight, and I shall still try my hardest even though I know that in all likelihood, I shall lose here."

"What kind of crazy talk is this?" said Athelstan.

"I can't even imagine what 'assessing outcomes' would be like," mumbled Ramona.

"Then what – you're just going to try and kill as many of us as you can?" snapped Bowser.

"No," said Baphomet. "I will not try to kill anyone. I will do what I need to do to defend my Crystal Tears."

"But...you're going to lose?" asked Ramona.

"Yes," Baphomet said, setting his hooved feet on the arena floor. "... Okay then. Now we may fight."

* * *

"I don't understand, Marissa," said Daisy. "Why any of this then? You were such a valiant hero, and then you...fell into an abyss. Why..."

Marissa gave no immediate response. She kept her face blank, though Daisy looked at her as if she saw the witch as a crippled yoshi.

"My downfall was destined from the start," Marissa replied. "It was the only way to ascend to the throne I now possess."

"But you were once mortal like me," said Daisy. "What about your friends and family? How could you just turn on them like that and let them down? How could you just...do all this to yourself and the world?"

Marissa's normal eyes narrowed as her Malocchio Eye remained wide open and flashed a shine. Shadows cloaked some of her face as a deranged scowling smile formed from her lips. "My mere existence was a let down. I'd've expected someone with your past to understand that family doesn't always guarantee affection, or even security. Your path would have been much the same as mine had your life mirrored my own."

Still, Daisy stared at the demon witch not solely with anger, but with uncertainty. She could not tell how to feel about Marissa, but she did not feel comfortable at this point just writing off the spellcaster's remarks. Daisy then wondered if she felt more concern for Marissa rather than just blatant fury; but at the same time, she did take into account that she was looking at the person responsible for the mass chaos and discord that enveloped Earth for eight years.

When Marissa spoke, her voice sharpened into a demented mixture of calm and indignation. "My parents...mummy and daddy...ah, back when I was just a mere, pitiful human... They were profound magicians in their time, and their clairvoyance abilities were outstanding... All I knew from them was contempt...fear...anger...hate... They used their foresight to predict that I would become a menace to the universe...so they decided to kill me... And they attempted to kill me...several more times than I would have personally preferred...even though they acted like I was their precious little angel in public. My home was no home. When I grew old enough to understand why they had been so hostile to me and kept putting me in danger, I ran away. It's a wonder how I survived long enough to. They feared the authorities...but they also feared me. Whenever I thought back to them after I got away, I thought only of how nobody would ever love me. I thought of how everyone would turn against me. The two people who were supposed to love me and want me unconditionally...they wanted me dead. So for a while, I thought I could be loved if I went somewhere new and became the perfect, precious, innocent little flower that everyone would adore. I thought fighting evil as a vigilante, and later as the first Kruna of Fire, would make me revered and loved..."

Marissa sighed and shook her head as she glanced at the hard terrain of ice. "But such is mortal nature... Nobody cared about me – they only liked me because I was a guardian. I should've known from the start. Because I kept them safe, they liked me. Because I was the most elite fire wielder around and fought for _their_ interests, they liked me. But they didn't care about who I was. They didn't care about me as a person. Except for an occasional bout of praise, the people I protected...they all ignored me. I had absolutely no one I could call my friend. No one cared or loved me at all. I lived knowing no love but fake love...the false love that looks good in person but turns around and stabs you in the back whenever you're not looking. The disingenuous kind that only existed because you did something that someone liked. Everyone I knew was team, as loyal as they were to me – they only followed the Kruna Code. They only obeyed my orders because I was the leader. They were excellent teammates, sure; but they saw my intentions as 'impure' in their eyes. They couldn't hide that from me. I saw right through their phoniness. So I got sick of playing the good girl. I couldn't put on a fake face of smiles and gumdrops any longer."

"And, that's..." Daisy murmured, her voice trailing off before she finished.

Marissa nodded with a full understanding of what Daisy intended to ask. "Yes. After that, I turned to the Dark Arts, I delved into the works of fiends, I gave up my human essence for the immortal demon blood of the Arkana, I embraced the Malocchio Eye as a new part of me...and wouldn't you know it; my Kruna team turned against me. From then on, I decided that I would never be ignored again and that I would take on all the world's hate before I accept any more fake love. My whole life since then was a campaign of hatred. I've hated myself for as long as I can remember, but I vowed to make everyone else learn to hate me. You can not ignore me now. No one can. Nor can they even dare to show me fake affection. Don't act like I don't exist – wish that I didn't exist. Fear me and tremble in my presence, for I will exist forever, and that will not cease. I am the supreme, eternal ruler of this planet. I am not some tool, and I am not some martyr that anyone can _pretend_ to like and then just carelessly discard when they think I'm used up... Let me ask this, Kruna Daisy... I know _you_ don't fear me... But, how much do you hate me?"

Daisy wanted to say something, yet found no viable response. The easy thing to do would be to make her hate known, especially with all that Marissa had done. Still, the Kruna of Earth hesitated.

Marissa noticed Daisy's reluctance in trying to respond and decided to give her some more incentive. "Let me remind you; I control this planet, I destroyed everything and anything you could have ever considered a home, and all of Earth is suffering and dying in the hellish purgatory that the Nirvana Barrier has established. I'd say that I am the most hated being to have ever drawn breath – Osiris and the Shadow Queen included – and every living thing on this planet is under my rule for the rest of eternity. Do I have to go over the deaths I'm directly and indirectly responsible for? Geno? A certain renowned pair of mustached brothers? Your dad?"

In deep contemplation, Daisy let an uncomfortable period of silence transpire before she spoke up. "Maybe... I don't hate you... At least, not as much as I should, or in the way that I should... I hate what you've done. But you specifically, I don't really know... Maybe I don't actually hate anyone..."

"You will learn to hate me, just as I have learned to hate myself," said Marissa. "The hate grants power; far more power than whatever the Nova Form can grant either of us. You have no chance of beating me because you lack the centuries of hate that I have built up. If you are to have any hope of standing against me, you must hate me. Give in to your anger and rage, as I've seen you do before, and seek me out. When we meet again, our hates will clash in a fated battle. You and your team will die with the final knowledge that my hate and the hate for me from others is everlasting. There is no other way to end this fight of ours, Sarasa girl... I have nothing else to live for."

And right there, Daisy then realized a melancholy, tragic truth. Though Marissa had succeeded against the Kruna Yura those eight years ago at Bellbridge in Sarasaland, the witch ultimately lost in the grand scheme of things. Despite seizing the entire planet, everything that Marissa had done before then had worked to put herself into an inescapable trap; a trap Marissa knew she had no way out of.

"Collect your Crystal Tears," Marissa said. She took out two Crystal Tears from her pocket and tossed them at Daisy, who caught them and came under utter surprise when she got a good look at what Marissa had thrown her way.

"You're just letting me have these?" asked Daisy.

"There will be no more of this running and hiding and undercover work," said Marissa. "Neither from you nor me. Don't take this as me just giving up. No, far from it. If and when I do find your little hideout, I'm demolishing it _the first chance I get_ just out of spite for having evaded me this long. But independent of that, when you and your company are ready, you come to my castle – I suspect you probably know where it is by now – and we will settle this all then and there in a final contest. All that I have left to look forward to is a battle against the last Kruna in history. Everything that comes after will be empty and meaningless for me."

"What makes you so sure we're the last?"

"Because when I destroy every last one of you eight, I'll make sure that no one will ever be Kruna-caliber again. Your kind will cease to exist. And you all made it easier for me by being the weakest Kruna team in history."

"Really?" Daisy said. "Because what I remember of our fight eight years ago involves you beaten to submission and about to get trapped in an Elemental Seal."

"Heh, heh," Marissa replied. "Summoning the Nirvana Barrier had drained more of my power than I had thought, even with the excess provided from that Power Vase. That initial boost from the Blood Moon put a large strain on my body too, I won't lie. And, well, there were a couple other things hindering me. But I'm not here to make excuses. I promise you...this time you _will_ feel the full power of Marissa Arkana... And if you want to have any hope of beating me, Oracle of Fates present or not, you _will_ hate me... Otherwise, you have not a chance in Hell..."

Marissa got back on her Dominion Scepter and flew off into the dark sky. While she disappeared into the distance, Andrew ran up to Daisy from behind her. "What was she doing here?" he asked. "What did she want?"

"It's quite a story," said Daisy. Deep down, she was unsure if she would tell anyone the details of it. "We should go rejoin the others. They're probably deep into a battle against Baphomet by now... What happened to your arm?"

"Oh...nothing," Andrew replied, looking at his laceration. "It's nothing, really. I slipped. I got a little...overconfident and strode too wide on the harder ice, and then I fell on one of my staff's blades, and...I should be more careful and all that."

"You _should_ be more careful. That's a rookie mistake, man. Did you find what you were looking for earlier?"

"Oh, it wasn't anything important. Just some raiders."

"Oh, yeah... They didn't give you too much trouble?"

"Nope."

* * *

Baphomet raised his Mortal Staff over his head, a glow of sparkling blue and glistening orange running along the tool. The four limbs attached to the staff's goat shoulder girdles unfolded and bent at the elbows to make an evenly distributed, four-pronged end. With a quick spin of the glowing staff, Baphomet assumed a defensive stance and waited on a move from any of the five Kruna before him. Problem was, none of the five looked ready to fight at all.

"Baphomet, sir," Ramona called out. "We don't think that there should be a fight here, actually."

"Not anymore, at least," added Marut.

"Why not?" asked Baphomet. "You have waited all this time, and I am now ready. Let us engage in conflict. Are you not going to fight for your cause?"

"Well, yes!" Bowser replied. "But, not like this... This feels...wrong."

"If you really, truly do know the outcome, and this isn't just some trick, then why fight?" asked Ramona. "It's senseless, isn't it?"

"What about it is so senseless all of a sudden?" asked Baphomet. "You shouldn't be discouraged when you are all but certain to win against me."

"That's the thing, though," said Ramona. "It's needless violence that we can just skip over. No one has to suffer or get hurt if we settle this in a friendly way."

"I do appreciate your mercy," said Baphomet. "But I still have a stance on the matter of the state of the world, and you have yours. We will fight...no matter the outcome."

The Kruna exchanged looks with one another, all of them uncertain, reluctant, and even sorrowful to varying degrees. Eventually, Warra and Athelstan took out their Ultima Staffs. Marut then followed their lead and took out his. None of the three advanced toward Baphomet. Bowser and Ramona kept their staffs across their backs and out of their hands.

"You all hail from a society that is quick to violence, do you not?" said Baphomet. "I am ready to engage in combat."

"We're not ready to," said Ramona. "I know I'm not. It's hard enough for me to know I'm hurting someone when I have to. I'm not going to deal out harm when it's just not necessary."

"If it wouldn't make any bit of difference, then why fight?" said Bowser. "I am not an aggressor. Not anymore. I am a defender. And you yourself don't seem to be a true danger."

Marut stared down Baphomet and replaced his staff across his back, doing away with any intention of fighting. Baphomet lessened some of the tension in his stance when he saw this, somewhat mystified by Bowser's, Ramona's, and Marut's decisions. In a similar manner to Marut, Warra and Athelstan put their staffs away.

"What is this?" asked Baphomet. "You're not going to at least try and kill me?"

"We're not trying to kill," said Bowser. "We've just got a mission to do. It makes no sense for you to know that you will lose and yet refuse to just hand your Crystal Tears over sans violence. This is a pointless impasse."

 _BOWSER!_ the Giga Soul screamed in the Kruna of Fire's mind. _SMITE THIS DEMON AT ONCE!_

Bowser kept a resolute face with the mental assault of the Giga Soul barking at him. He refused to cave in and yield to the malevolent influence urging him to lethal violence.

"I have already told you – I am prepared to give a full effort," said Baphomet.

"And we are too if it's really gotta come down to that," said Bowser. "But if it doesn't have to, then let's just avoid it... Please."

"You want more peace and harmony, don't you?" asked Ramona. "Then why fight an unnecessary fight?"

Baphomet's Mortal Staff stopped glowing as he peered at each of the five present Kruna Yura. His posture relaxed, and he soon stood up out of his battle stance. He retraced the extended limbs of his Mortal Staff back into their folded state.

"I am rational," said Baphomet. He took out from his sarong pocket the four Crystal Tears he had and held them out in front of him. "No precognition can fully account for one's character and decision."

Bowser walked up to the demon and grabbed the Crystal Tears from his left hand. With a nod, the Kruna of Fire backed away. Baphomet then spread his wings and raised his right hand, flaring a wispy collection of blue-colored magic energy around his fingers.

"I must reassess the current state of affairs now that I have met you in person," said Baphomet. "If my presence is not required in the future, I shall not return."

Baphomet traced his charged hand in a circle in front of him. His gesture opened up an interdimensional warp around his body not hindered in the same way Ramona and Andrew's combined portal ability was from the Nirvana Barrier. When Baphomet entered his warp, it closed up behind him and left no trace of the demon.

"What a way to beat someone, huh," murmured Athelstan.

"I'm glad things turned out this way," said Ramona.

"So am I," said Bowser, handing Ramona the four tears.

The five Kruna Yura got off the arena floor and stepped back onto The Northernmost West's ice terrain. They saw Nova Daisy and Andrew run over to them in a hurry. The two speeding Kruna came to a screeching stop near the others only to find no enemy or threat anywhere.

"What happened?" asked Daisy in between pants. "Did you guys already beat Baphomet? We missed the fight, didn't we?"

"If there was a fight to miss, then yes," Athelstan said.

"Then he got away?" Daisy asked.

"No," Ramona said, holding out the four Crystal Tears in her hand. "He gave these to us. And then he left."

"No fighting necessary," said Bowser.

"Well, here's twelve from Kokoro," said Daisy, pulling out tears from her Hammerspace Belt.

"Twelve?!" Marut hollered. "Dude, that guy was hoarding them!"

Daisy grinned and transformed back to normal. She chuckled and added, "There's also two from Marissa in there."

"She was here?!" asked Bowser.

"Yeah," said Daisy. "And she conceded her tears to me. She wants us to come to her and settle things when we're ready. And from what I understand, she's kinda just gonna let us do what we want until then."

"That's...quite the strange move," said Warra. "This could easily be a trap."

Daisy shook her head. "No, it's not. She was being honest. I could hear it in her tone. For sure. But she also said that if she ever finds out where we've been hiding out, she'll destroy it."

"How nice of her," muttered Bowser. "Offers us time to prepare for a fight against her, but threatens to destroy our hideout if she catches on to where it is."

"And what about Kokoro?" asked Warra. "And where's Arka Knight?"

"Hard to say," Daisy replied. "Long story short, Kokoro might be another Master Pendant victim. Or he's dead. Arka Knight had to leave and take care of some other business. But he wanted me to thank you guys for all that you've done."

"Wait – does that mean he's not coming back?" asked Bowser.

"Aw...we didn't even get to say goodbye!" Ramona commented. As she took the Crystal Tears from Daisy, she could not help but notice the traces of a saddened, doleful expression on Andrew's face. Ramona walked over to him once she got all the new Crystal Tears safely tucked away in her belt. While Bowser called for the Koopa Cruiser and while the others talked among each other, Ramona led Andrew away from the group to speak alone.

"Why do you look like you've been crying?" Ramona asked. "C'mon, Andrew. I know that look."

"I just...you know, I slipped and fell on my bladestaff earlier," said Andrew. "Nicked up my arm a little. Some of the blood and some ice dust was bothering my eyes. That's all."

"That's all?" Ramona repeated, not satisfied with the response. "You're not usually clumsy like that."

"But you know how loopy I can get when I'm sleepy, right?" said Andrew.

"Well, yeah..." Ramona mumbled. "But...Andrew, you're my best friend. Don't forget that you can talk to me about anything. I'm supportive of you. Always."

Andrew did not respond right away, for his attention and gaze shifted across the ice to Daisy. His expression intensified some as he eyed her, and his vocal tone dropped both in volume and pitch when he spoke his firm reply. "Then, please support me through what'll happen next...because there's something I just have to do."


	51. Chapter LI

Unfaltering Will: Andrew:

Waluigi and Toadette piloted the Koopa Cruiser up through the Nirvana Barrier and into the free nighttime skies above with the seven Kruna Yura onboard. The elemental wielders sat in the main cockpit room and warmed up around the air vents after having spent a good three or four hours out in the sub-freezing environment The Northernmost West was. Counting twelve from Kokoro, two from Marissa, and four from Baphomet, their trip had yielded a combined eighteen Crystal Tears.

"By my math, these tears we just got put us at a grand total of sixty-two!" Ramona said. "What a boost! Just two more to go!"

"Those are gonna be a major pain to try and find in this great big wide world," said Bowser.

"Not with my Motomeru!" said Ramona.

"Tomorrow, let's go head out for Mekarsari," said Daisy. "We'll look for that underwater temple and see if it'll point us to the Gate of Time. And if we're lucky, we might run into Peach too if she'll still be in that area!"

"That's a negatory," said Waluigi. "Toad and Alden still need a couple days to finish the water-breathing masks. And no, you can't just cheat and think you can hold your breath underwater the whole time just because you don't wanna wait!"

Marut and Ramona giggled and tittered when Daisy flipped off the back of Waluigi's seat.

* * *

Andrew more or less stayed intensely quiet all the way to Rainbow City up until when everyone exited the Koopa Cruiser and left the Western Island Docking Bay. They arrived well into the morning hours with a lot of the bright and colorful city's lights shut off in the dark and starry sky. No one should have been up except for some guards on night watch, and the Kruna and the Koopa Cruiser pilots hoped to get to bed soon themselves.

Drowsiness took over much of the group, though Andrew remained wide-awake. When they crossed over the bridge to Central Island, Andrew stopped walking and lowered his gaze to the ground. Bowser and Ramona noticed Andrew drop off and ceased their progression too.

"Andrew..." murmured Ramona.

"What's up with you?" asked Bowser.

"I need Daisy," said Andrew.

Daisy stopped, turned around, and stared at the Kruna of Shadow. The others halted as well; though when Andrew added, "Just Daisy," they soon continued on their way. Andrew waited for all of them to leave before he peered up at the Kruna of Earth. His expression looked fierce as Daisy walked closer to him.

"You need me?" said Daisy.

"Yes," Andrew said. "Please, fight me."

"What?"

"I need you to fight me."

"Andrew, we can train tomorrow – er, when the sun comes up."

"I didn't say 'train.' And I didn't say 'practice.' I said 'fight,' Daisy."

"But, I don't want to. And your curse mark has weakened you a great deal. So even if we did, I'd beat you ten times out of ten."

"I know...but I need to do this..."

"... Does it have to be right now?"

Andrew nodded. "Just us two. No one else involved."

Daisy sighed. Despite the cold night, nervous sweat beaded on both of their heads. They stood there for a while, almost as if they had gotten lost and did not know where to go. Andrew did not back down from his request.

* * *

Just a short while later, Daisy and Andrew stood across from one another at the center of the turf of East Island's Astral Stadium. Given the circumstances of their presence there, the empty bleachers of the composite soccer-baseball field felt unsettling. A lone row of dim gold lights lit up the boundaries of the stadium, providing the only illumination for the area late in the pitch black early morning hours besides some sparse rainbow brightness scattered through the other islands. It was a time for sleep, and yet they stood there in anticipation of an inevitable battle that Andrew insisted on having.

Andrew took off his Umbra Bladestaff from his back and gave it a light toss to the side. Daisy mirrored him with her Terra Bladestaff. Now, Daisy was as wide-awake as Andrew. How much overall fatigue affected them remained up for debate.

"Well...I guess we'll just start..." murmured Daisy. "If you won't tell me why..."

Andrew assumed a counter stance, his attitude as serious as it had been upon their return to Rainbow City. Daisy hesitated to take any stance at all, something not lost on her shadow teammate. He waited for her to do something, but she kept herself motionless.

"Transform," Andrew solemnly demanded.

Daisy gasped. "Why?! You won't win against me when I'm normal..."

"I know I won't win...but I'll still try my hardest," said Andrew. "And I want you to try your hardest."

"Andrew, you're too weak..."

"I may be weakened, but I need to see what I can do."

"C'mon, pal. I admit I entertained the idea a little on our way here, but...no, Andrew. I can't do this..."

"What – am I not worth fighting?"

"No, you're worth it _not_ to fight. I'm not just gonna fight you for no reason."

Andrew frowned and held up his right hand, charging as much shadow power as he could manage into it just before his Gatekeeper's Seal put the brakes on him. Daisy stood her ground when Andrew sidearmed a dark burst at her. The blast traveled at a breakneck pace out of the throwing motion, but it possessed unimpressive power and made for an easy upward deflection off of Daisy's open palm.

"I attacked you," said Andrew, returning to his initial stance. "There's your reason."

Again, Andrew threw out another similar blast with his opposite arm. Daisy flipped that one up into the air with ease as well. That did not deter or discourage Andrew, who slung two more at her; both of which Daisy fended off too.

"If I'm an easy opponent, this shouldn't take long for you," said Andrew. "What do you think? Two minutes?"

"I didn't mean for it to seem like you're easy," replied Daisy.

In a jarring and distressing showing, Andrew clenched his fists and forced his shadow power to flare and raise in magnitude. Powering-up provoked the Gatekeeper's Seal just moments later, but Andrew did not stop. He kept raising his energy, even though he was clearly in pain.

Daisy recognized him readying his Gemivado when he elevated both his arms and crossed his hands over his head. Not even this determined effort from Andrew could override the Gatekeeper's Seal however, and his released wave of shadow came out erratic and thin. His attack almost overwhelmed her, but only because of the initially half-hearted block she got her arms up to make. Andrew did not maintain the Gemivado for long, and he collapsed onto one knee just seconds after letting it loose. He looked ready to pass out at any moment.

"Of course, you only blocking and deflecting is just going to prolong this," Andrew said. He laughed a little, adding, "I'm supposed to be a fitness expert...and my stamina is even worse than it was before the curse mark..."

As his breathing became labored, Daisy went over to him and helped him get back up. She let him stand on his own once he seemed stable enough. He tried staring at her, but his gaze was hazy. Even with his waning focus, he noticed something that made him scowl.

"Why haven't you transformed yet?" he asked.

"Because I'm not fighting, Andrew," Daisy said, starting to head for her discarded bladestaff. "Please, get some sleep. We can talk tomor-"

"You're not leaving," said Andrew. "Unless you can get past me. And don't think you can just run away. I'm almost as fast as you are – the curse mark didn't affect that."

Daisy stopped walking and turned back around in a fraught grimace. Andrew spread his legs, readying himself to dash to either side if she tried making a break for it. More shadow power gathered in his hands.

"You don't fight, you don't leave," said Andrew. "That's all there is to it."

"Is that so?" Daisy said, her tone darkening.

"That's so," Andrew said.

"Fine...if that's what you want," said Daisy, making a quick transition into Nova Form.

"This is not a want," Andrew replied. "This is a need."

Nova Daisy got into position for battle, facing off against her shadow counterpart. Andrew sighed and nodded with an alteration of his stance. No one else was around to watch. No one else was around to distract either of them. No one else was around to get in the way.

"Alright then..." said Andrew. "Here we go..."

Andrew immediately switched up his stance again altogether and shifted his gathered power into his right hand for a Shadow Ripper, albeit a severely weakened one. He stuck his Shadow Ripper back behind him and bent way over with his hips up high, almost mimicking a panther ready to pounce. When Daisy stepped to her right, Andrew adjusted his pose to keep his line of sight straight at her.

The Kruna of Shadow propelled off his legs and lowered arm into a furious leap at Daisy, slashing his Shadow Ripper at her when he got in striking distance. Daisy avoided it with a sideways flip out of the way that set her up for an easy counter as Andrew's attack carried him into an excessive forward lean. Andrew himself expected a brutal hit to come, especially when he got slowed up after his miss by his curse mark's activation. But Daisy refused the opportunity. As his shadows dissipated, he whipped around out of his stumble just to see Daisy standing and staring at him.

"What was that?" Andrew snapped. "You had a prime shot at me right there!"

When Daisy did not respond right away, Andrew dashed and twisted into a high-arcing spin kick. Daisy backed up to clear her head out of the way and then grabbed Andrew's outstretched arm. She reeled him in close as if getting set to initiate a suplex move; but after a short pause, she just shoved him to the side.

"There, you just did it again!" yelled Andrew. "Fight me like you would anyone else! We're not sparring!"

In an instant, Daisy zipped in under Andrew's guard and bashed a fist into his abdomen. Sent across the turf, Andrew tumbled until he rolled into a position where he could palm the ground and skid to a halt on his feet. Having just endured an otherwise forceful punch, Andrew was slow to get up.

Daisy took her time walking to Andrew, which gave the shadow wielder enough of an opportunity to recover and recoil with a head-on charge at her. As he ran, he formed a spheroid of shadows and forced it her way. Then he formed another one and hurled it at her. Then another one. And another one. And then another one. Daisy deflected each burst – up until Andrew got close and threw one at point-blank range. This one connected and blasted the Nova Form earth wielder back; but as expected, and as has been the case, Andrew's curse mark limited the potential of that blast and every blast before. Daisy spun out of the hit and flipped a relatively lacking kick at Andrew that knocked him away, but he did not seem content with her move. He shook it off and glared at Daisy, who stared back and stood her ground.

"Don't look at me like that," said Andrew.

"Like what?" Daisy asked.

"Like I'm on a crutch...just because of this curse mark," said Andrew. "Don't hold back. It's insulting."

"I don't want to hurt you," replied Daisy. "Not anymore than I already have."

"It's fine... It's just a feeling, however unpleasant it may be."

"That's enough... I win. Let's just call it here-"

"We keep going. Attack me like you're attacking an enemy. This is too soft."

"No – I can't," Daisy said, shaking her head. "I really can't. I'm fine for training with you...but this fight is totally unnecessary..."

"Unnecessary?" Andrew growled. "Unnecessary?!"

Something inside Andrew then broke. Daisy had a hard time making out if he had become saddened, angry, or some distressed combination of both. What she did see was an aura of shadow power enveloping Andrew. His dark aura took on a form strikingly similar to the jagged, sharp spines it had in his previous battle against King Boo.

"I thought of all people, you would understand," said Andrew. "I thought you would get what it feels like..."

He began trembling under the efforts of the Gatekeeper's Seal to strip him of the limit breaking energy, but he refused to wilt entirely. He pressed onward, maybe as only a semiconscious decision more dependent on emotion and impulse. For the marvelous aesthetic created, he still generated subpar power overall.

"To spend most of your life ridiculed and put down by your own blood..." murmured Andrew.

Daisy reestablished her battle stance as Andrew prepared another Shadow Ripper. His enhanced melee attack drew upon the more violent and erratic darkness formed around him.

"To endure a war between confidence and self-worth that tears you into broken halves..." Andrew said.

Shadow Ripper ready, Andrew bent over once more. This time, he took on a pose more akin to a pitcher eyeing down a catcher before the set. Daisy frowned, now thinking based on his stance that he would come with more precision and speed for this attempt of his Shadow Ripper.

"To wake up every morning hating the being you stare down in the mirror..." said Andrew. "You were there. You moved past it... Why can't I?"

Andrew sprinted at Daisy, keeping his Shadow Ripper behind his back all the way to her. Only when he got near her did he whip it out, yet he scored no hit. Daisy countered with her Breaker Punch, and the resulting shock from the clash of seismic power and dark power pushed them both back.

"I keep trying," said Andrew. He winced under the curse mark's strain. "Even when I'm down and have no shot..."

A breeze kicked up in the cold air, working to bring some added coolness to the two Kruna's heated bodies and wick and blow away their sweat. Neither of them had any idea how close daylight was, though Andrew paid no attention to anything other than Daisy and himself.

"Am I not trying hard enough?" Andrew said. "... How many times do I have to fail?"

Again, Andrew summoned more of his vehement shadows and dashed at her with his dark aura ablaze. The black and purple energy looked closer to fire laced with lightning than it did the smooth, soft appearance of normal shadow. He released a dark blast when he got halfway at Daisy and then leapt into the air. While Daisy blocked and deflected the burst, Andrew fell down at her with an ax kick primed to strike. Off reaction alone, Daisy stepped to the side and smashed him with an uppercut as he pounded his foot on the ground where she was just a second ago. The ensuing spin kick from her batted him a good distance away.

The remaining shadows still flickering on Andrew's body faded. He lay face down on the Astral Stadium turf and struggled to get up for a little while. But then in one swift motion, he shot off the ground into a sprint at Daisy. Whatever attack he intended on using did not matter when Daisy met him halfway and slammed him by his neck back onto the grass. She did not do anything extra once she got him secured under her.

"Are you really just gonna pin me here?" Andrew said. "You should be hitting me right now. What's the hold up? Don't lessen up just because I'm...faltering. See this through with me to the end."

"This _is_ the end, Andrew," said Daisy. "It's over. Let's please just go back to the Rainbow Suite."

Andrew grunted and forced out twin bursts of darkness from his hands to blast Daisy off of him. His neck freed from her grasp, he kipped to his feet as Daisy scrambled to keep from toppling over. The Nova Form earth wielder glanced at Andrew when she had steadied herself and saw him tear up.

"Really...it's...pathetic, isn't it?" Andrew murmured. "That my own teammate...that my own friend...doesn't think I'm worthwhile... Unless...you were never a friend at all..." He barely added on at the end, "It's okay."

Raising an arm, he let violent shadows flash overhead. The strain on his body and spirit showed on his anguished face and expanded into a state even more sharpened and disturbed than in his Mystic Lake King Boo fight. The move he was preparing would likely be his last, if his quivering arms and legs gave any indication to how thin of a string his consciousness held on by.

"I try to be good enough," Andrew said. "And I just fail myself."

The wind around them increased as two of Rainbow City's guards marched by Astral Stadium. The human and Noki guard peered past the chain-link fence and watched what went on at the center of the stadium's turf. Seeing Daisy and Andrew there at that time in the dark and early morning confused them.

"But I just want to be good enough, for myself and for everyone around me," Andrew said.

The shadow gathered in his raised arm split open and gave way to a rotating star of darkness. Everything in his mind and body told him to stop and let up, but he refused. The more his curse mark tried to eat away at his energy, the more maddened he got; and therefore, the more determined he got.

"I just want to be needed," said Andrew.

Daisy watched and made no effort to approach him or stop his attack preparation. For some reason, she had a feeling Andrew did not really know what he was doing now with his shadow power.

"I just want to be useful," Andrew said.

The blossoming, star-like shape his collected shadows had made in his raised hand became so dark, a reflective outline developed around the mass. That outline glowed white against the glossy black body of the rotating star and melded into the purple and black mix of the flowing energy. Daisy had no memory of Andrew creating such a move, neither in battle nor in training. She knew the Gatekeeper's Seal limited the move's power potential, but she wondered how strong it would be if he brought it out without the curse mark's effect. Aside from the Shadow Ripper, it certainly looked like it was in a league of its own compared to his other moves.

"And then, to top it all off, I had the most cruel dream last night," murmured Andrew. "Someone actually said that she loved me. In the most convincing, unwavering way possible, at that. Just for me to wake up. Just for me to realize it wasn't real. If I never heard it from my own parents, why should I expect to hear it from anyone?" After a short pause, his expression became more vexed. "I don't know why I felt the need to mention any of that. Mushy crap like that doesn't matter. Maybe I'm just mindlessly mouthing off at this point."

He now displayed a melancholic, calm anger. Agitation came only from the effort and focus it took for him to maintain his lighted dark star. Though he tried smiling, it only lasted for a second before it faded.

"None of what I'm saying probably makes any sense," Andrew stated.

"It does, Andrew," said Daisy. "I know. I know it all... All of it..."

"... If there was anything good that came out of all this, it was the drive to get more powerful," said Andrew. "I would not have gotten as powerful as I was without everything happening the way it did... But now that I have this curse mark...I don't even have that anymore..."

Although Daisy did marvel at the shining star of darkness Andrew had created, the Kruna of Shadow's face got to her more. He resembled Grekka to a substantial degree when the now deceased ice wielder had bent under the Master Pendant's control. Consequently, it was the same kind of expression she herself often had as a kid and as a very young adult. Daisy did not break the way Grekka did, but Andrew could. Even though she believed he was sensible enough to not fall into the same trap Grekka did, she felt more than concerned over her shadow teammate.

"Please...can I at least be a worthy opponent?" said Andrew. He struggled as much as he could to maintain the dark star he made.

Daisy then realized a difference that set Grekka and Andrew apart. Grekka had hate, and plenty of it. Andrew more or less lacked hate, instead filled with a desire for purpose. The hate Andrew did have centered on his own self as opposed to on others, but Grekka directed hate outwards at those around him. The more she looked at Andrew, the more he, in a way, seemed like a hurt, innocent child underneath that hardy exterior. For a brief instant as Daisy gazed at him, she thought of Marissa.

"I don't want to give up because of this curse mark!" yelled Andrew. The only thing sustaining him at this point was sheer will power. His legs shook like bee wings.

Daisy knew she shared both Grekka's and Andrew's anguishes at some point or another. So just as she empathized with and understood Grekka, so did she with Andrew _._ A long exhale escaping her, she pulled together her Crystal Fist and got set to dash at Andrew. He saw this and reeled down his Shining Shadow Star to his side. It remained unclear whether or not he could throw it, but he appeared to be leaning towards using it as a melee attack.

"I hope you're ready," Daisy said. "However this turns out, you're still alive, my friend. You've got a lot of days left ahead of you."

"But what does any of that even mean?" Andrew yelled. "Does it even matter when I'm just one big mistake?..." A pained grimace accompanied a watery outflow from his eyes. "I'm such a waste...a tainted, useless waste..."

In silence, Daisy bowed her head. The forward projections of her Nova Form hair shielded and obscured her eyes for when droplets rolled out of them. Still, she charged on at Andrew with decisiveness; and Andrew matched her step for step with his run at her.

"Just stay strong!" Daisy screamed.

Daisy threw her Crystal Fist at the same time Andrew thrust his Shining Shadow Star. They both knew exactly how the clash would end, but they nevertheless gave it their all. Andrew's star fizzled out quick on contact with Daisy's Crystal Fist, and she bulldozed straight through to hammer him for a devastating hit. Bouncing off the turf a handful of times from the downward-angled momentum, Andrew sprawled out on the ground having had all he could stand. Daisy broke apart her Crystal Fist and walked over to him, quiet and sober.

"That's better..." Andrew grunted, passing out in noiseless weeping. Only now did he look relaxed and serene.

Daisy reverted to her base form and picked Andrew up to take him back to his room at the Rainbow Suite. Once she got him secured on her back, she glanced up. The sky began to lighten a tone. Daybreak would come soon. The guards that had been watching came and retrieved the two Kruna's bladestaffs, and they and Daisy then made their way for the exit out of Astral Stadium.

"You're not a waste," Daisy murmured to the unconscious shadow wielder. "Not at all."

* * *

A fourteen-year-old Andrew sat alone on his bed in his small room in his Christmas Village home. With the sun fading on a late summer day, he stared out the window to gaze at the sky's many colors and shades. He only looked for a little while before he turned his attention to a decorated piece of paper in one hand, the other hand holding a thick, half-serrated, white pocket knife.

"The Personal Covenant" the title read in big, bold letters at the top of the paper. It was something he had wrote just recently, and it was something he felt he needed to read over more often as the days passed. In restrained anger, he read the paper to himself, each word resonating through his mind down to his chest and then down to the pit of his stomach:

 _Now you listen to me, and you listen to me good. By the end of each week, you better have had gotten stronger. Whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, you better get stronger than you were the prior week in some way. No ceiling. Always be better than you were. You have to. No one else is going to be strong for you but you. Not your dad, and especially not the woman who brought you into this world. The day you rely on someone else's strength is the day you die. Remember every time your dad pissed you off, deemed you weak and worthless, ranted in disappointment, ridiculed and put you down, and acted or talked like you were the worst thing to happen to him. You will remember everything you fail at. Remember every mistake you make. Remember any time you let someone down. Remember all that's to come. And if you're really who you're supposed to be...it will all make you cry. Only you will know that you do. But if you don't cry at all, you're already dead._

Andrew held up the knife near the side of his head and eyed it as if he wanted to kill it. He uttered one lone, barely audible word. "Penalty."

* * *

The present, nineteen-year-old Andrew lay knocked out on his bed in his Rainbow Suite room, his bladestaff on the floor beside his dresser. Daisy and Ramona stared at the shadow wielder, whose expression now appeared tranquil in his unconscious state. Though Ramona maintained a soft smile, Daisy could tell by the glistening of her eyes how upset she really was.

"Not even I found out about that personal covenant of his until a year later," said Ramona. "But by then, he had had a field day on himself with that knife several times over. Too many times to count. Half the time I would hug him, he would jump and cringe in pain. Whenever he fell down while we were playing ball with other people or just by ourselves, he'd be hurt and slow to get up; as opposed to other times when he had been quick to spring to his feet. Any time I asked about his arm – it was always his left – he never gave a direct answer. He took on an introverted demeanor, became less outgoing, and got more volatile."

"So that covenant of his marked a turning point for him?" murmured Daisy.

"I don't know if it would've been better if that were the case," said Ramona. "It wasn't a sudden change he endured. It was gradual from the time I knew him to not long before we met you, Daisy. I've been with him ever since we were both seven, and I'm just a few months older than he is. He used to be so bright and cheery and energetic, like you. But as time went on, he kept turning more angry, more bitter, more unhappy, more angsty... Daisy, you've seen him. He can be troublesome sometimes, but he is one of the sweetest people I have ever known deep down. He still is. He still has those moments where he's the same happy, carefree person I knew from the start. It's just that now, there's pain and fury mixed in and diluting things. No matter the case, I still love him. I'll always love him. He has always been like a brother to me, and he made adjusting so much easier for me when I first moved into his neighborhood."

Ramona chuckled some. "He would come over to my house after school as often as he could, sometimes just so that he wouldn't have to go home. At least, not until later on that night; though he slept over plenty of times. My dad adored him, yet Andrew's own could care less. Isn't that weird?"

"It's not," Daisy replied. "It reminds me of my dad and Master Terran."

"I cherish and protect him because he is the most important thing to me," said Ramona. "I need him in my life, whether he knows it or not. It scares me to death to think about what would happen if one of us has to move away in the future. Most of my life has been with him. In protecting him, I protect myself as well. It goes both ways."

Ramona yawned, eyes still hazy. "My hope is that one day, he can fully return to that joyful boy I knew. Maybe it's just a consequence of growing up; but to that, I would say he grew up too soon."

"But it's an irreversible process, isn't it?" said Daisy.

Out of a hard sigh, Ramona replied, "You don't know how much I wish we could just relive our twelve years together over and over until it's time for us to pass on. But I'm not crazy. I know that's not how life works. Even so, it's still a wish."

Ramona moved closer to Andrew's bed and knelt by his side to peck him on the cheek. Backing away, she gave him one final look before she closed the blinds and the curtains in the room to prevent the rising morning sun's light from shining in. With that, she and Daisy headed for the door out of his room.

"Sorry for waking you up, Ramona," said Daisy.

"It's okay," Ramona replied. "I slept shallow. I knew he was going to do something, but he didn't say what or when. I likely would not have found out what happened if not for you. For as much as he does tell me, there's just some stuff he doesn't."


	52. Chapter LII

Mekarsari Bound:

Daisy did not wake up until later on in the night when she heard a knocking on her door. She had not even bothered to take her armor off when she had lay down. As soon as she had got Andrew into his bed, she went into her room and flopped onto hers. Now, as the rhythmic door knocks brought her out of sleep, she glanced around at the darkness of her room in surprise. _Did I really sleep the entire day away?!_ Daisy thought.

She got up and opened the door, the clock in her room reading past seven at night. Andrew stood outside, tired but more relaxed than he was earlier. The light blaring from the hallways shone into her room.

"Ah – get in here! Hurry up!" Daisy yelled, shielding her eyes. She rushed him inside and shut the door, keeping out the oppressive brightness.

"Were you asleep?" Andrew asked. "My bad – I couldn't tell from the hallway."

"Nah, it's fine, man; I needed to get up anyways," said Daisy. With a yawn, she went over and turned on the much dimmer light of the lamp on her nightstand.

"Well, I'm not staying," Andrew said. "I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for earlier. When I get down, I get reeeeeal down. I try to stay laid back most of the time, but I can get a bit too...serious..."

"Don't sweat it, Shady," said Daisy. "Everyone has bad moments. And they're just that. Moments. Just know that they don't last forever."

Andrew smiled. "We're all lucky to have you with us, Daisy."

She smiled back, her eyes still not woken up all the way yet. "The feeling's mutual."

"You should just relax for the rest of the day," said Andrew. "Eh, night, I mean. Maybe stop by Starbeans. This guy there made an amazing discovery the other day. Now, I'm not gonna say his name because he wanted to keep it a private matter and prevent the fangirls from flocking to him from all sides – it was Donkey Kong – but confidentiality aside, this dude, whose name will remain unknown – definitely DK – took a Chuckochinno, mixed it with a Teeheespresso in one of those tall cups, added a bunch of spices and stuff from the counter, and then stuck extra cream and whole bananas into it. It shouldn't work, but it works. Best energy drink I can think of."

Daisy laughed. "I won't go and ask DK about it. I'm real glad to see you're feeling better."

"Don't get me wrong," said Andrew. "I'm still totally pissed about...you know. But maybe this just means I have to raise my ceiling again. I have to start over and regain what I lost. And if I can do that, then I'd be that much more powerful if I can ever get this curse mark off of me. This is really the worst thing ever though. In a way, I feel like it's giving me asthma!"

"Hey, don't you go doing anything too extensive either, then," said Daisy. "You rest up too. We'll need you for when we go to Mekarsari in the next couple days. Seriously."

"Yeah, I'm not doing anything rigorous tonight," said Andrew. "I'm going by the hospital. Not for me or anything, even though I probably should because I am feeling really broken down...but, no. I'm going there to see Neva."

"Say 'Hi' for me?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, of course," Andrew said, heading for the door. He stopped when he turned the knob, then he looked back at her. "And...Daisy?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't change who you are. Don't change a single bit of it."

Andrew then exited and closed the door behind him, leaving Daisy with a soft grin. Back by herself again, Daisy sat down on her bed and pondered their current situation. They had sixty-two Crystal Tears, and they had a possible lead to the Gate of Time's location. Toad and Alden likely would not have the equipment for underwater exploration ready until late tomorrow or the next day, so the Kruna's intended trip to Mekarsari – and its neighbor, Pi'illo Island, if necessary – would be on hold until then.

Independent of that, Bowser still had the Giga Soul to get rid of, Andrew still had the Gatekeeper's Seal to undo, and Neva still needed to recover and get out of the hospital. Though Marissa backed off of the Kruna and set the challenge for them to come seek her out when they are ready, it seemed like they would not be ready for another month at the absolute least.

 _I am getting so tired of being here,_ Daisy thought, stretching out on her bed. _I guess in theory, we could just go find the Gate of Time and leave this world from there if it really only needs a single Crystal Tear to work. But then this world would be left under Marissa's control. We're not just gonna turn our backs on all these people here. We are one-hundred percent responsible for all of this. But man, this is frustrating..._

She turned her head and looked through the gap in her window's curtains at the night sky. _Who knows... The path to the Oracle of Fates is supposed to be revealed when we have all sixty-four Crystal Tears. Maybe the Oracle of Fates can do something about all this to sway things in our favor. I don't know what abilities one of that role would have..._

* * *

"There have been many," Rosalina said to Daisy outside the Comet Observatory Fountain later that night. "It depends on the person. There has been an Oracle of Fates for each generation. When one dies, another one is born shortly after with a different latent power. Because of how rare it is for the Oracle of Fates to be needed – or even realize their 'trump card' role – we don't have certainty over exact abilities. What we do know is that the Oracle of Fates has tended to be a divine healer of sorts. They've eased people's maladies, lifted sufferings, and restored and reinvigorated life; and they've done so in a remarkable, divine way, but only when absolutely needed. Only when there's no other way for the world to go on does the Oracle of Fates awaken."

"And yet, the Oracle of Fates didn't do anything in the eight years we were gone," said Daisy.

"Well, maybe that's because their influence wasn't needed," said Rosalina. "Maybe the time wasn't right. They don't have conscious decision over it. Daisy, if you look out into space and beyond the stars into the black void all around us, you must realize how vast our ever-expanding universe is. Even my Lumas and I here do not hold infinite information. More and more, you must notice how limited our actual knowledge is in the grand scheme of things. Why do you think we up here of the Comet Observatory spend so much time reading the stars? Because they hold information and keys to things that we would not ever have known otherwise."

"It's those same stars that told you that you needed to recruit me?" said Daisy. "And Bowser, and Warra, and Marut, and everyone else?"

Rosalina nodded. "And now, looking at the stars, I wonder if they are trying to tell me that you eight are meant to be here in this time. I wonder. I don't know. But...it wouldn't be the first time I got a surprise or figured something out after the fact..." She changed her tone to one more solemn and muted when she continued. "Daisy, I must thank all eight of you, truly and sincerely, for everything that you have done up to this point. Everything against Elkon, King Sarasa, Marissa, Kokoro, King Boo – everyone."

"Thanks, but, we're just trying to do what we think is best," said Daisy.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit. I've asked so much of you. You're doing what I myself can not do."

"Now that's just crazy talk. You're more powerful than any of us."

Rosalina sighed and stared directly at Daisy. "Do you know why I have had you do so much...while I myself have stayed out of the way of your work?"

Daisy shrugged. "Politeness? You don't want to get in the way of crossfire? We smell funny?"

"You joke," Rosalina said in a chuckle. "But remember when I mentioned I tried to stand against Marissa?"

"Yeah," said Daisy. "What happened? You never told us. I was starting to think you would never tell us."

"I almost died," said Rosalina. "That's what happened."

"Oh..." Daisy mumbled.

"If not for Lubba, who fought alongside me, I would have died. And then no one would be here."

"But...Grand Elder, how?"

"I have a role to fill myself. I am the Elder of the Cosmos. I provide checks and balances far beyond your comprehension. That is my primary duty. I am not a fighter. I am the overseer of this galaxy, and I have no successor; so if I die and no one can take my place, then the whole galaxy will fall into chaos and disorder."

"You can actually die?"

"Daisy, I am a divine being, but I am not immortal. Just because I have lived for ages does not mean I will live on forever. Eventually, I will pass on, and someone else will have to take my place just as I took the place of the one before me. That's the nature of life. I just hope I will have a successor when that time comes, because before there was an Elder of the Cosmos, a Grand Elder, a Cosmic King or Queen – whatever title you prefer – there was nothing but chaos and discord with no rhyme or reason. The galaxy was essentially just a void holding cosmic demolition derbies. I am the one preventing that from occurring now. Well, moderating, in some cases."

Daisy nodded. "I get it."

Rosalina patted Daisy on the shoulder. "I knew you would. If not for you eight, we would have forfeited Earth. You can't imagine what it would be like to abandon a world full of people, especially when you've only saved a few hundred or so of them."

Rosalina's expression then darkened in grim intensity. "Daisy, when you face Marissa, you must all be at your absolute best. All eight of you. Take extra time to train if you need to, walk up to her with not a single injury slowing you down; don't take her lightly even in the slightest bit. Because if you lose against her this time...it's over. It's all over..."

* * *

Neva still in the hospital, the seven other Kruna Yura entered Toad and Alden's workshop a couple of days later. The two blacksmiths got the water breathing masks ready for the elemental wielders to use in their search for the underwater temple on the surface world. The navy blue and gray pieces of metal and plastic formed a grill-like screen to go over the user's mouth, while a pair of attached goggles sealed out eye exposure to water.

"These masks have a built-in filtration system," said Toad. "They're kind of like 'gills' in that they'll separate oxygen from water and shuttle the breathable air to you. This'll benefit you too, Warra, since these will work indefinitely."

"No special name for them?" asked Athelstan.

Toad shrugged. "We figured you'd only need them for this one trip. What? You want me to call them something? How about 'Fish Face?' Make sure to put on your Fish Faces before you go diving into the ocean. You happy?"

* * *

The Kruna set off for Mekarsari that afternoon, on track to arrive at the island nation in the late morning on account of time zone differences. Their trip did not go smoothly, for not long after their departure from Rainbow City, the Koopa Cruiser encountered a flight of Silver Sky Lobsters. Waluigi and Toadette put the brakes on the airship to stay behind the aerodynamic crustaceans, but the huge beasts noticed them coming and spread out. Two went to the left, two went to the right, and the middle three ascended in altitude. The Silver Sky Lobsters then entered a frenzied pattern of movement that forced Waluigi and Toadette into evasive maneuvers.

"Damn – if they're not attacking Rainbow City, they're attacking someone in the sky," said Waluigi. "Looks like we got lucky this time."

"I don't know if 'lucky' is the right word," said Bowser.

Marut and Athelstan ran for the ladder out of the cockpit room and slid down it in haste. Daisy and Warra followed them down and split for the front gunner units while the former two went for the rear gunner units. Once secured in their seats; headsets, buckles, and joysticks all adjusted; their units came out from under the hands and feet of the Koopa Cruiser's body. Daisy and Marut on the left side and Warra and Athelstan on the right, they revealed their booth cannons and fired at the lobsters.

The Silver Sky Lobsters' erratic gliding and the combination of Waluigi and Toadette's evasive piloting resulted in a lot of misses early on. Four gunner units meant four flurries of green shells, and yet the lobsters proved to be hard targets. Daisy especially had a difficult time trying to anticipate the lobsters' unorthodox flight.

"Geez, Daisy; what are you shooting at?" Marut taunted into his headset.

"Daisy, are you trying to hit them, or are you trying to hit the air behind them?" asked Athelstan.

"I don't understand why you two feel the need to berate her at a time like this," Warra said. "But they're right, Daisy. You need to adjust your aim."

"Why are y'all ganging up on me?!" Daisy snapped. "I've never done this before! You guys are missing too!"

"Yeah, but you're missing worse, bro," said Marut. "And I just got one on my end!"

Marut finished gunning down one of the Silver Sky Lobsters, cutting their number to six. One from above slammed into the ship for a rocking hit that jolted everyone inside. Bowser, Ramona, and Andrew came out onto the guardrailed upper deck of the ship to get outside and confront any of the lobsters that flew by overhead. They realized just how massive the beasts were when one soared near them, the lobster's size many times larger than Bowser.

While Bowser, Ramona, and Andrew blasted at whichever lobsters flew high; Daisy, Warra, Athelstan, and Marut dealt with all those down low and to the sides. Waluigi and Toadette kept the ship level and did the best they could to maneuver it out of the way of the ramming lobsters. The lack of actual bodily movement from the metallic-looking crustaceans in spite of their high speed and agility made them seem as though they belonged to some alien species.

"Just like a video game, isn't it?" said Marut.

"Try the Smart Bombs!" ordered Athelstan.

"Smart Bombs?" Warra mumbled.

A second slot emerged from the outer side of Warra's booth through which a Bullet Bill flew out of. Though slower than their green shell fire, the Bullet Bill picked out a Silver Sky Lobster and homed in on its movements. The bomb rocket that was the Bullet Bill exploded on contact with the lobster and put the beast into free fall, followed by one from higher up and littered with flames, burn marks, and dark wisps.

"Yeah, they're smart, aren't they?" said Athelstan.

Daisy still struggled trying to even touch a lobster on her end with her green shell shots. She activated the slot for the Smart Bombs and pulled the trigger, only for nothing to come out. "Oh – what?!" she grunted. "Don't tell me I don't have any of those!"

"I thought we had gotten all the booths loaded with them," said Athelstan.

One Bullet Bill from the Kruna of Stone's booth took down another lobster, further reducing the number remaining to three. Firing elemental blasts from their spot had been difficult for Bowser, Ramona, and Andrew because of the ship's non-constant momentum and direction paired with the lobsters' movement. If they were to get another one down, they had to do like they did before and blast the lobsters when they got close.

After failing to hit any of the lobsters, Daisy had just about gotten fed up. _If you guys think you're escaping my fire forever, you'd better think again,_ she roared in her mind as she focused on her inner eye. Its use prompted her to alter and adapt her aiming, producing a stark change in her accuracy. All of a sudden, Daisy started getting some of her shots in on the lobsters when they flew into her scope of reach. Before long, she gunned down one of them to bring the number of lobsters on attack to two.

"Stay outta the sky, seafood!" Daisy yelled.

Another hit rocked the Koopa Cruiser, after which the remaining lobsters looped around one another and headed for the top of the ship. Bowser put out a Tavado blast, which seemed perfect for the situation with its diverging, winding trajectory. He scored hits on both of the lobsters, and Andrew forced out a weakened Gemivado to at least accumulate damage on one of the flying crustaceans. Ramona fired right behind Andrew with a burst of light on the same lobster, knocking it out of the air and onto Daisy's side. The Kruna of Earth steered her booth and shot a string of green shells to finish off the falling lobster. All by itself, the sole remaining Silver Sky Lobster fled when it noticed it was the only one that had not dropped down into the Nirvana Barrier.

"Is that it?" asked Marut. "Are they all gone?"

"They're gone!" Daisy replied, sliding her hands off the controls.

"Yeah, we shelled the shellfish!" cheered Athelstan.

Warra took off his headset and deactivated it before he said in a head-shaking chuckle, "That might be the absolute worst..."

Bowser, Ramona, and Andrew all high-fived one another when they did not see any more of the lobsters flying around. They headed back down into the main cockpit room, where Waluigi and Toadette lay back in their chairs after a trying piloting session. The other four Kruna soon joined them, all of them lively and enthusiastic over fending off the Silver Sky Lobsters. With the crustacean beasts gone, they turned their attention back onto their trip to Mekarsari.


	53. Chapter LIII

Fort Mekarsari:

The seven Kruna Yura opened up their Sail Gliders once they dropped out of the air about halfway down to one of two neighboring islands surrounded by nothing else but seawater. By Warra's direction, they had aimed for the smaller of the two islands when they made their dive out of the Koopa Cruiser. Both islands, less than a dozen or so miles apart, were tropical in nature and contained ornamental cities that used to be bustling and lively. The difference came in that Pi'illo Island had several other distinct habitats and climates, whereas the smaller Mekarsari Island consisted of just beaches and jungles in between and alongside its cities.

The Kruna soared towards the outer zone of Mekarsari and touched down behind a four-way intersection of rectangular, multitoned cobblestone. The aquatic theme of the water wielder nation was on prominent display in the buildings and layout of the spread urban-suburban structure of the community. As the Kruna put away their Sail Gliders, Warra stepped out to the front of the group and surveyed his home island.

"Does this still look familiar to you, Warra?" asked Daisy.

"Yeah," said Warra. "This looks like the southeastern side of the outer bounds. It hasn't suffered too badly in the time skip. Then again, I can see how Marissa would not pay much mind to this place. It's a quiet nation out in the middle of the Arlan Ocean."

"Just a lot of environmental decay," said Athelstan, pointing up to a billboard. "But wouldn't you know it?"

The billboard Athelstan pointed at displayed a photo of a creepily grinning, winking Marissa Arkana with her Malocchio Eye glowing. On the left side of her face, she had her index and middle finger pointing at her opened third eye. The brow-less, prominent ocular organ in the center of her forehead felt overbearing with its blank stare, and the billboard as a whole served as a constant reminder that at any point in time, Marissa could take a glance at any location on the planet.

That reminder did not last much longer, for a potent shadow burst soon flew at the billboard and blew straight through Marissa's head. The Kruna turned around and saw Andrew looking as if he had just finished throwing something. Andrew laughed through the grimace his Gatekeeper's Seal's painful power check elicited.

"Andrew!" Bowser snapped. "Why'd you do that? Are you trying to make us known?"

"I did everyone a favor!" replied Andrew. "I bet we all and the people living here had to be tired of looking at her stupid face!"

"At least the billboard's not staring at us now," said Daisy.

"By the way, did anyone see a Starbeans here while we glided down?" asked Andrew.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" a Shy Guy called out from the side.

Suddenly, a squad of armed humans, toads, and Shy Guys in blue and red uniforms of authority came out from around the corner of the near intersection. When they noticed Andrew's smoking hand, they linked it to the freshly destroyed billboard and aimed their laser-sight rifles at the seven Kruna.

"This is an Arkana-controlled base, and you destroyed a billboard of the great Lord Arkana!" one of the Shy Guys yelled.

"Thanks for letting us know," said Daisy. "Now I won't feel sorry about doing this-"

With a subtle hand gesture, part of the earthen terrain just offset the cobblestone roads raised up and smacked the group of guards. Athelstan kicked the road and knocked up the cobblestone underneath the guards, launching them into the sky and disarming them of their weapons. Marut flew up and swung his Dragon Bladestaff to blast a strong, heavy gust at the airborne guards that pushed them into the decaying trees.

With those guards out of the way, the Kruna turned tail in the opposite direction and headed out to the beach coastline. Luckily for them, a line of trees separated the beach from the start of the mainland and provided an obscuring barrier for them to stay hidden against...until they realized the beach had watchtowers set up and spread along the whole coast.

"You know, something tells me we shouldn't let those guys see us," said Athelstan.

"Andrew, do you have enough power for an illusion trick?" asked Daisy.

"I wish," replied Andrew.

"Then tread lightly..." Bowser murmured.

The intention for Bowser was for them to sneak around the spotlights that the Skalfers in the watchtowers moved about. Instead, Daisy deemed it a good time to run up to the near tower and smash a kick through its wooden legs. The large snapping, crunching echo traveled up and down the beach as the tower leaned and fell over. Daisy got out of the way, but the Skalfer at the top of the tower dropped out off the side and subsequently plummeted into the sand pit Athelstan caught and trapped him in.

"What is wrong with you?" asked Warra. "You think you can just wage all-out war here?"

"What's wrong with _you_?" asked Daisy. "Let's go run over and get the next one! Aren't you insulted that they did this to your home?"

"Of course I am!" snapped Warra. "But trying to wreck through everything in sight isn't rational!"

An alarm sounded off from each of the other watchtowers, all of which turned on red and orange alert sirens to flash up and down the coastline. The Kruna did not have much time before the full force of the Mekarsari island base came out on the hunt.

"Hey, Rosalina; how come you didn't warn us about diving right into an enemy base?!" Daisy screamed out loud.

"They must have just recently set it up," said Warra. "That really complicates things..."

"We'll just have to go underwater early," said Bowser. "Everyone, get out your diving masks and jump into the ocean!"

"Hey! Not cool, bro!" Marut barked. "They have names!"

Bowser grunted and snarled. "Fish Faces! There! Did I really have to call them that?!"

"Yes," Marut replied with a giggle.

The Kruna got their Fish Faces out of their Hammerspace Belts and put them on in a rush; all of them except for Andrew, who turned and faced away from the open water. The others fled and ran for the ocean, only for Bowser to stop when he noticed Andrew not following them.

"What's your deal?!" Bowser yelled. "Hurry up and get your mask on so we can go! What are you staring at?!"

"Just leave without me!" Andrew demanded. "Go on! Move it!"

"And why should we?" asked Daisy.

"Because I can't swim, obviously!" Andrew said. "I'd slow you down and then everyone would be right on you. This is the only way to do things."

"Just hold onto me!" Ramona said. "I'll swim for both of us!"

"No, you can't – just go!" screamed Andrew. "You're wasting time!"

"Sorry, Ramona!" Daisy said, snatching her by the arm. The Kruna of Light kept looking back at her best friend as Daisy dragged her out to the ocean all the way until they submerged themselves into the water. After a short swim away from the coast, the six Kruna hastened their plunge under sea level to make their drop into the ocean depths as inconspicuous as possible.

Andrew took off in a sprint along the beach, a hand resting on his Umbra Bladestaff to pull it out and strike anyone who got near. He had no idea what to do or where to go, but he kept running after bulldozing through the squadron of Shield Guys, Pyro Guys, and Skalfers he ran into when he rounded a corner to move inland.

* * *

Daisy and Athelstan pulled along under the water at the tail end of the group, their swimming ability the poorest out of the six. Ramona and Bowser generated illumination through their swordstaffs in the dark water, though Bowser's glow took up more energy to maintain on account of the underwater fire usage. Their descent into the deeper parts of the waters came with a stark drop in temperature the further down they went. In fact, they soon found themselves unable to stay too far down for too long once they tried skimming the ocean floor in their accumulation of depth. Their bodies started locking up about twenty minutes in after they passed a depth of seventy meters.

The Kruna ascended back to warmer water near the surface to restore their bodies' plummeting temperatures. In their plunge, they found nothing other than open seawater and ocean rocks; but this was only one section of the offshore underwater area around Mekarsari. With the whole island of Mekarsari on the mounting fritz over their arrival and presence, the Kruna had to limit their travel to the water in their search for a temple that could lie anywhere along the island's boundaries.

* * *

Andrew charged at a group of Skalfers, bladestaff ablaze with dark power. In one raging swing, he swept the six skeletal warriors out of the way of the cobblestone path he had been traveling up. Mace Guys approached from behind, the six of them all throwing their spiked metal balls at the Kruna of Shadow. Forced back, Andrew cut to the side and then launched himself at the group for a ferocious slash of his staff just as the four Bomb Guys standing behind the Mace Guys readied their explosives.

Showing some quick reaction and agility, Andrew ceased his attack and flipped over and behind the Bomb Guys to avoid setting their bombs off. He dashed up the street of cobblestone and took a hard left at the next intersection, followed by a right turn that put him in line with an incoming group of Elite Boom Guys. The moment they fired their Bullet Bills, he took one step to the side and backflipped off the road. Landing in a twist, he diverged off path and rushed through the grass and trees while the Boom Guys and Bomb Guys pursued from behind.

 _If I didn't have this curse mark,_ you _all would be doing the running!_ Andrew yelled in thought. Skalfers ran at him and tried to tackle him to the ground, only for Andrew to show them up with quick cuts, lateral burst speed, and even a few stiff arms. In order to get past the line of Skalfers that had formed further up ahead on a branch of the cobblestone street, he lowered his shoulder, raised his bladestaff, and barreled through them. Just to make sure no one countered, he swung his staff around in a ferocious spinning attack upon initial contact that slashed away any Skalfers caught in his range.

No time to sit still, Andrew sprinted up the street. His direction of travel put him in line with the fortress at the center of Mekarsari, though he had not a clue what good trying to go there would do. If anything, he would be rushing into an even larger swarm of enemies. Surely, that would not end well for him.

He took a look over his shoulder and did not notice anyone else following him. After a few turns at intersections, he dashed up a short climb of stairs into a courtyard area surrounded by light-less buildings. In profuse panting, Andrew stuck himself to the wall of the nearest building and held position there until he recovered enough air to proceed onward. A quick peek out the side showed plenty of guards running around, though none of them seemed to be on their way towards him.

Andrew did not know how long he could keep this effort up, but he made up his mind and cloaked himself in a misty veil of darkness as a substitute for an actual illusion trick. In the dim world under the Nirvana Barrier, catching sight of him would be near impossible. As a natural light stepper, no one would hear him; not unless he pressed his foot down on something other than solid ground. Now concealed, he moved on through the courtyard to another section of the island.

* * *

Since the six swimming Kruna had no way of signaling to one another without getting noticed, they had to search through the waters as one single unit. They came across little in their hunt that they could use to help them find the temple. At this rate, they would have had to scour around the entirety of Mekarsari just to be sure they had covered every possible place the underwater temple could be. Fortunately for them, their Fish Faces held up in the water and developed no problems with their extended time spent submerged.

Of interesting note, the amount of sea creatures they encountered had been minimal for the duration of their stay in the water. The ocean proved surprisingly barren, with little life floating about or anchored to the underwater floor. It almost seemed like there had been a mass exodus out of the Arlan Ocean.

The Kruna continued on, northbound as they curled along the southwest portion of Mekarsari's waters. In a great, wide ocean, they had no idea where to look. Even just constraining themselves to a short distance not too far from Mekarsari did not help their search much. They all wondered if they could even maintain the pace with which they moved, for the search so far had already tired most of them out. Their task could easily be a multi-day job; maybe even requiring multiple weeks.

 _Oh no,_ Ramona thought, turning up to resurface. _Andrew's in trouble... I can feel it..._

The others followed her since she was the only one providing light, Bowser having stopped to conserve his fire power. When the group popped their heads out of the water, they saw all of Fort Mekarsari lit up with sirens and booming with warning signals. Bowser prevented Ramona from moving towards the island the moment he noticed her starting to head in that direction.

The Kruna submerged back under the water before long and swam further through the ocean. They continued on, searching and growing more fatigued the longer they fought to propel their bodies through the water. The more time elapsed and the more distance they covered, the more they felt as though there really was not anything in the ocean for them at all.

At one point, the Kruna stopped where they were in the water as if stuck at a crossroads. They had to have wasted plenty of time looking through the ocean, only for them to turn up without anything to show for their efforts. Now, the Kruna could either continue their search, or they could resurface and try their hand at taking on an entire island base. They could not call for the Koopa Cruiser to leave and return above the Nirvana Barrier, for it would only get detected and shot down if they did.

It seemed increasingly likely that they would have to fight the island base as a whole regardless of whether they continued their search for the underwater temple or not; that is, unless they decided to round the southern edge of Mekarsari and swim all the way to Pi'illo Island. Even then, there was no guarantee that Pi'illo Island would not also be a base; and none of it took into account either Andrew's fate or whatever potential effect the seawater could be having on the Kruna with as long as they've been swimming in it. The lack of other life in the water made them wonder if the ocean had been contaminated somehow or had otherwise been rendered uninhabitable in some way.

Only then did a glowing golden light orb rise up from the ocean depths to a point roughly in line with the Kruna's current distance below sea level. The orb gave off an intermittent visual and audio pulse. Unsure of the orb's nature, the Kruna held off on advancing through the water any further. But then, something surreal happened.

"I will guide you..." a voice echoed in the water.

 _That voice...why does it sound so familiar?_ Daisy wondered. _Why did that sound like Geno?_

The other Kruna more or less wondered the same thing. They had no time to ponder it though, for the light began drifting away. Up front as the faster swimmers of the bunch, Warra and Marut led the Kruna ahead to keep pace with the moving light.

* * *

Andrew had fared well sneaking around the base with the obscuring shield of darkness covering him. No one even so much as batted an eye in his direction as he shifted along the bushes and trees of the cobblestone roads. Whenever someone got near, he stopped moving altogether until they passed.

In this manner, he covered a good deal of ground on Mekarsari. But really, he was just stalling and waiting for the others to come up out of the sea. Even so, a part of him also believed he could infiltrate the island's fortress center, take out whoever he came across inside, and then effectively steal control of the island away from all the soldiers and guards lurking about.

 _If anybody asks, I'm winging all this,_ Andrew thought. _I got better chances against the sentries here than I do floundering about in the water with no idea what I'm doing... Okay, technically, I have no idea what I'm doing here either, but surely, the two options aren't comparable..._

Unfortunately for the shadow wielder, his dark mask soon wore off under the strain of the Gatekeeper's Seal. He got ready to try and make another obscuring dark cloud, but he then decided against it and canceled the preparation.

 _I'm not wasting any more energy,_ he thought. _I can't with this seal. I gotta make sure I still have something to attack with..._

Running up another road, he turned and dipped into an alleyway between two buildings. Mekarsari still had its sirens blazing, but it did not seem as though the streets and walkways had gotten any more crowded. He saw no one nearby when he peered out to the left and right in front of him, so he darted from his current alley to a point behind another building on the other side of the stone terrace.

Right when he ran out from his hiding spot to sprint up the path and climb the stairs ahead, a group of Skalfers and humans marched down those very same steps. Andrew backpedaled in a hurry and returned behind the near building, eliciting excitement from the guards sporting the Mark of the Witch on their uniforms. They did not find him, but they did linger a lot longer than he would have preferred. As soon as that group of guards passed by and went on their marry way, Andrew dashed for the stairs.

"Stealth is for cats..." Andrew muttered to himself.

After rushing up all the steps, Andrew made a break for the winding, walled-off inclined road leading into some higher-level buildings and structures. He shifted under the shadows along one of the walls all the way to the top and then zipped back and forth from one side of the road to the next as he ascended the incline. When he saw a group of Bomb Guys and Skalfers round a corner further ahead, he stopped and posted up under the darkness of a building. He did not stay there for long, however.

 _To Hell with it!_ Andrew yelled in thought. He flared a burst of shadow in his left hand just within his curse mark's restrictions. When the group of over fifty strong trotted his way, he leapt out from the darkness into the open and tossed the overall underwhelming but still effective shadow blast at them. The attack hit a handful of the guards up front and resulted in a small explosion of darkness Andrew used as cover to dash through another alley.

The Kruna of Shadow cleared over a fence and landed in a roll into a spacious patio and garden area. A few quick glances told him no one else was around, though that could change in a matter of seconds. Footsteps noiseless and breath shallow, he inched along the concrete ground to try and hear anything out of place under the echo of alarm sirens. He kept looking back and forth to his left and right, as well as behind and overhead, just to ensure nobody snuck up on him. In spite of his accumulating fatigue, Andrew felt better and stronger with his rising momentum as time went on.

Mere seconds later, the rally then fell apart and died. Andrew turned around to see one group of Skalfers marching up to him, then another group bursting out from one of the buildings on the side; but he failed to notice a larger wood and metal figure rushing up behind him. The Kruna of Shadow twisted back around just in time for the figure to smash a one-hit knockout punch into his upper abdomen, the hit blanking out his eyes and instantly inducing unconsciousness as he flopped hard onto the ground. Andrew did not even get to see his attacker before the world through his eyes went black.

* * *

The golden light guiding the Kruna brought them over to the eastern side of Mekarsari's waters and then dissipated as it went into a descent to deeper depths. In the Kruna's field of vision down below was an ocean floor consisting of a contorted bridge connecting two heavily weathered, lopsided buildings. The buildings appeared as if they had been ripped whole from their foundations and tossed into the ocean to sink into obscurity.

Daisy pointed down at the structures and shrugged, seemingly as if trying to ask if they could all handle going that far. Bowser focused his power and erected a great barrier of fire around him. He then gestured for the others to stay near him so that the heat radiating off his flaming aura would keep them warm for their descent.

Exceeding one hundred meters in depth, the group swam for the bridge and followed it along to the bigger of the two buildings. The structures' rounded off, mounded aesthetic and convergent roofs passed them off as rocky sea protrusions or underwater stalagmites for those that saw them from above. In actuality, they resembled the kind of ancient world architecture seen in history books. A pair of double doors prevented the group from entering the building they picked to scan through, but that did not stop Daisy and Athelstan from smashing them in.

The route that opened up inside took them into a short ascent that almost amounted to nothing, for the entirety of the building's indoor space was waterlogged. Looking around for anything in the pitch-black interior would have been impossible if not for Ramona's light and Bowser's flames; yet aside from unidentifiable, water-damaged debris, the place seemed fairly barren regardless. Just when they thought the building had nothing for them, Daisy noticed markings on the walls and pointed them out to the other Kruna.

Ramona followed Athelstan as he searched all over the inscribed walls. She shined her light on the ancient characters so he could read and decipher them. They had to shuffle around several many times in the large building to get to a section Athelstan recognized as related to the Gate of Time. As they worked, Daisy watched them and cringed with impatience. She just wanted to hurry up and get out of the water after having been in it for so long.

With Bowser forced to cut his flaming aura short to conserve power, Ramona had to expand the scope and intensity of her light to provide warmth for the group. She swam to the center of the building interior and concentrated a high amount of light energy through her swordstaff, almost as if taking on a role as a personal sun for her friends. Ramona had to stay that way and maintain her power output for a long while until Athelstan finished scanning over the hieroglyphs. Even so, she still had plenty of energy left to use. As they exited the building, Daisy wondered if Ramona even noticed just how much power she had expended so far.

Ramona continued providing light and heat as they burst into the smaller of the two buildings. Athelstan only needed to do a quick check within the similarly built structure to come to a concrete conclusion. Their business completed, the Kruna left the two buildings behind and began their ascent back to the surface. They now possessed the information that they had been searching so long for.


	54. Chapter LIV

Roaring Rampage:

The six Kruna Yura swimming in the ocean returned to the shores of Mekarsari. They resurfaced from the water and hurried up onto the bushy, tree-laden eastern side of the island. By now, the alarms and sirens had quieted down. Yet, they had no doubt that the whole island would still be on high alert.

After removing their Fish Faces, each Kruna took two Refreshing Herbs to offset whatever potential ill effects swimming in the unknown waters of the Arlan Ocean could possibly elicit on them. As for their soaking wet nature, Marut blew in a gust to help dry them as Warra pulled the excess moisture off of everyone and dumped it on the dirt and dead grass around them. Daisy and Athelstan felt the most relieved out of the bunch by far to be free of the water and back on land.

"We have to find Andrew," Ramona said in urgency, ignoring her glowing Alkemei. "We have to find him. We have to find him now."

"But where do we even look?" asked Marut.

"We'll have to split up," said Daisy, powering-up into Nova Form. "I know it's only the six of us, but we're gonna have to raise hell here. If he's still running around, that's the best case scenario. I'd hate to imagine what might have happened if that's not the case."

Ramona's quivering face and watering eyes housed a heart boiling over. She grimaced in angered distress. "I should've stayed with him. I promised I would protect him no matter what."

"Ramona, it's okay," said Daisy.

"No, it's not!" Ramona yelled. "I didn't stay with him, and now he's in danger. I abandoned him..."

"No, no; Ramona...no," Daisy said. She walked over and gave Ramona a hug. "That's not true. Don't blame yourself like that."

Ramona broke down and cried anyways, but it was expected at some point. Such an overwhelming surge of emotion over the uncertainty of her best friend's fate could not be helped, and they all knew it.

"Hey, come on now," murmured Daisy. "I feel much the same way about Peach, wherever she is. I know that it's tough. What you're feeling, I've felt ever since we first found out we got thrown into this time. You have to believe that your best friend is okay. Even when you can't, you have to at least try. You have to be strong. No matter how hard it may be... Be strong. Stay strong."

"It does no good to stay here and sulk," said Bowser. "We've got to get on the move if we want to find him before anything bad happens to him. Problem is, it's unlikely he took much of an indirect approach moving through the island."

Ramona then felt a tug inside of her. As Daisy held her there, Ramona glanced at the large fortress at the center of Mekarsari. She began to calm down while she stared at the fortress to the point where the sadness and anguish became something other. When Daisy let go of Ramona, the light wielder's tear-riddled face turned serious.

"You're right," Ramona said. "You're all too right..."

"I'll stay with Ramona," said Daisy. "The rest of you, split up into pairs and spread out!"

"What's the plan, first," said Warra.

"Find Andrew, that's the plan!" snapped Daisy. "If you have to bust through the island defenses to do so, oh well. So be it. They already know we're here."

"This is going to be a _tough_ one," said Athelstan, readying his Stone Launcher.

"Should I ask why Ramona's Alkemei is glowing?" said Warra.

Everyone's vision went to Ramona, who had her head down in silence. Ramona's bangs shadowed her eyes, but she took out her Luster Swordstaff and scoped out whatever was making her Motomeru go off. Without even looking, she centered her staff in the direction giving her the most reaction. That direction pointed straight at the island's fortress.

"That's at least one of the two remaining Crystal Tears," said Bowser, confirming for Ramona. "So then let's make that the rendezvous point."

"Athelstan, why don't you come with me," Warra said, gesturing as he trotted to the right along the coastline.

"Sure," the Kruna of Stone replied, following him.

"That means it's you and me," Bowser said to Marut.

"Rad! Let's bust up these bad dudes!" hollered Marut. They both gave Ramona a pat on the shoulder as they passed by and trotted down the side of the coastline opposite of where Warra and Athelstan went. Ramona still had her head down and did not say anything. She cut off the scoping link between her Motomeru and swordstaff and let her tool hang in one hand.

"We'll go inland," said Daisy. "Okay? Ramona?"

Daisy grabbed Ramona's free hand and pulled on it to try and entice her to get going, but then something completely unexpected happened. Ramona yanked her hand free from Daisy's grip with one swift pull in a sudden show of aggressiveness Daisy did not ever remember seeing from her. Soon, a soft gold light glowed from within Ramona's body.

"Hey...Ramona?" murmured Daisy in worry.

Deep down, the Nova Form earth wielder knew that a snap had occurred; a snap that created a shift inside Ramona. Daisy just did not know how severe the trauma had racked her, but she got a good idea when Ramona looked up and raised her head. Never before had Daisy seen such anger in the Kruna of Light – especially not in the dark, grim way it showed. Ramona's wide open eyes appeared as empty as they did full, staring on ahead as an unblinking, blank gaze on her maddened face. Her grip on her Luster Swordstaff tightened to the point of crazed shaking.

* * *

Andrew opened his eyes and found himself lying on the hard floors of an empty, dark gray metal room. He still had all his gear on him, though it did not seem like it would do him any good. There was just a single door bolted shut and a window that seemed to only provide outside air and nothing else. As he got up, he felt a throbbing, stabbing pain just under his chest that hampered his breathing. It was not from the Gatekeeper's Seal though, but from the hit laid on him from the darkened figure he failed to steal a glimpse of.

Andrew felt his heart rate spike and thud when he came to the realization of his captured state. So engrossed in his confinement, he paid no attention to the blonde-haired, white-clothed girl in pink, gray, and yellow armor sitting behind him beside her longsword and shield. He knew he sensed something, but the amount of higher-than-average energy signatures on the island clouded his perception of how near a notable, prominent one seemed.

Just as Andrew got ready to try putting together his Shadow Ripper, the girl behind him spoke up. "Don't get too excited. You're hurt. You should relax."

Andrew had stopped gathering shadow the moment she started talking. He turned around and then saw her – Peach – on the ground and leaned up against a wall, watching him. She appeared dirtied and scratched up some, but she otherwise seemed fine.

"How long have you been in here?" asked Andrew.

Peach shrugged. "Since this morning. You've been here for maybe over an hour."

"Woah, what?!" Andrew yelled.

"Yes. Well, hard to tell time in here; but you've been lying there and out of it for quite a while."

"You mean...I've been trapped in a room with somebody else and unconscious the whole time?!"

In an instant, Andrew backed up and flared shadows around his hands. Such a thought spooked him to his core and made him blue in the face. Peach gave him a weird look, but she then just laughed.

"Do you think I did something to you?" asked Peach. "No, I would never. I am proper and decent. You don't have to worry about me-"

"That's what they all say!" snapped Andrew, intensifying his shadow power. "I've heard stories! I'm not stupid! Nice ones turn out to be creeps all the time! I already had someone grope me against my will! Back off! Closet pervert! Get away from me!"

A nervous sweat beaded on Peach's face as she laughed off both Andrew's words and overtly defensive reaction. He kept trying to raise the density of his mounting shadows and somehow ignored whatever his curse mark was doing to him; maybe even bypassing the mark's effects altogether.

"Right, well..." Peach mumbled, rubbing a finger on her cheek. "Despite how awkward this is, I have to say it's pretty funny how someone of your power and physique is frightened by someone like me, who's not the least bit intimidating."

"Shut up! I have innocence to protect!" yelled Andrew. His shadows calmed and dissipated from his hands. Though he did not notice it, his legs had buckled inwards and shook as if struggling against a ten-fold increase in gravity. "And I am _not_ frightened by you at all, you jerk!"

"Really? Because you've been showing quite the opposite," Peach said. "You can let down your guard. I did not take advantage of your vulnerability then, and I am not taking advantage of your current vulnerability now."

Andrew sobered out some and sighed. _Oh wait, I forgot..._ he said in thought. _Isn't this Peach? If she's Daisy's friend, I shouldn't be wary of her..._

Peach smiled. "You're Andrew, right?"

The Kruna of Shadow nodded, crossed his arms, and went to go lean up against the wall by the lone, iron-bared window. He did not say anything; not out of spite or annoyance, but just because he simply had nothing to say.

"You're certainly a fiery one, aren't you?" asked Peach. "Not something I'd expect from a shadow wielder. If I see someone in black and purple, I normally expect them to be subdued and quiet."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Andrew said. "It's a reflex or whatever..."

"It's okay," Peach replied. "I've dealt with all kinds of different people from all walks of life. I appreciate your diversity."

Andrew's eyes opened up a little wider. _Wow, I just sounded off and freaked out, and yet she's still acting all bubbly and nice?_ he thought. _What's with this woman?_

"Are you still scared?" Peach asked.

"What am I supposed to be scared about?" asked Andrew. "Please..."

"Then you're anxious?"

"What – why do you think that?"

"Because your face looks uncomfortable."

"Only because we're locked in this small, enclosed room with a tiny window and nothing to do in here! This is as bad as getting stuck underground! It's like getting trapped in some basement! Damn, I'm suffocating in here!"

"Woah, let's stop right there," Peach said, crawling over to him. When she got close, she stopped and rearranged herself to sit straight up and cross-legged. She then gestured with an open palm for him to join her on the floor. "Come on. Sit across from me."

"I don't feel like sitting."

"Just sit down."

"For what?"

"Trust me. Please."

Andrew huffed and slumped to the ground. Apparently, his haphazard position was not enough for Peach. He threw up his hands when she gave him an odd look.

"Sit like I am sitting," Peach said.

"Alright, fine... Now what?"

"You need to relax and calm down. Breathe with me. Exhale all of your breath, then take as big of an inhale as you can."

Andrew did just what Peach had asked and expelled the air from his lungs. Then, he forced air into them with a fast, chest-expanding inhale. Again, Peach gave him a dissatisfied look.

"Do it _slowly,_ " Peach said. "Breathe out and start with a slow inhale now. Then, do an even slower exhale. Follow along with me as I do this, and don't jump ahead."

Andrew got rid of his held air in a groan, but he did as she asked. When Peach inhaled, Andrew did so too. When Peach exhaled, so did Andrew. He kept pace with her through several of these slow and controlled breaths until they got to their twentieth repetition. At the end of this last one, Peach then asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Andrew cocked an eyebrow with surprise. "Better..."

* * *

Footsteps stomped on the cobblestone road heading directly for the central Mekarsari fortress. The feet belonged to Ramona and Nova Daisy, the former marching ahead of the latter. Ramona looked no different from how she was when she and Daisy started for the fortress. Daisy had a sick feeling in her stomach the whole time, as if anticipating something monumental – good or bad. For someone who had been as sweet and kind as Ramona to have flipped a switch and turned mad – which that alone she has not done much of at all – was one thing, but for her to become completely irate – and perhaps, even beyond that to something unrecognizable _–_ did not inspire anything positive in Daisy.

Several groups of human, Bomb Guy, Skalfer, and koopa guards scattered ahead spotted the two Kruna and marched towards them, ready for the capture – or for something more drastic if needed. The normally defensive Ramona did not alter her gait or even appear to acknowledge the hundred-plus guards converging on her and Daisy. She just kept walking on, not deviating from the road and not even holding up the swordstaff she kept dangling at her side in her right hand.

As she stared at Ramona from behind, Daisy wondered if the air temperature for all of Mekarsari had plummeted. Ramona still had that uncanny inner glow, one more radiant than the muted bronze sheen of Daisy's Nova Form skin. Daisy glanced at the hand carrying the Luster Swordstaff, noticing Ramona roll the shaft around in her palm at a slow, intermittent pace that increased in force each time. Before long, Ramona was practically trying to crush the shaft with her grip.

"Hold on, Ramona," Daisy said, stopping her own movement.

Ramona ignored her and kept moving ahead, the squadrons of guards all getting closer and closer. Only at the start of a four-way intersection did Ramona stop. She spread her stance and grasped her swordstaff with both hands now, a white hot brilliance beaming on her tool's blade. The squint she developed because of her staff's brightness made her stare ahead at the guards all the more unsettling.

 _I must protect you,_ Ramona said in thought.

She raised her swordstaff over her head as the guards assembled in a semi-circle wall around her. Daisy ran up and stood just behind Ramona with a fist pulled back to ready her Shotgun. Whether or not what she heard when she got near Ramona was moaning, crying, growling, or some combination of the three, Daisy knew the distressed sounds resulted from the light wielder's inner strain.

"You're in my way," Ramona said to the guards, slashing her swordstaff down in front of her. The light energy that escaped her blade far surpassed anything she had shown before. Daisy fired her Shotgun blast to her right to prevent counterattacking from others and looked back to the front in time to see Ramona's light burning and charring those unfortunate enough to get caught in it. The beyond intense heat from her released light incited severe, instantly cauterized burns on the dozens of guards she hit. The conclusion of her light blast left a horrendous gash in the assemblage of guards where dying burn bodies collapsed.

Daisy froze in shock, watching over forty of the guards drop to the ground in a burned mess. The other guards went on the offensive after having witnessed a veritable faction of their forces get demolished. They aimed their mechanical and elemental rifles and bombs and fired at will, only for Ramona to raise her swordstaff again and erect several thick sheets of light around her and Daisy.

Shots and bombs deflected off Ramona's light barrier, a shield that did not so much as crack. While she defended herself and Daisy with the many "bricks" of light floating around them, one thought pierced through her mind over and over again. _I've come too close to losing you way too many times already..._

Ramona lifted her right hand from her swordstaff and thrust it out to her side; a high amount of light power gathering in it and shining so bright, Daisy had to shield her eyes or else risk going blind. The intensity to its illumination rivaled that of Kokoro's Luminous Spark. The petrified guards standing in line with her arm stopped attacking altogether, resigned to their ineffectiveness before the inevitable blast came.

"I can't take it anymore!" Ramona yelled. "WHY CAN'T YOU ALL JUST LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE?!"

Ramona released a beam of light that annihilated the section of the light shield she aimed through and scorched a huge chunk of guards. Mouth agape, Daisy watched the mounting gore of mercilessly seared bodies unfold before her. Ramona still had the remainder of her light shield up even though no one dared bother to even attack at this point. The moment she raised her free arm again and produced more light, the guards began taking steps backwards; hesitation steps just itching to break out into a flight of fearful fleeing.

"Alright, Ramona!" Daisy yelled. "Maybe you oughta turn it down some! Ease up on the power!"

But Ramona did not listen.

* * *

Peach and Andrew sat up against the wall opposite the metal door keeping them locked in. Except for a single Skalfer who walked by to peak through the door's window, no one had come around. They did not even have a clock in the barren room to tell the hour of day, though conversation with one another helped pass the time; conversation that increased in depth as it progressed. It seemed after they discovered their mutual fondness for tea, they acted like they had known each other for years; a stark contrast from earlier.

"I wish you would have come by the castle when you were in town way back then," said Peach. "We had all kinds of tea you and Ramona could have tried before your Sarasaland trip. We could have had an all-day tea party."

"Honestly, I didn't think much of you then," said Andrew. "But you're actually pretty awesome!"

"Thank you!" said Peach. "You're a delight yourself. And all it took for us to find out and become better acquainted was to be locked up against our will."

"I never thought I would get locked up," Andrew said. "At all. For any reason. I did everything I could to _avoid_ going to jail."

Peach laughed. "Were you a good kid growing up?"

"I'm not gonna say I was perfect," Andrew replied. "But I kinda tried to be."

"That's all anyone can do...is just try to be the best that they can be..."

"Yeah..."

"Are you still with the others?" Peach then asked. "You know, Daisy and the rest of them? You said you were by yourself when you got caught."

"They're somewhere around the island, looking for an underwater temple near here."

"And you didn't go with them?"

"I can't swim."

Peach stifled a laugh, eliciting a flushed expression from the shadow wielder. "What?" Andrew then said.

"How can you _not_ swim?" asked Peach.

Andrew shrugged. "My dad never taught me. And I never cared enough to figure it out. I guess it turned out to be a good thing since I found you here. I just wish it wasn't here where I ran into ya."

"I wish the same, but I suppose it was only a matter of time before I got captured...or worse..."

"How did you get here, anyways?"

"I smuggled a boat full of gold coins, food, and clothing down to the continent south of here for some of the cities and towns there in need."

"You did that by yourself?"

Peach nodded. "Yup. Of course, I had someone else steering the ship. And I spent about a week or so distributing stuff to as many places as I could, but I must have taken too long. I was about to leave just last night and return north, but a gang of Kritters caught me before I got away and sold me for a 475,000 gold coin check."

"Wow, that's insane!"

"I know. But I guess that's what happens after years of running. The demon that took me shipped me here across the Arlan Ocean this morning-"

Andrew's face went furious. "What demon?!"

"I don't know," Peach said. "He looked like a wood man, but he was also metal and ghostly. And he only had one full arm. The other one went into a thick blade...and he had this weird, blackish-blue ooze about him..."

 _Well, definitely wasn't Kokoro,_ thought Andrew _._

"But I think the worst part was that grin," said Peach. "I mean, possessed clowns can't grin _that_ wide!"

"I don't feel like I know that demon," said Andrew.

"I actually believe I saw him before," said Peach. "I think I remember seeing the others back at the Great Valley a while ago fighting that same guy. I wasn't there but for a few moments – I was really just passing through – but I did notice you weren't with them. Why was that?"

"I-I was sick."

"You were sick?"

"Yes!"

"Your tone didn't sound very certain-"

"I was sick, alright?!" Andrew snapped, jumping to his feet. He took out his Umbra Bladestaff and tried striking it at the door, but the move did absolutely nothing other than further anger him through its lack of results. He struck at it several more times in succession, faring no better. All he managed to do was tire himself out.

Andrew did not stop there, even though he really should have. He held up a hand and charged a burst of shadow to fire off. When it hit the door, it simply bounced back at him and struck him to the floor. His bladestaff dropped into a slide across the room and stopped near Peach, who picked it up and walked it back over to him. With swift movement, Andrew got up and snatched the staff from her. He then went over to a different side of the room and slumped to sit against the wall.

"If you make another volatile outburst like that, they may be tempted to take our equipment away from us," Peach said. "Or, they might just worsen...whatever it is they plan on doing with us."

Andrew sighed. "I'm sorry."

Peach sat down across from him again. "Just sick, huh?"

"Okay...I wasn't just sick."

"I can tell that. But why are you so flustered?"

Andrew gave a nervous smile and shook his head. "Just some stupid girl that's been on my mind is all. You just reminded me of how confused I am about her."

"What's there to be confused about?"

"I'm just...I shouldn't be feeling this certain way that I'm feeling. But I am, and I don't know if I want to or not, or if I should want to or not... And now, I'm so mad because she's stuck in a hospital bed after almost dying and is now wasting away anyways because she can barely eat anything and the guys in charge aren't giving her enough IV nutrition. I mean...I know they gotta ration that stuff, but... Man, I just want her outta there already. I want her to be okay and healthy again. It's been too long..."

"She can't just be some stupid girl if she's that important to you," said Peach. "You can't help how you feel. We're living, breathing beings; each of us with feelings and emotion...and heart. And you have a very strong emotional drive. I believe the best thing you can do is let yourself feel what your heart wants to feel."

Andrew did not know how to respond to such a statement. He sat there and tugged at the curls of hair coming over his forehead, his eyes glancing all around the dark, empty room. Blood rushed to his face as Neva's voice and laughter played in his head.

The pleasant vision soon left, for a jarring pain struck him. But this was not from the Gatekeeper's Seal, and it was not from the heartache for Neva. It hit him just as hard as it hit the one he felt so in tune with and connected to. Right away, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.

 _Ramona..._ Andrew thought. _Why are you in pain..._

Andrew clutched his chest and winced. In an otherwise trippy experience, double vision took over his sight; one part what he saw himself, the other part Ramona starring at him with haunting, distressed fury. Everything she felt, he felt too. All of it felt hellish.

"We need to get out of here," Andrew then said. "Somehow, someway. And quick."

"But how?" asked Peach. "I don't see how we can escape from an indestructible room like this. Do you?"

* * *

Ramona gritted her teeth and unleashed the most intense Photovado blast she ever made. Its inversion of light rays converged and split to hit the remaining droves of guards still standing among the many burnt and writhing on the ground. Daisy had not done a single thing after her initial Shotgun.

Propping her swordstaff on her shoulder, Ramona marched through the dying and dead guards to head further up the road. A Skalfer guard still standing charged at Ramona, who yielded zero hesitation in blasting a hole through his chest with a hand laser. A Bomb Guy that survived and tried to set off an explosive succumbed to a laser beam the moment Ramona noticed him. A second Bomb Guy succeeded in lighting a bomb and chucked it at Ramona, only for the light wielder to catch it in a telekinetic grab just inches before it touched her. She pushed the bomb back at its thrower, the speed of its flight twice as fast on the return. The Bomb Guy did not even have a chance to look away before the end.

 _Don't take him away from me!_ Ramona yelled in thought, ignoring the explosion as she continued onward.

Daisy stared at Ramona, absolutely dumbfounded. In addition to her magnified and quick to charge light power, Ramona just used telekinesis – an ability she admitted to having difficulty using even in a casual, non-violent setting – in the most instantaneous, calculated fashion Daisy had ever seen from her. Looking back and forth at the decimated squadrons of guards and the advancing ones in the distance, the Nova Form earth wielder chased after her light teammate. She followed at a distance, unsure if Ramona was even still safe to be around.

One guard left for dead jumped back up and charged at Ramona with his sword poised to strike. He swiped at her, his blade just clipping her out of her evasive twist. Ramona ignored the slash on the front of her right shoulder and swung her swordstaff at her attacker with unrelenting force. Jugular blood sullied her white shirt, and her once cute and serene face now harbored voracious animosity.

Daisy wanted to shout something at Ramona before the incoming guards got too close, but she did not know what she could say or do to calm the light wielder. Ramona had relinquished all restraints over her self-control. She just wanted to find Andrew, and it already became apparent that she did not concern herself with how she got to him. But if that was not clear enough, the light burst she charged and fired off from her swordstaff at the battalion coming straight at her provided further proof. The death toll of those standing in Ramona's path on her way to the island fortress climbed ever higher, and plenty of sentries still lurked about for her to boost the tally.

"Ramona, wait a minute!" Daisy yelled. "You seriously need to scale it back!"

"Don't you try and stop me too!" Ramona hissed behind her. "This is your fault! You took me away from him! You better let me go save him!"

Daisy gasped. "Ramona...I'm sorry... But, he did insist on us leaving him behind."

"I don't care!" Ramona screamed, sniveling and turning back to the incoming guards. More intense light formed on her swordstaff, the glow from her body still shining. "I never asked to be a part of all this! It's because we're in this mess that he's in danger! I will not let him die!"

* * *

Peach stood by the door of her and Andrew's dark cell and looked outside its window. Strangely, Andrew had disappeared. The Skalfer that walked by moments later did not notice the missing shadow wielder when he glanced in the room, prompting Peach to grab the skeletal warrior's attention.

"Help me, guard! Help me!" Peach yelled. "Please, help me!"

The Skalfer scowled and backtracked to the door's barred-off window. "What do you want?!"

"It's the person you put me in here with," Peach said. "He's being a creep and harassing me! Please, move him to another room! Hurry!"

"Oh yeah?" the Skalfer grumbled, reaching for the keys on his belt. "Let me teach this guy to control his hormones, then."

The Skalfer opened the door and walked in. Peach backed away, folding her arms and twisting her legs together in a terrified look while the Skalfer peered around the room. In his brief scan, he did not find anyone else in there besides Peach.

"What's going on here?" the Skalfer asked, slamming the door shut behind him. "Why are you by yourself?"

"I'm not!" Peach replied. "He won't leave me alone! I can't handle him! Get him out of here!"

The Skalfer looked utterly confused, unable to see anything other than Peach's sword and shield by the wall and the eerily pitch-black corners in the already dark room. No one could have escaped other than an exceptionally powerful stone wielder who could manipulate the thick slabs making up the metal room; or, to add onto that, someone who could faze through solid matter. Andrew could do neither.

The Skalfer turned and glared at Peach. "I don't understand any of this! Where is he?!"

It was then that the Skalfer heard a low laugh that set him on edge. A pair of piercing light brown eyes opened up from a cloud of shadows moving up behind him. Andrew threw out an elbow from the darkness for a crushing knockout hit on a fleshy part of the skeleton warrior's upper back. As the Skalfer flopped over on the ground and slid up against the wall near the window, the shadow Andrew had covered himself with eroded.

"Wonderful job, Andrew!" Peach said, high-fiving with him. "Was my acting good? I tried my best to sound like you did earlier!"

"Yeah, yeah; go ahead and laugh all you want," Andrew said. He walked over and grabbed the keys the Skalfer dropped. "Are you ready for this?"

Peach smiled and went to pick up her longsword and shield. Interestingly, she strapped her shield around her upper body and the top of her left shoulder to cover most of her left arm in a way that Andrew recognized as similar to how Arka Knight used his shield. As for the great, meaty, thick-bladed sword, she held that with both hands.

"I'm ready!" Peach said.

Andrew nodded with a smirk and used the Skalfer's keys to open the door. When they left the room, Peach closed the door behind them and Andrew locked it. He kept the keys with him in case they needed to use any of them, and the two turned left and proceeded down the hallway.


	55. Chapter LV

Irreversible: Pain-Consumed Choices:

Warra and Athelstan pushed back the groups of guards they faced with their water and stone up the northern end of Mekarsari island. The two Kruna forced their elements through the tree-dense area when a group of reinforcements arrived for the island's defenses. With the added manpower now well into the hundreds, Warra and Athelstan thought for sure they had to go on the defensive and backtrack. Strangely, the Skalfer leading the new group did not have his sentries join in the fight.

"Come on, we need you at the island center," the lead Skalfer said.

"We need to capture these two first, by order of Dark Usurper!" an Elite Boom Guy replied.

"What? No! Forget about these guys!" the Skalfer grunted. "This insane light wielder has gone ballistic! We need _everyone_ we can get! Just come on!"

In a bizarre turn of events, all the sentries and guards there abandoned the fight with Warra and Athelstan and fled. The two exchanged a confused look with one another as the scene around them grew quiet; aside from the island alarms that restarted their blaring moments later, that is.

"What was that all about?" said Athelstan. "Insane light wielder?"

"That sounds like Kokoro," said Warra.

"Oh, as if this couldn't get any more difficult," muttered Athelstan. "That can't really be Kokoro. How would he have even got here? Boat?"

"I don't know, but it certainly seems like it's Kokoro," responded Warra. "I don't see any other reason they would concentrate all their forces to handle a light wielder – especially considering Kokoro has the Master Pendant strengthening him. Surely he'd want to scout this place out for a Crystal Tear."

* * *

Down further south, Bowser and Marut just completed a fiery tornado tandem technique on a large battalion when the same thing that happened to Warra and Athelstan happened to them. A second group appeared and pulled away the guards fighting Bowser and Marut, heading further inland and entirely disregarding the two Kruna.

"Just where do they all think they're running to?" asked Bowser.

"Maybe we're just that good!" replied Marut. "They can't handle our game, bro! They know we out here though!"

"I heard someone say something about a light wielder," muttered Bowser. "But the only one we know is here is Ramona..."

"Then we need to follow them if that's who they're going after," Marut said, taking off into a dash.

* * *

Nova Daisy fended off a handful of guards that charged at her, using her strength and speed to put the three Skalfers and two humans down without sustaining any damage from their swords and spears. The eerily glowing, enraged Ramona stomped on ahead, leaving behind a trail of scattered, groaning bodies either burnt or gashed in varying, fatal degrees. Humans, Shy Guys, Skalfers, whoever else – it did not matter. Anyone Ramona saw in a uniform decorated with Marissa's Mark of the Witch that got near her, she dispatched with no forbearance or irresolution.

Ramona defended herself when needed – not even cooperating with or protecting Daisy any longer – and she trekked at her own pace, paying no mind or showing any concern with if Daisy got left behind. Any attack Ramona threw out, she made with the intention of it producing a lethal hit. And for the two humans that ran at her when she climbed a short stack of steps, she leapt over them, charged her swordstaff's blade with light, and then turned around with a savage horizontal swing of her tool that had almost an entire circle's range around her. Both guards fell forward and rolled down the eight steps, clutching at their exposed, grisly wounds.

The Kruna of Light marched on, covered with the blood of guards and even some of her own. Her wide and full yet hollow stare eyed down the island fortress as she got closer to it. Daisy followed her and passed the two guards lying at the base of the steps in their growing pool of red. Now, all Daisy could be proud of was that at least Ramona did not stay behind and torture each enemy she felled or _ensure_ that everyone she put down died. Hearing the guards in pain made Daisy wonder if maybe Ramona should have put everyone she brutalized out of their misery instead of just leaving them to suffer on their way to death.

 _No doubt now_ , Daisy murmured in thought, looking back at the two guards and all those dead behind them. _Ramona either has intent to kill, or she doesn't care or have any awareness of what she's doing._

If the Kruna of Light was low on power, she had not shown it until now with no guards coming at her. She took out an Ultra Mushroom, popped it in her mouth, and kept on her way. Its restorative properties aided both in recovering some energy and in healing some of the damage she endured in the process of amassing her massacre.

 _I will protect you,_ Ramona said in her mind, her crying washing away some of the thick redness stuck to her face. _I will not let anyone take you away..._

* * *

Andrew led the way for Peach through the corridors of the dark building harboring the room they had escaped from. They kept their movement quick, yet light and soft. Every once in a while, Andrew had to use the keys he stole from earlier to open up locked doors that split the hallways and divided the building's layout into many sections.

"Are we going to break out of this fortress altogether?" asked Peach, keeping her voice low.

"What's there to break out of?" asked Andrew. "Are we even still on Mekarsari?"

Peach paused in confusion, but then realized what he meant. "Oh, you were unconscious the whole time they brought you here, weren't you? We've been in Mekarsari's inland fortress. It's towards the center of the island, I believe."

"Then they didn't take me far," Andrew said. He cringed at the thought of them escorting his unconscious body here. But then, he said to Peach, "Um...why did you ask if we're actually breaking out? I thought that was the intention when we got out of that room."

"I think that we could find the ring leader in here," said Peach. "The one made of wood and metal? The one your friends fought before?"

"It sounds like you want to confront him."

"If we can, we should, shouldn't we? You're plenty powerful enough, right?"

Andrew frowned. "Not anymore. I got hexed with a curse mark. I doubt I can do much of anything to him by myself."

"You've got me here," Peach said with a wink.

They stopped talking once they heard footsteps from further up. Andrew and Peach broke for an unbolted room door nearby and slipped into it, closing the door ever so lightly. The room did not have much space inside at all with it being a utility closet, but getting found out when they still had no idea how to even exit the fortress was the last thing they needed.

Peering out the door's thin vents, Andrew and Peach held their breath and watched a trio of Skalfers walk by. Andrew wanted to burst out of the door and hit them with a massive burst of shadow power, but he knew he could not do that now. Instead, Peach burst out of the door; her longsword propped over her right shoulder behind her as she jumped at the Skalfers, who turned around just before she landed her strike. The two Skalfers in the rear felt Peach's sweeping slash catch them high on their chests. When the lead Skalfer tried to lash at her with a fireball flared and ready to throw, Andrew jumped over her and tackled him to the ground. The Kruna of Shadow sat on top of the Skalfer and proceeded to punch the skeletal warrior into submission, hooking fists into his surprisingly soft skull.

"Let's go!" Andrew said, snapping back to his feet. "And, nice!"

Peach grinned as they ran down to the end of the hallway. They opened a side door and entered a stairwell, presented with the option of either going up or down. Down led to an exit. Up likely led to the person Peach spoke of, unless he was somewhere on their current floor that they had not been to.

"What do you want to do?" asked Andrew.

"We could try and at least find the demon," said Peach.

Andrew then clutched at his chest again, a veritable amount of concern etching onto his face. Peach glanced at him after a long stretch of silence. His breathing became more labored as time passed on, though not because of the curse mark or anything physical.

"Andrew?" murmured Peach.

"Forget that guy," Andrew said, choosing the descending stairs. "I need to go find Ramona."

* * *

Bowser and Marut did not catch up to the group of guards that fled from them until a while later. At some point, the guards knew the two Kruna were following them, but they held off on attacking their pursuers and focused their concentration on their destination ahead. It all made sense why when they ascended to a higher altitude on the island and entered a wide courtyard. There, Bowser and Marut saw Ramona leveling guards and sentries left and right with no care for her own safety or that of Nova Daisy, who stayed well out of the way.

"What is this?" said Bowser. "Did Kokoro come here and steal Ramona's body?"

"I've _never_ seen Ramona use _this_ kind of light before!" exclaimed Marut. "She's..."

"She's incinerating them," Bowser finished as a bright flash traveled across his vision. "She of all people..."

Bowser and Marut ran over to join Daisy as another light blast from Ramona singed through a dense chunk of the guards and sentries around them. None of those three Kruna had anyone attacking them; and by now, the remaining guards all had stopped even attacking Ramona. They were too petrified to act against her in any way.

 _Do you see that, Bowser,_ the Giga Soul echoed through the Kruna of Fire's mind. _You could learn something from her. Make your pains known. Don't let them go unnoticed._

Bowser winced. _Shut Up!_ he snapped at the spirit.

"Ramona, you gotta stop all this!" Marut called out. "It's not like you at all! We all know you! You're way too nice and sweet to be doing this! You'd never just blast and slash away like some cold killer!"

"Marut, I've already tried to say all that I could," murmured Daisy. "She's driven. Too driven to listen."

Ramona raised her arms and charged her swordstaff with more light power, making some of the guards even turn and run in a show of self-preservation despite several calls from squad leaders to hold their ground and not flee. Swordstaff at the ready to swing, Ramona's full-eyed gaze of rage scanned across the courtyard at the guards and sentries still left and upright; none of whom even tried to put up any resistance, as if acknowledging they had all lost.

Ramona saw the proverbial white flag, but it did not seem to affect her one bit. Daisy, Bowser, and Marut thought as they watched her from behind that Ramona would finally cease her unadulterated carnage. They thought. And they hoped. The ensuing horizontal slash of light energy changed that.

Ramona's golden crescent beam cut into her targets with burning, searing heat, completing an utter decimation of what was left over of the guards and sentries that had rushed out to defend their Mekarsari base. Ramona stuck her swordstaff across her back and walked over to a human guard near her that just had her crescent cutter slice into and cauterize his abdomen. In a haunting, wired frown, Ramona knelt down and grabbed the man by his neck, pulling his face in close to hers. The hand she had around his throat dug its fingers into grooves in the muscles to ensure a firm grip.

"You! Where's my friend?!" snapped Ramona.

"Where's who?" the man cried. "I don't know who you're talking about!"

"The shadow wielder!" yelled Ramona. She tightened her hold on him. "WHERE'S MY ANDREW?!"

The man screamed out in pain. "I don't know! I don't know!"

"What do you mean you don't know?!" yelled Ramona. She gave him a massive, echoing slap across his face and squeezed her gripping hand harder, further constricting the vessels in the man's neck. "WHERE'S MY FRIEND, YOU SICK BASTARD!"

"I didn't see anything!" the man whimpered. "I didn't do anything! I don't know! I'm just a guard!"

"Then tell me who's in charge here!" demanded Ramona. When the man did not respond, she screamed again with added emphasis, "Who's in charge here?!"

"D-Dark Usurper!" the man yelled, his head turning a blueish-purple. "He's in the fortress just up ahead! Look for the control room! Third floor! That's the truth! I swear! P-please don't kill me!..."

Ramona immediately tossed the man to the side and tromped across the courtyard en route to the fortress. The wide, north exit fed out into a clearing that held a path up the hills and to the island fortress the guard spoke of. Before Ramona could pass through and leave the courtyard, Bowser, Marut, and Daisy jumped in the way. Daisy gave Ramona a quick, forceful shove to push her back towards the courtyard's central area. After flopping onto the ground, Ramona glared at the three blocking her route to the island fortress. She got up and pulsed more light through to her swordstaff.

"Alright, Ramona," said Daisy. "You have to be getting tired by now. Just relax and let us take over. We'll lead the way-"

"I can take care of myself!" snapped Ramona, aiming the tip of her swordstaff at Daisy. "I'm not helpless!"

"Neither is Andrew!" Marut barked. "That dude's tough enough to survive! You don't have to act like you're his mom or some psycho overprotective sister!"

"You shut up!" Ramona shouted, eyes overflowing even more. "You don't understand us! If you don't understand us, then you have nothing to say! I'll be the psycho sister if that means I can keep him safe!"

"None of us are safe!" yelled Marut. "That's what comes along with being a Kruna! We are never going to be safe for as long as Rosalina keeps us! I don't want to die! None of us do! But that's the risk we take! Neva was minutes from dying not too long ago! We could all die at a moment's notice! Including Andrew! Including you!"

"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Ramona screamed. "Andrew and I were just supposed to stay in Christmas Village, and he was going to be a personal trainer, and I was going to be a writer, and we were going to be happy and safe there! There wasn't supposed to be any of this fighting! But Andrew kept arguing that we had to go to the shrines – he insisted it was what we had to do! But I never wanted to go!"

"None of us knew what we were getting into when Rosalina first called for us!" yelled Daisy. "Whether or not we led comfortable lives before we had to cleanse the shrines, we had to put those on hold and leave them behind in favor of something bigger!"

"WELL I'M TIRED OF ALL THIS!" roared Ramona. "I want to go home! I don't care about being bigger! WHY WON'T THIS NIGHTMARE END?!"

"Because we have a responsibility," said Bowser. "That is our life now! We have to see it all through to the end, even though we don't know when it will end. And whether any of us like it or not, we are all bigger than we would have imagined otherwise; especially now in this world, where there is no one who can stand up to Marissa but us."

"When we first arrived in this time, we all agreed we'd finish what we started; that we'd see this all through to the end, just like Bowser said," Daisy added. "That's a promise we all made. Please don't break it."

Ramona shook in a violent tremble as she bowed her head. "It's so selfish of me," she murmured.

Warra and Athelstan arrived through a path at the northeast end of the courtyard and saw Bowser, Daisy, and Marut facing off against their quivering light wielder teammate. The two had gotten curious from the guards that ran from them and the ones that ignored them – and subsequently, the ones they saw reversing direction and fleeing in fear just a short while ago. The water wielder and stone wielder kept absolutely silent in their march to the group of three standing opposite Ramona, mentally piecing together the bloodied Kruna of Light and the trail of butchery she left there and behind her.

"To be fair, a non-lethal approach would have been difficult to pull off considering the thousands of guards here," Athelstan thought. "But if you really felt the need to kill _this_ much, Ramona – and the evidence is clear that this is all you, seeing as how Daisy, Bowser, Marut, well...they're practically spotless compared to you – then we might have more trouble here than just the goons and looking for Andrew."

Warra frowned. "Don't turn this into another Grekka predicament, Ramona."

The Kruna of Light flinched, dropping her swordstaff in the process. It hit the ground with a clang, the light leaving its blade. She felt her whole body convulsing as she squatted to pick up her tool. And as she tried to stand upright again, she stared at her bloodied hands grasping the thing she was supposed to use primarily for light wielding and not for slaughtering.

"Screw what Warra and Athelstan just said, Ramona," murmured Daisy. "We're your friends. We're not trying to get in your way. We don't want to see you hurting like this. Not you..."

With great effort against even greater internal resistance, Ramona looked around at all the dead and soon to be dead bodies of guards littered about the courtyard. She did not even realize just how much power she was using when she tore through all those squadrons. So many people lay there, never to see the light of day again – almost all of them likely having not seen it in a long, long time.

Turning around felt like moving while buried underground for Ramona, who cringed and cried even more upon seeing the countless amounts of bodies sprawled out all along where she had trekked through. Further down on the grounds at lower elevation, more corpses and cadavers lay in the grass and on the cobblestone. She could barely even remember anything of her tirade, only recalling dozens of non-linear, graphic glimpses.

"How could she have done that much?" Athelstan whispered to Daisy. "That's _insane_ amounts of power. That's the level of damage I'd expect to come from Marissa-"

"Does that really matter right now?" Daisy sharply mumbled back.

Ramona groaned and buckled at her knees, a hand going to her stomach and nausea overtaking her. She stared at her shirt, formerly a pure white but now splattered with dingy red. Same for her gold armor. Somehow, the blood stained and dirtied even the blackness of her sleeves and pants. The rustic smell floated into her nose in full force. It all made her want to run into a shower somewhere, but that would only wash off the superficial, the tangible; not the action itself. What she did now existed as a part of history.

Ramona stared down at herself for a while; disheveled, horrified, and disgusted. She felt stuck and could not bring herself to even move anymore. But then, her sight caught a tan hand grab at her staff and pull on it. If she did not recognize the arm attached to the hand, she would have tried to wrestle her staff free in an instant. Instead, she let the hand take it away from her and looked up to see Andrew standing there across from her.

"Andrew..." Ramona murmured. "Oh my gosh, I... You're alive? You're really alive?"

"Yeah," Andrew replied, wide-eyed at his blood-covered friend. "What happened to you?!"

It was then that Ramona broke down in a hysterical crying fit. "I killed them... I killed...so many. I don't know how many. But it looks like hundreds. Maybe thousands. I slaughtered and burned them all. I just wanted to get to you. There were just so many that kept coming. They wouldn't go away. I d-didn't want to lose you. I got so mad...and so scared."

Peach walked up from behind the other Kruna and gave Daisy a quick hug, then bowed to Bowser in salute. Although Daisy and Bowser both reciprocated in turn, they kept their reactions muted and did not make a big deal of Peach's presence given the delicate situation. After fastening Ramona's swordstaff into its place across her back, Andrew grabbed her shoulders and straightened out her slumped posture.

"Don't worry about it," Andrew said. "You didn't mean to cause pain or take anyone's life. It was a mistake."

"Just a mistake?" Marut mumbled to Athelstan. Daisy frowned and smashed her elbow into his side, the hit bringing the air wielder to the ground.

"I messed up bad..." said Ramona. "So bad. I'm going to Hell for this. I left bodies behind me. I didn't even think. I just killed all of them on the spot. I'm...I'm a- I'm a damned, disgusting monster!"

Andrew held out his arms and moved toward Ramona. "It's okay. Come here-"

"No, don't touch me!" Ramona screamed. "I'm dirty! I'm covered in it! I'm t-tainted! See?!" She tried rubbing her blood-covered hands on her sleeves to get some of the red fluid off her palms, but not much transferred to the fabric. "Do you see this? It won't come off! It's not coming off! Oh please, why can't someone get it off me..."

Andrew embraced Ramona as she continued to break down before everyone, despite her urging for him not to. It was a chilling, heartbreaking moment for all involved. As such, no one said a word. They deferred to Andrew the responsibility of Ramona; and rightfully so. Soon, she hugged him back and let him shoulder her head and her anguish. The soft glow of light coming from within her body dulled and went out.

"Ramona, please, please, please; calm down," Andrew urged. "I'm here. You're here. It's going to be over soon. It'll all be over soon. Then we can go back home. But we gotta go out and win this first."

"I'm sorry," Ramona whimpered. "I just got so scared. I'm so sorry. I love you too much to stand losing you. You've been my brother ever since we were seven, when I moved to Christmas Village. Please, don't hate me, Andrew."

"Hate you?" he said. "No, no way! Never! I love you too much to hate you. You'll always be my best friend. No matter what."

"You mean, you're not shocked?"

"I...yes, I am shocked. You're the last person I would ever expect to do something like this. But that doesn't mean I hate you. Don't we all slip up at some point?"

"Not like I slipped up! I didn't know what to do, and I don't even know if I was aware of what I was doing! I lost control. I don't know if I can trust myself now! I just ruined everything for us!"

"No, Ramona. Nothing's ruined, and nothing's changing between us. I promise. You remember that poem we wrote in fourth grade, don't you?"

Ramona sniffed and smiled some. "Yeah...I do... 'Best friends forever, we'll never be apart'..."

" 'I know we'll stay together in our deepest heart of hearts,' " Andrew finished, giving Ramona gentle rubs on her back.

"That has to be one of the sweetest things I have ever seen," Peach said as she stared at Ramona and Andrew. "I haven't seen such a devoted bond like that since Mario and Luigi."

Bowser folded his arms. "Yeah, if you like sappy, sentimental stuff like that. What are you even doing here of all places anyways, Peach?"

"It's a long story, but I basically got sent here and held hostage," said Peach. "The one in charge of the base here, I believe you all fought before at the Great Valley."

"Dark Usurper," said Daisy.

"Truthfully, he wanted to use me as bait to lure you guys into his clutches too," said Peach. "I imagine he'd then want to turn us over to the demon witch or just execute us."

"After he got whatever Crystal Tears he thinks we have," added Bowser.

"Wait – are you searching for those rosy-looking crystal bits too?" asked Peach.

"Well, yeah," Bowser replied. "We need all of them! We've only got two more we need to look for."

Peach pulled out from her pocket a Crystal Tear and handed it to the Kruna of Fire. "Then take this one."

"Are you sure? Just like that?" asked Bowser. "How did you even get a hold of it?"

"If you need it, just take it," Peach replied. "I didn't know what it was when I saw it lying out in a field one day, but I felt compelled to pick it up. It's weird to say, but I guess it felt kind of familiar somehow."

"I get that feeling," said Athelstan. "Stone wielders like me'll randomly pick up rocks all the time! You'd be surprised what kinds of cool-looking ones you can find scattered about in the world."

"Guess we should pay Dark Usurper a visit then?" said Daisy.

"He's in the building Andrew and I just came out of," said Peach. "I'll accompany you."

"Ya sure about that?" asked Daisy. "Things have a tendency to get pretty brutal for us with the kinds of beings we face."

"I've got these," Peach said, gesturing to her shoulder shield before she pulled her longsword off her back. The moment Bowser saw the hilt and blade, his face lit up in surprise.

"Wha- that's mine!" Bowser exclaimed. "That's the family sword! From my mother! The Koopa's Spirit!"

"Are you mad that I've been using it?" asked Peach.

"I... I, uh... No, I guess..." Bowser said. "I'm not. I'm actually not."

"I grabbed it before I fled from the Mushroom Kingdom all those years ago," said Peach. "It's a bit unwieldy for me, but I've gotten used to its weight. And it has been very instrumental to my survival. So, in a way, you and your family have kept me safe these eight years."

"Funny how that works, huh?" murmured Bowser in a soft smile.

Peach nodded. "It is."

Daisy walked over to Ramona and Andrew. Although he did not show it much as he stood there hugging Ramona, Daisy had a feeling he was almost as scared for Ramona as Ramona was for him just a short while ago. As for the Kruna of Light, peace and tranquility made a partial return to her. Tension had left Ramona's face, and her eyes did not seem so bizarre anymore. She looked ready to pass out, especially with all the emotional fatigue weighing on her.

"Can you all go on ahead?" Andrew asked Daisy. "I'm staying here with her."

"Take as long as you need," said Daisy. "Don't even bother with catching up to us. We'll take care of things with Dark Usurper."

"Thank you, Daisy," said Andrew. "Thank you so much."


	56. Chapter LVI

Mekarsari No More:

Bursting through the doors of Mekarsari's central fortress, Nova Daisy, Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, Marut, and Peach charged down the hallways and ascended to the top floor. They subdued any guards they dealt with that opposed them on their way to the control room, the place they expected to find Dark Usurper as per the guard Ramona had interrogated. Surely, the six of them would be plenty for the archfiend; though, the Kruna as a whole did hold doubt over Peach's effectiveness. They did not show it, but the five of them more or less just hoped she'd keep on the defensive side of things and stay out of danger; especially Daisy.

That's why when they got to the large, bolted metal doors to the control room, the Kruna all stopped and held off from breaking them down. Daisy and Athelstan, who would have smashed the doors in, instead stood in front of them with their backs turned to them. They and Marut stared at Peach, though Bowser and Warra looked at the ground and elsewhere, respectively. Peach gazed back at the group, as if with a good understanding of their reasoning for pausing there.

"We should go inside, shouldn't we..." murmured Peach.

"I think you should stay out here," said Daisy.

"What do you mean?" said Athelstan. "I just think we need to make sure Peach stays cautious in there."

"Yes, we just need to figure out what would be the best strategy for using her," said Warra. "We don't have to bar her completely-"

"Yeah, well, I'm saying right now that she's not following us in there," asserted Daisy.

Peach frowned. "Wait, so now that we're here, you're just going to tell me that I can't help you?"

"You really can't," said Daisy. "Dark Usurper is a very powerful demon. You've led us here, and that's great. But that's all you had to do. We can handle the rest."

"I see," replied Peach, solemnly nodding.

"I'm sure Warra or Bowser could stay with you out here while the rest of us go in," Daisy said. "You'll be out of harm's way."

Peach sighed, pausing for a moment before giving her reply. "No. I don't want that at all."

"Why not?" Daisy said under her breath.

"Daisy, I understand your concern," said Peach. "I was very average back then before you guys had disappeared. I wasn't very helpful in situations like these. I get it. But these eight years have changed me. No, they've forced me to change. It's because I've had to fend for myself in these eight years that I've developed abilities I didn't even know I had. In learning to rely on myself for survival, I am no longer weak anymore. I can't say I can do much, but let me contribute at least something to your efforts. I am not the same Peach you knew eight years ago."

Peach smiled, adding, "And obviously, you're not the same Daisy I knew eight years ago either. You too, Bowser."

Daisy grumbled and growled, though not directly at Peach. The Kruna of Earth replayed the image in her mind of Dark Siren impaling Neva, pain welling up in her as she remembered the pain overwhelming her ice wielder friend. All of a sudden, the memory felt too real again.

"I don't care," Daisy then said. "I want you to stay out here, so you're gonna stay out here."

"Please, don't tell me to run and hide when I can be of aid," said Peach.

"I'm not saying you can't," Daisy responded. "I would just much rather you stay out of the fight."

"Daisy, what you're doing to Peach is not that much different from what Mario and Luigi have done to you, isn't it?" said Bowser. "You want her to stay out of the way much like Mario and Luigi wanted you to stay out of the way. I'm not much of an expert on this kind of thing, but the concern you're feeling for Peach, well...maybe Mario and Luigi also felt that too. They didn't give you a chance, but you should give Peach a chance. We all should."

Daisy exhaled a heavy breath, thinking it over in her head before she gave an answer. "Fine."

In the doors went, caving from Daisy's and Athelstan's kicks. The doors ripped off the hinges easy after Athelstan had weakened the metal. The spacious room inside had a low ceiling, and windows bordered the other walls of the room to view the northward portions of Mekarsari. Through the dim lighting of the room, they saw the shadowed figure known as Dark Usurper standing towards the back. The archfiend wore a new Alkemei Pendant of Power to replace the last one he had.

"You're much earlier than I would have liked..." Dark Usurper said. "The timing is always hard to get down, but I knew you would come. Of course you valiant fools would try and orchesssssstrate a rescue of one of your kind, but I didn't even make it known yet that I had Toadstool in my possession."

"Technically, we didn't rescue her," said Athelstan. "She busted herself out."

"Then what are you even doing here in the first place?" asked Dark Usurper.

"Better question – what are _you_ doing here?" Daisy barked. "What right do you have to make this a military base?"

"I don't need to anssssswer to you," said Dark Usurper. "Especially when you'll be dead soon."

"But you're not even supposed to be executing us or anything like that!" exclaimed Marut. "Marissa told us she would stop hunting us and that she would wait for us to come to her!"

"If Marissa wants something else, that's too bad," said Dark Usurper. Two spare arms sprouted from the back of his wood and metal body, each ending in clawed hands. He put together a series of hand signs with the extra, longer limbs. The final sign inscribed a wave of neon red markings from down his hands to out across much of his torso and spectral lower body.

"I'm doing things my way," Dark Usurper said. "Her handling of you has been inconsistent and foolish. If she really was serioussssss and competent, she would have been more adamant and diligent in her approach and done away with you sooner. I serve under her no more. I had respect for her before, but she is no longer _the top hunter_ of this realm. She has lost her edge. Why should I listen to Marissa when she does not possesssss the adequate will to maintain control of this conquered world?"

A black body with a piercing red eye hovered into view outside the back window. The Kruna and Peach saw it and hit the ground once the eye began glowing with energy, and Dark Usurper split to one side of the room just before the laser escaped the eye. The red cannon of light that came blew the entire ceiling off the room and left a long gash in the fortress roof as a whole. When the dust and debris cleared, the Kruna and Peach gazed up and saw Dark Usurper standing atop the scorpion-like Dark Sentinel robot.

"Oh, and I took control of her toy," Dark Usurper said. "I have dominion over the ssssspirit powering this robot, so thissss is mine now."

Peach and the Kruna got up just in time to see Dark Sentinel charging another laser. The group of six jumped to either side, forced into evasion upon the robot's energy release. The blast broke through the floor they formerly stood on, causing extensive damage to the fortress and its lower levels. Soon, the remainder of the room caved in altogether. Dark Sentinel and Dark Usurper both fell through all the way to the bottom of the fortress. The Kruna and Peach all stuck to the ends and corners of the room where there were still sparse strips of floor left in their escape back out into the hallway.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Peach.

"Change of plans – now you _really_ need to stay out of the way!" Daisy yelled at Peach. "No arguing! That robot is wickedly dangerous, and, unless Dark Usurper had changed anything in its programming, it'll hunt _us_ down wherever we go!"

"Are we really going to go through this again?" asked Peach.

"No, we're not – there's no time!" Daisy exclaimed. The Nova Form earth wielder rushed at her long-lost friend and pinned her against the wall, holding her elbows and pressing on her to prevent her from moving.

"What's the meaning of this?" Peach snapped.

"Sorry, but this is for your own good!" Daisy yelled, pulling one leg back. With added force and incentive, she drove a knee hard into Peach's midsection. Peach gagged, her whole world turning quiet and blurry on her way to a slump on the floor. To the others, the urgency, though shocking, was justified.

"Marut, get her out of here," Daisy demanded.

The Kruna of Air nodded and called on his Alkemei Furaito to activate while he went and picked up Peach. He then hovered off the ground and flew back into where the control room was to zip out the hole in the roof. Marut just barely avoided a laser shot up from the pit where Dark Sentinel collapsed through, meaning the robot still functioned and operated despite its fall. The robot's rise out of the pit with the rotor function of its legs for flight confirmed both its and Dark Usurper's survival.

The four remaining Kruna sprinted down the halls to head for the staircase in a descent back to the main level, a laser blasting through the structure overhead and enticing them to hasten their escape. Stepping onto the ground floor, they dashed for the exit outside as another laser shot by over them and rained down debris. The four turned and spread out in their backpedaling run over a dirt road intersection near a clear courtyard. They had full sight of the fortress they just got out of crumbling and falling apart. As the structure deteriorated and collapsed in destruction, the Dark Sentinel and its archfiend rider floated above it in the air. The robot curved its spinning legs to angle itself to an open spot on the ground beside the wreckage of the fortress remains.

"Hey, wood-metal-ghost-guy!" Athelstan yelled. "Was it worth destroying a fortress trying to kill us?"

"It will be," boomed Dark Usurper. "That's one less place for you to try and play hide and sssseek in."

Daisy smirked. "I didn't want to hide anyways."

The Kruna of Earth dashed at the Dark Sentinel, another laser charging in the robot's eye. She went straight at the mechanized enemy but flipped to her right just as it unleashed its blast. The other three Kruna kept out of the way of the beam and let it pass into the distance, where it shot through a building and some trees way off in the Mekarsari background.

With a clear lane to the Dark Sentinel's eye, Daisy hoped to land some kind of hit on it. Of course, the robot put its claws up in front of its eye to defend it. Daisy prepared a Breaker Punch and sped up, now with the full intention of using her shield breaking move on the very foe that prompted her to construct it.

Dark Usurper stayed passive on top of Dark Sentinel, expecting the robot to block Daisy's punch. That turned out not to be the case, for the seismic power Daisy compressed and let explode from her fist shook the Dark Sentinel's claws out of the way of its eye just as Daisy's punch arced down on it. Her fist making smashing contact with the eye, Daisy's Breaker Punch proved successful and elicited a vibrating state of haphazard shock within the Dark Sentinel. Daisy took that opportunity with the open target to throw down an Iaido slash with her Terra Bladestaff, further adding to Dark Sentinel's damage. A third hit of any kind did not occur, for Dark Sentinel swung its tail around and smacked her away in its rumbling recoil.

"What the...you can just cheat like that?!" Dark Usurper growled at Daisy, steadying his perch on Dark Sentinel.

At that moment, a string of water bullets flew at Dark Usurper, courtesy of Warra. The Dark Sentinel did not bother trying to block or defend for Dark Usurper, so the demon had to jump off the robot to evade the speedy projectiles. Only after he made the jump did he notice the massive boulder flying at him, which meant an easy score for Athelstan. The boulder pounded Dark Usurper and sent the demon well behind the robot.

By the time Daisy kipped up, she had another chance to attack Dark Sentinel. Again, the robot blocked her from its eye with its claws when it noticed her rushing at him. And once more, Daisy's Breaker Punch broke through and landed a hit on the eye. Then, another Iaido swing from Daisy further tore into the robot's same red orb. After that hit, the eye did not glow anymore.

Daisy backflipped out of the path of a claw Dark Sentinel tried to swing at her. Just an instant afterwards, she found herself dropping flat on her back to the ground to avoid Dark Usurper's swing of his sword arm. As she got set to bash her feet into the demon, a burst of fire from Bowser hit him instead. Daisy turned her attack into a roll out of the way when Dark Sentinel aimed its sharp tail at her. A third Breaker Punch on the robot busted past its tail and struck another blow to its eye.

Out from behind Daisy, Warra ran up and thrust his glowing Tidal Swordstaff into Dark Sentinel's eye with a pinpoint stab. The robot screeched and trembled from the hit alone, but Warra had more in mind for his intended finishing move. Before Warra pulled out his tool, he shot the collected water off of his swordstaff and into the puncture he made. The water short-circuited the insides of Dark Sentinel and created a massive electric jolt that, since he still had direct contact with the robot through his wet grip on his penetrating swordstaff, zapped Warra as a collateral consequence.

While Warra's body shot backwards, Daisy ducked under his swordstaff, which had gone airborne and flew in her direction. She did not even get a chance to go check out Warra before Dark Usurper flew by and swiped at her with his extra claws. Through a quick unlimber of her bladestaff, Daisy put up an Iaido block that Bowser and Athelstan both countered out of from either side of her. Bowser's Pyro Scimitar and Athelstan's Obelisk Swordstaff struck Dark Usurper at roughly the same time, mangling his extended added arms. Daisy followed up with a thrust of her bladestaff to bash the demon away. Bowser and Athelstan then advanced towards the archfiend while Daisy turned and headed for Warra, who lay motionless on the ground.

Its internal circuitry fried and waterlogged, the Dark Sentinel's limbs swung around and flexed in random, spastic movements. The robot could not even stand up on its own legs anymore. It kept struggling, but it did not seem like it would present much of a threat from that point on.

"Yo, get up, dude!" Daisy yelled at Warra, kneeling down and shoving him. "Snap out of it, man! Can you move?"

"I can barely even feel myself," Warra mumbled, somewhat slurred.

"You idiot!" Daisy snapped. "You knew you were gonna get shocked from that!"

"I did," said Warra. "But I saved you all a lot of trouble in disabling that robot early."

Daisy rolled Warra over and undid his armor. She put a hand on his chest and felt a strange, irregular heartbeat with no discernible pattern. Warra's breathing was also inconsistent and labored, as evidenced by the unorthodox way his chest expanded and compressed.

"We could have done it the slow way," Daisy said, securing his armor back on as it was before. She picked him up, looked around for a good place for him to stay in, and decided to rest him at the base of a nearby tree. When she set him down, she propped him up against the tree's trunk. She also went and brought over his Tidal Swordstaff for him before rejoining Bowser, Athelstan, and now – returning from escorting Peach away – Marut, in a face-off against Dark Usurper.

The archfiend reabsorbed his top pair of arms to return to his base form. His perpetual grin and constant black mist around his form hid annoyance and anger, but the Kruna heard it in his laugh. Strangely, Dark Usurper slithered away in a retreat. He laughed the whole time he fled. Perhaps even more disturbing, he never looked away from the Kruna as he left.

"Now where does he think he's going?" muttered Marut.

"Crap, I should've paid attention!" Bowser grunted, turning around.

Daisy, Athelstan, and Marut turned around as well, the Dark Sentinel now looming in their vision and staggering ever closer to them. The four Kruna backed away with a good cushion of space between them and the robot, but they had their guards up and were ready to evade if necessary. Dark Sentinel had not fired or even charged a laser in a while, likely implying some internal damage Daisy or Warra inflicted at some point that messed with its firing abilities.

"It sure doesn't know when to go down," said Daisy.

"Should we just keep attacking the eye?" asked Athelstan.

"That sounds like something we should do," said Marut. "But I'm not feeling too cool about that ticking sound I'm hearing."

Dark Sentinel struggled in its lumber towards the Kruna. Bowser saw through his Alkemei Kracielle that Dark Usurper had stretched a veritable length of distance away, eventually exceeding his range of vision. The red lights lining the mechanized abomination's scorpion-like body and its many inscribed, unknown characters now took on a soft strobe effect. As time went on, the ticking became more pronounced – and not just from Dark Sentinel getting closer.

Eyes splitting wide open, Daisy said, "Run."

"What?" mumbled Marut.

"Run!" snapped Daisy. "Don't 'what!' Just run!"

The four Kruna dashed around the Dark Sentinel, avoiding its attempts to pin them down with its claws and tail. Daisy ran over to the tree Warra sat against to pick him up and carry him. Marut snatched the water wielder's swordstaff and took to the air. Dark Sentinel still tried to follow them, but the Kruna increased the growing space between them and the slowed, trudging robot with ease. The elemental wielders descended down the hills, slopes, and stairs on their way back to ground level with the intention of getting as far away from the robot as possible; because if Dark Usurper felt the need to back away so far himself, that alone should have given them a good idea of what awaited if Dark Sentinel did indeed just activate a self-destruct function.

* * *

Ramona and Andrew stood in the same courtyard they were in when the others had ventured to the island's central fortress. They had been looking after the dazed, semiconscious Peach and viewing the explosions and light shows that had gone on where the fortress formerly stood. Before long, they saw their teammates coming at them from the path they climbed up earlier.

"Get yourselves some cover!" Bowser yelled.

Ramona and Andrew took Peach and did what the others did – braced against the walls lining the north half of the courtyard. There, they waited. What followed turned out to be nothing short of catastrophic.

The white-hot fireball that rose and took up much of the center of the island compressed and then shot out its force in all directions of three-dimensional space. The massive explosion's brightness and power expanded its reach out across the island as a whole, obliterating the immediate area of Mekarsari under its epicenter and decimating all that its omnidirectional shockwave ran across. The cover the Kruna and Peach took kept them mostly safe, but the same could not be said for the island around them.

Layers and whole slabs of land got uprooted and tossed away. Blinding illumination forced the Kruna and Peach to cover their eyes. Soon, the walls they used for cover crumbled and broke away along with the ground underneath them, dropping them into the influx of water that roared in the open space below.


	57. Chapter LVII

Unlikely Aid:

Nova Daisy popped out of the water and looked around her. All her friends were afloat in a sea of the debris and scattered remains of Mekarsari. The blast from Dark Sentinel's self-destruction had succeeded in erasing all but the outer ring of the island. Whatever and whoever had been in the path of the explosion now floated in the water flooding in from the ocean, with an increasing likelihood of death for the outcome as proximity from the explosion's epicenter decreased.

As Daisy pulled herself onto a loose piece of land, the others did the same with whatever they could find near them; except for Andrew, who sunk under from his lack of even basic swimming ability. He only stayed down for a while though, for Ramona dove underwater and pulled him with her onto a long, stable chunk of concrete that used to form a building's wall. Likewise, Marut had to go down and retrieve Warra, who, although had the best swimming skill out of anyone there, still suffered from the paralysis Dark Sentinel's shock elicited on him. Peach had enough wakefulness in her to get herself onto a platform.

Smoke, fumes, and heat filled where the explosion had went off. Collectively, the entire group came out of the water in bad shape. Wherever Dark Usurper ran off to, they all thought for sure that he got caught somewhere too. But because he had a head start, he could have gotten further away. By Daisy's senses, she could still feel Dark Usurper's presence somewhere in the region.

"Dark Usurper is still around here!" Daisy yelled. "Look out for him!"

"Thanks, Ramona," Andrew said as Ramona lay across him, the light wielder still trying to catch her breath from swimming him to safety. Ramona gave him a tired smile and a thumbs up, her legs still hanging in the water. Andrew grabbed her wrists and pulled her all the way onto their dry piece of concrete keeping them afloat. While doing so, he noticed her Motomeru glowing with the hard, slow-rhythm flash that signaled a Crystal Tear within reach.

Aside from those two and Warra, who Marut let down on the mass of rock he brought him onto, the others were back to their feet. The plumes from the explosion faded after a while, revealing the scope of the colossal impalement Dark Sentinel's self-destruction made on Mekarsari. It was only then that they noticed the shadowy figure slithering their way. Before long, Peach and the Kruna made out the figure to be Dark Usurper as he closed in on their position using the various scattered platforms lining the boundary of the empty blast zone. The archfiend soon made it to a lengthy hunk of land sticking out from under the water and stopped there, now visible for all to see in detail. To the Kruna's and Peach's surprise, Dark Usurper did not only survive, but, aside from the hits he took earlier, appeared and acted as if nothing had happened to him.

"Are you serious?!" grunted Daisy. "You didn't take anything from that blast at all?!"

"Not with my Alkemei Fwin protecting me," said Dark Usurper. "The Pendant of Intangibility allows me to faze through solid objects upon activation. This also means I can have attacks pass through me, including exxxxxplosions. Unfortunately for me, you all moved much too quick. But that's alright. You're all too weak now to put up any resisssstance..."

Bowser grimaced. "Well, he's not completely wrong about that."

"Speaking of intangibility," Dark Usurper said, pulling out a Crystal Tear.

 _Another Crystal Tear!_ Daisy exclaimed in thought. _That has to be the last one we need!_

Dark Usurper's Alkemei glowed a pink hue, and, in a disturbing display, he stuck his hand into his chest. When he pulled his hand out, the Crystal Tear he held did not come out with it. He shut off his Alkemei and laughed with his absurd grin.

"Here's the fight that _will_ go down to the end," Dark Usurper said. "If you want the Crystal Tear, you will have to slash it free and rip it out of my dead body."

A burst of light flew at Dark Usurper, one that the demon batted away with his sword-arm. His grin lowered only a little as he eyed down the person responsible for the attack.

"Ramona!" Bowser yelled. "Hold your fire! We need to figure out how we're gonna do this! He's got a Crystal Tear inside him!"

"But, that wasn't me!" Ramona shouted.

Ramona was right. She was still sitting with Andrew. Another burst of light flew past everyone, prompting Dark Usurper to cut further to one edge of the ground he stood on. Daisy, Athelstan, Marut, Bowser, and Ramona all turned and glanced at the direction where the blast had come from.

Far off to the side, Peach stood with her Koopa's Spirit drawn and pointed at Dark Usurper. Daisy and Bowser gazed at Peach in utter surprise. She had not shown any consistent elemental wielding skill before Marissa's reign, almost exclusively making use of assist items like Fire Flowers. And now, she stood with her longsword up and charged with more light.

"How did she..." Daisy murmured.

"A light wielder?" mumbled Bowser. "When did she learn that?"

"Of course," said Athelstan. "No wonder we could sense her so easily in this time!"

Peach let another burst of light fly from her sword, this one stronger than the last. Again, Dark Usurper blocked; though it required a harder swing of his bladed limb this time. Raising the Koopa's Spirit overhead, Peach forced more light power through the blade and then brought it down in front of her to unleash a slash of light energy. This vertical cutting burst sped along on its way to Dark Usurper and forced him to the other side of his platform, the attack moving too quick for him to try and deflect.

Peach wiped away the sweat on her forehead as she tried to mellow her breathing rate. "I told you, Daisy... I've learned."

Dark Usurper leapt off his piece of land and rocketed at Peach along the top of the water. Just before he got near her, Bowser lunged in front of him and swiped him with his swordstaff into a water-breaking plunge. The Kruna of Fire landed on a strip of rock and prepared a fireball in his mouth, aiming at the surface of the ocean water for the moment Dark Usurper tried to emerge. Bowser had to hold off on attacking, for he felt Dark Usurper's arm grab him after it had reached up through the rock he stood on.

"HOLY-" Bowser cried out, twisting around and pushing away. He just escaped the subsequent slash Dark Usurper tried when the demon stuck its bladed arm up through the rock as well. Luckily for Bowser, the demon could not see through solid matter even if he could faze through it. But Bowser's tug on the Dark Usurper's handed arm alerted the demon to the likely direction the Kruna of Fire went, so the sword-arm followed Bowser again. Only after he breathed a fireball at Dark Usurper's hand did Bowser get released. However, the attack also caused Bowser himself some harm and pushed the mass of rock he stood on down under the water. As a consequence, Bowser dropped into the water too.

Dark Usurper attacked Bowser the moment the Kruna of Fire fell in. Bowser parried the slash Dark Usurper threw at him and then swung his staff around in a counter, both moves slowed from their presence under the water. Dark Usurper grew a hand out of his chest to catch Bowser's staff before it struck, only for a two-handed smash to slam the demon down from above when Daisy broke into the water.

In a hurry away from Daisy and Bowser, Dark Usurper swam around in an arc and bolted for the surface. Upon flying into the air, the demon met a collection of metal spikes scattered and waiting for him that Athelstan had molded together. Dark Usurper activated his Fwin to turn intangible just before Athelstan clenched his spikes in together to try and crush the archfiend, resulting in numerous clangs of clanking metal. Instead of bringing down a skewered demon, the spikes scattered and dropped into the water with no harm done to Dark Usurper.

"That intangibility can be quite selective, huh?" said Athelstan.

"Geez, you were really going for the kill there," said Andrew.

"At this point, isn't it what's most practical?" asked Athelstan. "He's got a Crystal Tear inside of him!"

Dark Usurper surveyed the scene from above as Daisy and Bowser reemerged from underwater to come ashore onto adjacent platforms of rock. With a chuckle, he sprouted four tentacle-like tendrils from his wood body and glanced at each of the fighters below on standby. Daisy, Marut – busy charging lightning in his hands – Athelstan, Bowser, and Peach all looked ready and capable of fighting, fatigued as they were. Moments later, however, Bowser had to kneel and suppress his remaining energy when the Giga Soul started acting up inside of him. Andrew stood up and readied himself to try and fight to make up for Bowser bowing out.

Marut smirked and grabbed his Gust Boomerangs. "This dude's still wet."

The Kruna of Air let his lightning flow into his boomerangs and tossed them at Dark Usurper. Glowing and crackling with electricity, the boomerangs twisted and curved with unpredictable movement. Even so, Dark Usurper flew out of the way in a narrow evasion that only got so close because of the boomerang's erratic flight pattern.

Dark Usurper then deflected yet another burst of light Peach sent his way. "Woman, you must think you're doing something other than annoying me! And what'sssssss with the shocking boomerangs, man in green? Your lightning would have flown at me faster if you didn't constrain it to your toys."

Marut flared his teeth and did not give a reply. Unknown to Dark Usurper, the boomerangs curved back around on their return to their thrower to set up a collision course flight towards the archfiend. Neither of them actually did, instead passing straight through the demon rather than scoring a hit. Dark Usurper's glowing Alkemei provided the explanation for the phenomenon.

"Uh-oh," Marut mumbled, holding his hands out to catch his tools.

Dark Usurper cackled and laughed in maniacal glee. "YOU REALLY THOUGHT THAT WOULD WORK ON ME?! How funny for you to think you were one step ahead of me!"

Marut put his boomerangs away once he got a hold of them, scowling in disappointment. "I thought for sure that was gonna work," he mumbled.

"That was great, Marut," Daisy said, raising her left hand. "Don't pay any mind to what this weirdo says!"

Earth elementals collected around Daisy's elevated hand, but she did not even get into the process of crystallizing any of it before Dark Usurper grew another two arms to add to his normal two and his four tendril arms. The six total extra arms curled in front of Dark Usurper's body in defense as the fiend descended to land on a portion of broken ground afloat on the water.

"If you think you can lay a hit on me like that, you're ssssssorely mistaken," said Dark Usurper.

"You're right," Daisy said, canceling her Crystal Fist altogether. She instead readied seismic energy into an orb in her hand, though Dark Usurper recognized her Breaker Punch preparation and knew right away what she intended to do. The others did as well; and Bowser did not like the move.

"Do NOT try that, Daisy!" Bowser yelled. "Now's not the time to use that! Not against him!"

"Why not?" replied Daisy.

"He's going to use that Alkemei and turn intangible the moment you try to attack him!" exclaimed Bowser. "Then he'll snatch you with those extra arms, and it'll be over for you right from there!"

"Wait, what," Andrew mumbled, having already put together a Shadow Ripper to try and attack too. "Damn it..."

"Well done, Kruna of Fire," said Dark Usurper. "You are smart and wizened enough to see through my defense for my intentionssssss. How very clever. It won't do you any bit of good in a matter of moments once I strangle each and every one of you."

A sudden change occurred, prompting Daisy and Andrew both to cancel and disband their prepared techniques. Dark Usurper cleared all his arms away from his body, leaving his torso wide open to attack. The archfiend saw the surprised faces on all of the elemental wielders before him and laughed.

"A quick turnaround," said Dark Usurper. "Now you're fearful? Were you too ssssstupid to realize before the kind of entity you would face in challenging me? Or were you just overconfident from out first encounter?"

"Why don't you just look behind you instead of being a boastful, cocky freak?" yelled Daisy.

"Boastful, cocky freak," repeated Dark Usurper. "You, human girl, should be more respectful to the future ruler of this realm; especially when I hold authority over your fates."

Daisy made a guttural sound in disgust and folded her arms. "Whatever, just look behind you already."

"Look behind me, hmm?" said Dark Usurper. "That's what you want me to do? Come now. That has got to be the oldesssst trick in the book. Only complete morons would fall for that. Maybe try it on Marissa, but not someone of my greatness."

"No, seriously, dude," said Marut. "Like, turn around."

"You do not have to try and outwit me just in a futile attempt to show you're smarter than I am," said Dark Usurper. "I mean, really. What kind of fool do you take me for?!"

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" Marissa crooned from behind the archfiend.

The demon witch's voice erased Dark Usurper's perpetual grin, replacing it with a frown of fear. Everyone saw her. Marissa had flown over on her Dominion Scepter and now stood directly behind him. Snatching his neck with one hand, she used her other hand to jab one clawed end of her double-sided scepter in through his head.

"Ignoring direct orders, huh?" Marissa said. "Yeah, I thought as much."

The witch snatched the Alkemei off of Dark Usurper before the fiend activated its effect and dropped it on the ground before forcing Dark Usurper himself to the ground. From there, Marissa exercised her leverage on her scepter to finalize the kill, even enduring a frantic swipe in the process at her bare abdomen from Dark Usurper's sword arm. Though the fiend did strike at Marissa with one of his tendril arms and then swept her away with a clawed arm, the damage had already been done. As Marissa fell into the water, Dark Usurper soon stopped moving altogether.

"Did she seriously just do that?!" hollered Athelstan.

"Now's our chance – prepare yourselves," Peach said, firing up her sword with light power.

"No, Peach, wait," Daisy said. "Don't charge any energy!"

"That's the witch that has caused all the trouble here, is it not?" asked Peach. "Surely with all of us together, we can bring her down and end all of this!"

Bowser winced. "If by all of us, you include an exhausted light wielder, an unconscious water wielder, a restricted shadow wielder, an ice wielder who's not here, and me who's trying to keep from keeling over, then yeah, I'm sure we have a good chance right about now!"

"Just trust me on this for now, Peach," said Daisy. "Don't be hostile."

Peach nodded and calmed the energy built up in her longsword. At that moment, Marissa flew out of the water and landed on the platform Dark Usurper's corpse rested on. Pulling her Dominion Scepter out of the goriness of the crushed wood and blood leakage from his skull, she rolled Dark Usurper around and stabbed through his torso. It took a few tries, but she dug the Crystal Tear out from within him.

"I kept a good eye on him to see just what he was up to with this base I had him put together," said Marissa. She then stuck her tongue out and pointed at her Malocchio Eye, adding, "Hah! Get it? A _good_ _eye_ on him?"

"I get it!" shouted Athelstan.

"Good catch, buff one," Marissa said. "But anyways, sorry about him. I'm not surprised he was up to something. I expected he would be an insubordinate one at some point."

"Wait...what do you mean you're sorry about him?" said Daisy.

"He held you up here," said Marissa. "You should be preparing to fight me, not floundering around here with one of my bases."

"What's going on?" Peach asked, looking in Daisy's direction. "Why is she acting so mild?"

"Let's not worry about the 'why' right now," Daisy replied.

Marissa raised the hand she held the Crystal Tear with for all to see. "You want the Crystal Tear? Come over here and get it."

"Who should?" asked Bowser. "All of us?"

"Any one of you, really," said Marissa. "It doesn't matter."

"That'll be me, then," Daisy said.

The Nova Form earth wielder jumped and skipped across the many spread rocks and platforms floating in the ocean waters to get to the one Marissa stood on. The witch had her claw-bladed Dominion Scepter in her other hand, though she held the tool in a loose and lax manner behind her back. Daisy made sure she stayed attentive in case Marissa tried something funny.

"Hold out your hand," said Marissa. "Unless you think you've got telekinesis."

Daisy smiled some and raised her empty right palm. Marissa placed the Crystal Tear in her hand, smoothly and with no sudden movements. The witch stared at Daisy for just a brief instant before turning around and grasping her scepter with both hands.

"So what's this supposed to mean?" asked Daisy.

"Nothing," said Marissa. "Our deal is still on. I'm going to track down Kokoro to try and eliminate him so he doesn't get in our way."

"He's still alive?"

"I believe he is. Of course, if the Master Pendant took control over him, that'll complicate trying to get rid of him. You can't take for granted the effects Osiris's influence can have, regardless of his status sealed away in that pendant. That's why I'm not trying to deal with him directly."

"But he's not trying to deal with you directly either. Not right now, at least. He thinks the Master Pendant will give him immortality if he gets all the Crystal Tears."

Marissa smirked and shook her head. "It's just deception. Osiris'll manipulate him and lead him to believe one thing just to get him to do what he wants. I'm sure Osiris is just baiting Kokoro into conflict with you on the off chance that you eight Kruna will, knowingly or not, unleash your elemental energies on him all at once or in succession and therein undo the Master Pendant's Elemental Seal. Or, Osiris could just want the Crystal Tears to draw out the Oracle of Fates so that he can take control of them instead. Whatever the case, that pendant has to get stripped from Kokoro and locked away somewhere where it'll never be able to escape. Nobody has to worry about the Shadow Queen returning if Osiris stays sealed in the Master Pendant. I certainly don't want that _thing_ free."

"Are you saying you want us to help you take the Master Pendant from Kokoro?" asked Daisy.

"I'm not," Marissa replied, sitting down on her Dominion Scepter. "I'm saying you should stay away from him and make sure he doesn't get a hold of all the Crystal Tears. I'll try and take care of Kokoro. You all should rest and prepare for our final battle. Maybe you need a month? Or two? However long it takes, just make sure everyone is at full strength. If you come to me prematurely, it won't be a good fight for either of us."

With that, Marissa hovered into the red and purple sky on her scepter and flew into the distance. The other Kruna and Peach hopped from platform to platform to cross the water and join Daisy atop or near the chunk of land she stood on. Warra had recovered some feeling in his body but not much overall, so Athelstan had carried him. Once regrouped, Bowser and Daisy handed the Crystal Tears they had to Ramona; tears that, barring a contradictory recount of her collection back at Rainbow City, were the last two they needed to retrieve.

With a broken laugh, Marut made a nervous smile and shook his head back and forth as he looked in the sky where Marissa had flown off to. "Man, I don't understand what she's doing at all!"

"I bet she thinks she can just suddenly decide to start undoing everything she's done," said Bowser. "It has to be some futile attempt at redemption."

"I don't know," said Ramona. "Maybe she just wants to end everything already and not have to worry about us in the back of her mind on a daily basis running around and disappearing and reappearing the way we have."

"Are we really scaring her that much?" Marut wondered aloud.

"She didn't seem fearful at all," said Daisy. "She seemed calm and...well, she actually looked a little happy...but also strained...depressed...uncertain, even..."

"It could have been a front," said Athelstan. "That mind of hers is cunning and crafty."

"No..." Daisy said under her breath. "Her tone... You can't fake that tone. Not _that_ kind of tone. No, there's no faking that."

Ramona went to go pick up the discarded Alkemei Fwin to give to Andrew. "You should take this. It'll safeguard you once you figure out how to use it."

"You mean I'm actually gonna get one of those?" Andrew asked. "I thought for sure I was never gonna get my own."

Ramona was about to let Andrew take the Fwin from her hands when she walked over to him, but then she instead stepped behind him and fastened it on his neck herself. Once secured, the Fwin linked up with Andrew's elemental energy, and its gem turned purple.

"So uh, how are we gonna get out of here?" asked Bowser. "Toadette and Waluigi can't bring down the ship over water, can they?"

"If I remember correctly, there should be a Warp Pipe on the outer northeast of what's left of this island," said Warra. "That'll lead to Pi'illo Island, and then we can get picked up from there."

"That's assuming that place is not a base too," said Athelstan.

"I highly doubt there'd be two island bases right next to each other out here," said Warra.

"You may as well come with us, Peach," said Daisy. "You don't have a way off this island – er, well, whatever's left of it – do you?"

"Oh no, I'm going with you," said Peach. "I'm curious to hear what you guys have been up to."

"Then we'll need to introduce you to Rainbow City," said Daisy. "There's some people up there that'll throw a fit when they see you."


	58. Chapter LVIII

A Quick Stop in Wakeport:

The Warp Pipe the Kruna and Peach took towards the northeastern end of Mekarsari's remains transported them to a suburban-urban area known as Wakeport on Pi'Illo Island. They hopped out of the pipe one after another onto an ornamental street. Athelstan still had to help Warra, who likely would have issues with moving under his own will all the way back to Rainbow City. In their wait for the Koopa Cruiser after Bowser called for it through his radio transmitter, the group trudged through the town and past the many Pi'illos, Beanish, toads, and koopas among other peoples who gave them weird looks. Again, they saw another billboard of Marissa and her watching Malocchio Eye similar to the billboard they saw in Mekarsari, but Andrew held off from blasting it this time. The townspeople seemed too skeptical of their presence.

"Do you guys usually get people staring at you like this?" asked Peach.

"No, we usually don't unless we're in a hostile kind of place," said Marut. "Maybe it's because you're here?"

That remark from the air wielder got him an elbow slammed in his chest from Nova Daisy. He bent over and clutched at the spot where she hit and scowled at Daisy in shock. Daisy just kept walking on.

"What did I say?!" Marut snapped.

"Oh, you know what, that reminds me," said Daisy. "I'm sorry I hit you the way I did earlier, Peach."

"It's fine. I understand," Peach replied. "Just don't make it a habit."

"It won't be," said Daisy.

"Are you gonna apologize to me?" Marut asked.

Daisy raised her arm again, causing Marut to flinch and squeal. However, she did not actually strike him at all. She just wrapped her arm around his neck and laughed as they continued on their way.

"What's the matter?" Daisy said. "I can't put my arm around a friend without him acting all jumpy?"

"Those Nova Form elbows hurt..." mumbled Marut.

"Do you guys think there's a Starbeans here?" Andrew asked. When the group looked at him, he added, "I mean, since we have to wait for the Koopa Cruiser anyways."

* * *

Andrew slammed down his cup of Teeheespresso on the table he and Ramona sat at with a big grin as he handed her the Chuckoccino she ordered. The group had found a Starbeans Café just a little further down the street, got their orders in, and then went to sit outside on the shop's patio. Their current position by a canal and alongside a rectangular park across the street gave them a clear view of the sky for when any of them saw the Koopa Cruiser descend.

"Tea, fish, and coffee," Athelstan said to Andrew, passing by him and Ramona with a Teehee Blend. "Is that all you like?"

"I like peanut butter and granola," said Andrew. "And raw broccoli and cauliflower too. I've also recently taken a liking to kebabs."

"You have got to have one of the most boring palates I have ever heard of," said Athelstan.

"Health conscious is not boring!" snapped Andrew. "Food is fuel. Why wouldn't I want grilled, lean, omega-3-rich meats with my C and K vitamins and antioxidants? Peanut butter and granola both make for great energy too!"

"Just drink your damn coffee and don't turn into a health teacher," Bowser muttered as he walked by Ramona and Andrew, holding a Chuckle Blend. "We're only here because you said to come here."

"You didn't have to get anything if you didn't want to, Bowser," said Andrew.

"You're right – I shouldn't have," Bowser said. He stopped next to Daisy and Athelstan, who stood by the table where Marut, Peach, and Warra sat. "If we were gonna go to a Starbeans, we should've just waited to go to the one back in Rainbow City where the prices are not unholy!"

"To be fair, they have reason to with their lack of resources," Warra said, clutching at his head. Now, it seemed as though he had developed a headache to go along with his partial paralysis. "I wouldn't want to be the one trying to grow any plant in a world like this with these environmental conditions or with raiders and rogues running around trying to loot whatever you have."

"You can just stay like that for as long as you want?" Peach asked Daisy, referring to her sustained Nova Form.

"Yoh-pe," Daisy replied, swirling around her Hoolumbian. "I could sleep in this form if I wanted to. And I have. Really, I would've gone back to normal by now if we didn't keep getting all these nasty stares from people."

Peach and the Kruna had not only drawn weird looks from people out on the streets but also from people inside of Starbeans too. The eight of them could not understand why, considering they had not even done anything out of the ordinary. They would continue getting strange reactions from passersby for the next hour and a half of their wait.

In that time, the Kruna filled Peach in on just about everything that had gone on both in Sarasaland and post time skip. They stupefied Peach with nearly all that they told her. Though they were the only ones in the patio area for most of the time they hung out there, they kept their vocal volume quiet; particularly whenever some suspicious townspeople passed them on the outer side of the white, waist-high metal gate.

"So Mario and Luigi are both dead, huh," murmured Peach. "Aside from how they died, well, that's more or less what I expected."

"That doesn't make you distraught or saddened at all?" asked Daisy.

Peach shook her head. "I came to terms with it long ago. I didn't see either one of them after Marissa stormed through the Mushroom Kingdom. I've had eight years to dilute and dissolve my sadness, and that's not even counting the sorrow I have for the entire planet. But I see that hope is not gone. In you Kruna Yura, there is hope. There is an end in sight, and you're so close. I can feel it."

"Yeah, and then we can all go home," said Daisy. "It'll be a breath of fresh air to return to our world in the present."

"Oh..." Peach mumbled. "That's nice..."

"What?" asked Daisy.

"I thought..." Peach said. "Well, it's nothing really. I just thought that you all would be staying here in this time...in my present."

"We never actually considered that..." said Daisy.

"But then why would we even be looking for the Gate of Time if our intention is to stay here?" said Athelstan. "Surely I haven't been toiling away at intellectually challenging work just for my own benefit...even though I normally do that anyways; but that's besides the point!"

"I get you've been looking for that gate," said Peach. "I just didn't think it was a certainty that you would try and use it..."

"You'd be lonely here, right?" said Daisy.

Peach shrugged. "I don't want to make it sound like it's a big deal, but yes. It has been a lonely eight years, even with the people I have befriended in Memory Forest. Because I'm almost always on the move, I don't see them much at all. And, should you succeed in your mission, there'd be rebuilding to do too. And you all have been here for a while, right? This time has to feel at least somewhat familiar, doesn't it?"

"This is still not our world," said Bowser. "This is not our place to be. We're not supposed to be here."

"How do you know if you're supposed to be here or not?" said Peach. "Wait, no... I take that back. I'm...I'm sorry. If you all really have to go back, then it can't be helped."

Daisy sighed. Peach really did seem sullen and downtrodden, both in appearance and in mannerisms. All of a sudden, the Kruna of Earth began mulling over the implications of them staying in this time versus them leaving.

"This is what Rosalina told us," Daisy said. "The moment we emerge in a past time, we make a split in the timeline at that exact point. So should we return at the point just after Marissa sent us through her portal, then we'll create a second world where all of this here does not happen. It'll be a world where Mario and Luigi and so many other people and nations survive and go on as they would have had Marissa not seized the planet. If we don't go back, then..."

"Time would just go on as normal?" said Peach. "The world here as it is now would be the only world, with no split anywhere?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said Daisy. "And everything that has happened up to this point would be it. It'd be history. But we're not leaving before we settle things here. That means defeating King Boo, and Kokoro, and Marissa."

"So you'll still be here for a while, then," said Peach.

"Not if we're so close that an end is in sight," replied Daisy.

"I did say that, didn't I," mumbled Peach. "Well, hold on – you can't do anything about Marissa until you're all at full strength anyways! And you're not even all able-bodied! Andrew told me that there is an eighth wielder on your team who's in a hospital right now."

"Oh, yeah; his girlfriend," Bowser said.

In an instant, angry veins popped up on Andrew's now fiercely glaring, red-hot face. "She's not my girlfriend, ya moron!"

"Okay. Sure," Bowser nonchalantly replied.

"I do believe you've flipped the switch in the fuse box," said Athelstan.

"Or blown it all together," said Bowser.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" snapped Andrew. "She's not! Don't ever say anything like that again! It's, it's, it's-"

"Accurate?" said Daisy.

"C'mon, Andrew, you shouldn't be embarrassed," said Ramona.

"I'm not embarrassed, alright?!" Andrew hollered, jumping to his feet. He then screamed to the sky, "HEY! TOADETTE! WALUIGI! HURRY UP!"

"So the whole thing about staying under the radar just doesn't matter anymore?" mumbled Warra.

"That's not making them move any faster," said Bowser.

"Oh, I get it – you're still mad that I had us come here, huh?!" barked Andrew.

"Nah. I enjoyed my arm-and-a-leg coffee," Bowser replied. "But I hope I don't have to shell out seventy gold coins for one 'large' cup ever again."

"Excuse me," a koopa called out from the other side of the patio gate. The group of eight turned to look at the armed koopa heading a whole squad of fellow officers. All of the red and black-uniformed policemen of varying races had their melee and projectile weapons up and at the ready. "Could you please stand and remove yourselves from the tables?"

"Hmph – that was much faster than I thought," Warra mumbled.

"What's this all about?" Daisy asked as everyone who had been sitting down got up.

"By order of Arkana Law, you are under arrest," said the koopa captain. "That's what this is about."

"For what?!" snapped Andrew.

"Obstruction and willful misconduct against society," said the koopa, pulling out a special paper to read from. "There's also; disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, harassment, kidnapping, robbery, theft, vandalism, conspiracy, aggravated assault, assault, assault with intent to resist arrest, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, blasphemous libel, escape from lawful imprisonment, homicide, manslaughter, smuggling, collaboration with criminals, trespassing, motor vehicle theft, intimidation, death threats, jaywalking, conspiracy to murder, cruelty to animals, and – last but not least – DWI."

"Dude, that's just crazy talk!" Marut shouted.

"Yeah, we didn't even do a fraction of that stuff!" said Ramona.

"Oh, so you _admit_ to what you've done!" the koopa captain said.

"What – no, that's not even remotely what we meant!" snapped Daisy.

"That's enough out of you!" barked the koopa. "We're going to need you all to step towards the patio exit of this gate here. You're all under arrest!"

"Sorry, but we're not submitting to a bunch of guys playing dress-up," said Daisy.

The koopa captain took out a pen to write on the paper he held up. "Failure to...comply with...authorized...police order-"

"And now you're adding that?" said Athelstan. "How can you arrest us with such a slanderous report? Those are false accusations!"

"Yeah, get your fake news criminal offense list outta here!" yelled Andrew.

"These are the result of multiple reports from all over the world," said the koopa captain. "This comes from – though is not limited to – the Delight City area, the Memory Forest area, Mekarsari, and, just within the past two hours, here on Pi'illo Island. Speaking of Mekarsari..." He got out his pen again to write on his paper. "Arson... Terrorism."

"Okay, well that's just not right," muttered Bowser.

"Besides, you've got wanted posters all over town here," the koopa said, gesturing throughout Wakeport.

He wasn't kidding. Wanted signs and posters stuck to walls of various buildings. Each of the eight Kruna had an artist's depiction of their likeness in some form scattered all through Wakeport. Peach also had a fair amount for herself, too.

"Bowser," Daisy grumbled. "Pendant, much?!"

"I-wha-look – I know it's always on, but it's hard to keep focus on a full circle of vision 24/7, okay?" said Bowser. "I'm sorry if I thought this was the kind of place where I could be lax! I only have this stupid Giga Soul stuck in me I'm trying to keep suppressed!"

"Captain Euley, should we force them out here ourselves?" asked a human officer.

"No, no, that's not necessary," the koopa captain replied. "Not yet. We have to at least give them a chance to do things peacefully."

"Wait..." mumbled Daisy. "Euley...koopa...police... You're Commissioner Euley! From Delight City! We met you before!"

"You have?" Euley asked.

"Yeah, remember?" Daisy said. "We were looking for the Water Shrine that night? And we caught the Mafio Bros after they tried that bank heist?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, I remember you guys!" Euley said. "Some of you, anyways. Yeah, you helped us apprehend the Mafio Bros in Delight City, but that was over eight years ago! Man, you haven't aged a bit! None of you! The two big guys are hard to miss too, just like before!"

Bowser raised an eyebrow, thinking, _I guess that's a compliment?_

"I'm actually Captain Euley now after transferring to Pi'illo Island," Euley said. "I've been here for about seven or eight years now. Delight City got overrun with raiders and thugs and gangs, resulting in a mass exodus of its residents; and then Marissa had the place bombed to clear out all of those miscreants, but I hear that there's still a bunch of crooks lurking around in the area. Whatever's left of that city is probably just doomed to be a haunt for the criminal underground, it seems."

"Well if they stay underground, then we don't have to worry about them here on the surface," said Athelstan.

Euley chuckled and laughed. "Yeah, it'd save us trouble too if all the bad guys were already stuck underground. It'd be an instant, natural jail! Oh yeah, that'd be real great... But seriously, you're under arrest."

"What?!" Daisy squawked.

"Sorry!" Euley said, shrugging. "But we're police for Lord Arkana's world. And your crimes have largely been against her order. So, it's our job to put you to justice."

"You mean Marissa's justice," said Daisy.

"Yup!" replied Euley.

"Okay, we actually can't be under arrest and stuff because our ride's here to pick us up," Andrew said, pointing skyward.

Everyone glanced up and saw the Koopa Cruiser descending through the sky. On its way down, the airship looked to be aiming for a landing at the clearing in the rectangular park across the street.

"What in River Twygz is that thing supposed to be?" hollered Euley.

"Are you deaf," muttered Andrew. "I just said that our ride's here to pick us up."

"You're not getting picked up by any ride!" declared Euley. "You're under arrest!"

"You've said that three times already," grumbled Daisy.

"Well, you are!" Euley snapped.

Andrew started chuckling in a forbidding tone that raised alarm in the officers. "I'm sorry, you must have misunderstood."

"No, you must have misunderstood!" Euley snapped. "Now you listen here; you eight are walking off of that patio and over here for us to handcuff so we can take you in!"

The Kruna of Shadow marched for the gate doors, his Alkemei now glowing as the Koopa Cruiser flew closer. Once he exited the gate and joined the officers, he held up his hands and wiggled his fingers with his tongue stuck out in a scowl. He soon drew all the attention from the group of roughly twenty officers to himself.

"I'd advise that you not act so cheeky, young man!" Euley demanded. "And what's with that glowing necklace of yours?"

"What's wrong with my pendant?" asked Andrew. "It's not cute? I think it's cute."

"I don't care! Turn that thing off!" Euley barked. "It's distracting!"

"But look at the purple shine it has!" said Andrew. "It's perfect! You know, I love my purple on the redder side. I can't stand any shade past neutral purple, because then it just looks too close to blue at that point. Now this other guy, I'm not gonna say his name 'cause he'll get offended – it's Waluigi – but his purple looks more like violet, and violet is pretty close to blue. It's like false purple when it's more blue than red. Think about it: a reddish purple looks purple. A blueish purple looks blue. Isn't that weird?"

"What's weird is that your jewelry is glowing!" barked Euley, staring at Andrew's Alkemei. "Is that supposed to be a bomb?"

Andrew sighed and shrugged. "I guess you caught me purple-handed. It's a bomb."

Following gasps and mixed statements, the police all pointed their guns and melee weapons solely at Andrew and tightened their aim. No one even cared about any of the others still on the patio. With Andrew distracting the officers, Marut and Bowser both had their hands clasped behind their backs. The two air and fire wielders built up and readied their respective elemental energies in between their hidden palms, but they kept their powers subdued enough for the police not to notice.

"Not so innocent now, are you?" said Euley, walking towards Andrew with handcuffs.

Andrew held out his hands. "Yeah, yeah, whatever – can we just hurry this up?"

"You are one weird character," said Euley. "Your fellow inmates aren't going to like your attitude, I can tell you that right now-"

Euley immediately freaked out when his handcuffs passed through Andrew's wrists the moment he tried applying them to the shadow wielder. The other officers flipped in shocked disbelief as well. Euley tried putting the cuffs on Andrew a second time, and a third time, and a fourth time, and a seventh time, and a twelfth time. The cuffs fazed through Andrew on every attempt.

"What kind of cop can't even put on handcuffs?" snapped Andrew.

"I swear, these things have to have holes or something," Euley said, flustered.

The Koopa Cruiser passed by overhead and came to a slow and controlled, soft landing in the park across the street, prompting Marut to throw out the burst of air he had been cultivating. Marut's gust pushed away and disarmed all the officers standing there; including Euley, whom Andrew kicked into the line of wind for him to tumble up the street with the rest of his floundering partners.

While Peach and the others hopped the gate and made a break for the Koopa Cruiser, Bowser jumped up and slung fires across the street just in front of where the police had stopped in their tumble. The wall of flames prevented the officers from advancing or even seeing anything in front of them until they noticed the airship rise high into the air. But by then, the Kruna and Peach had all made it onboard. Daisy stood on the entrance hatch ramp waving at Euley and his fellow officers, and Bowser, Marut, and Andrew peaked out from within the entryway behind her.

"Sorry about this, Euley!" Daisy called out. "You'll understand later!"

"Evading arrest!" Euley shouted. "You felons just keep adding to your rap sheet!"

"We're not felons!" Marut screamed.

"That's what they all say!" yelled Euley. "You can't run from the law forever!"

"Screw you, too!" boomed Bowser.


	59. Chapter LIX

The Oracle of Fates:

The Koopa Cruiser arrived back in Rainbow City in the early evening. With winter soon coming to a close, the daylight hours began extending, making for a golden shine at about five o'clock when the Kruna exited the Docking Bay with Waluigi, Toadette, and now, Peach. Though everyone had amassed a surreal amount of fatigue, Athelstan, Warra, and Bowser split off from the group and headed for Northwestern Island's Comet Observatory Teleporter to inform Rosalina about what they had found in the underwater temple in Mekarsari's waters. Ramona and Andrew split off too and went for the bridge to Central Island, leaving Marut, Waluigi, Toadette, Peach, and normal, non-Nova Daisy sauntering about.

"I'm worried about you guys," said Toadette. "It seems as though as the enemies have gotten stronger, and as you've had to face more of them, you've all come back more tired and hurt each time; some instances more than others."

"We're all in poor shape, aren't we?" said Daisy. "That includes you too, Peach."

"I've had a bit of a rough stretch, yes," said Peach. She only paid her companions a minimal amount of attention, for the sky citadel of rainbows enchanted her and filled her with a sense of awe. "How long has this place been up here?"

"It came to be around the same time the Nirvana Barrier completed," said Toadette. "It wasn't nearly this grand though. It got built up over the years to where it is now."

"It's so wonderful!" exclaimed Peach. "But...it's also pretty lonely."

"I hear ya," said Daisy. "It gets like that considering it's up here in the sky by itself. Let's get you around town and show you what's up! Oh, we gotta go find Toad, and Toadsworth, and Donkey Kong, and all the rest!"

"Somebody's really enjoying themselves right about now," Waluigi mumbled to Marut.

"Oh yeah, she's real psyched," Marut whispered back as Daisy rambled on.

* * *

Bowser, Athelstan, and Warra met Rosalina just outside of the Comet Observatory Fountain a little while later. As the one who deciphered the ancient language himself on their Mekarsari trip, Athelstan stepped forward to report their findings.

"First off, I should confirm that there is in fact an underwater temple just off of Mekarsari," said Athelstan. "Of what I could tell, several hieroglyphics in the underwater temple point to a remote tower in the sky housing a portal in a man-made arc."

"A tower in the sky?" said Rosalina, cupping the side of her face. "That's quite peculiar..."

"What makes you say that?" asked Bowser.

"It's just odd," said Rosalina. "The only thing I can think of that could possibly fit that kind of criteria would be the Angel Islands. Those hover above the Earth at the very point where the Geographic North Pole is. I actually intended for the construction of Rainbow City to take place on the Angel Islands since there were already structures and ruins there to renovate and build off of, but a divine deity residing there demanded that we build elsewhere."

"Did the guy give a reason why?" asked Athelstan.

"It was a female, and she did not," said Rosalina. "Needless to say, she didn't let anyone scout around the area, so we can't say what's there other than a tower among a bunch of islands with old architecture. I don't recall seeing her demonstrate any elemental ability; but with the white, gold, silver, and black she wore, you can assume she's a light wielder. Given that and the all but certain link between ancient light wielders and the Gate of Time, and with the information you uncovered today, it's not a stretch to assume now that she was guarding the Gate of Time, is it?"

"Not a stretch at all," said Bowser. "That's obvious; more obvious than Neva and Andrew are."

"That's just not right, man," said Athelstan as he and Bowser cracked up. "Attacking the bro when he's not even here to defend himself."

"I don't care – his reaction earlier was priceless!" replied Bowser.

"Right, well, anyways, the Angel Islands are just straight north right?" said Warra.

Rosalina nodded. "At the very true north. However, I don't recommend going right away. Most certainly not in your condition. From what I remember, her energy signature is supremely high. If she turns hostile for whatever reason, you're in trouble if you're not at full power."

"Of course," Warra said, bowing. "We will keep that in mind."

"Grand Elder, you should come down for dinner tonight," said Bowser. "We brought Peach back with us, so I'm sure she'd get a kick out of seeing you."

"I would be delighted," said Rosalina. "I'll be down there soon."

"Oh, and before we forget to mention it, we collected the last two Crystal Tears," said Bowser. "Ramona is going to do a recount just for confirmation, but we should have all sixty-four."

Rosalina gave a sincere smile. "You don't know what a relief it is to hear that. Now, we may soon have the Oracle of Fates on our side to help flip the balance of power in our favor."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Ramona, for everything that happened today," Andrew said to her as the two sat on a bench in Rainbow City's Courtyard Square. The low, descending sun cast shadows on them and the water fountain they faced.

"It's fine," Ramona said, smiling, albeit uneasily. "I'm just glad you stuck by me."

Andrew smiled back. Ramona had been doing better ever since the Koopa Cruiser picked them up, but she still felt largely disturbed and troubled with what she had done. Andrew knew this, and they both knew it would take time before Ramona started feeling normal again – if she ever did truly feel one-hundred percent normal again.

"It'll take me a while to feel like me again, but I will try and stay strong," said Ramona. "For us and for everyone else. You have no idea how grateful I am to have you as a friend."

"I could have had anybody move into my neighborhood," said Andrew. "Anyone could have moved in. And I got lucky enough for you and your dad to snatch that house."

"I dunno – maybe that wasn't luck," Ramona said with a smile. "By the way, how did working that pendant feel earlier when Euley was trying to cuff you?"

"I could feel my curse mark pulling on me the whole time I had the pendant activated," he said. "And I think I only had my arms under the effects too, so I'm glad he didn't try grabbing at my ankles or something else stupid."

"As long as you can use it, then that's good. So, uh...we're just not going to mention to anyone back home about me being a...crazed rampage killer...?"

"Back home? I say we just not bring it up at all. Ever. The others already promised they weren't going to mention it to anyone here."

"You guys can really look past that?"

"Only because it's you who did it. I know you. You're not a sociopathic psycopath."

"What if I am, and neither of us know it?"

"Okay, now you're just freaking out. You were doing good the past couple hours."

Ramona sighed. "It just inspires such a weird feeling. Everything is feeling heavy and thick. I almost don't know what to do with myself."

"Then let's go do something!" Andrew then said. "Like we did back home! Let's go do anything you want! Anything to get your mind off of all this! I'm game! We've got some time left in the day!"

"Gosh, I'd love to," said Ramona. "But I still feel hurt from earlier. I've gotta go and clean up these wounds, and I need to swap out of this torn and tarnished light wielder kit for a clean set."

"You need me to help you out?" he asked.

"I think I have to do it myself this time," she said, looking past the water fountain. With a quick rock of her head, she added, "You might be needed elsewhere."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, wondering what she meant. But once he looked at where Ramona gestured, his face lit up with utter surprise. Neva stood at the other side of the water fountain, out of her hospital gown and back in her ice wielder garb, the whites and the accents of cyan and silver shining in the sunlight shimmering against her back. Absent from her were her armor, Alkemei Hien, Hammerspace Belt, and her Blizzard Bladestaff; all of which Andrew held onto in his room back at the suite. Not absent from her at all, a spirited grin hiding nothing.

Ramona beamed and got up from the bench to leave and waved at Neva. "I'll say hi to her later," she said.

"You're leaving?" asked Andrew. "Are you gonna be okay by yourself?"

"I'll try," said Ramona. "I should give you two space, you know? She's all yours."

"Well, I'll check on you later tonight, anyways," said Andrew. "And, thanks."

"Thank _you_ ," replied Ramona. "And besides, I'll be at the dining hall for the dinner."

As Ramona turned and headed for the Rainbow Suite, Andrew watched her go. He then looked back at Neva and got up from the bench, uplifted and enlivened by the ice wielder's release from the hospital. Andrew trotted over to her as she paced herself towards him, her movement slow but deliberate. They met each other halfway, and they gazed at each other as if they were the only ones either of them could see.

"Are you really standing here...right in front of me?" asked Andrew. "You're not in the hospital bed?!"

"I'm really here," replied Neva. "I was waiting outside your room for a while, but you never showed up!"

"Yeah, we got held up down there longer than we should have," said Andrew.

"I understand," said Neva, holding out her arms. "Now where's my hug, stupid? I haven't got one from you in forever."

"I've got my armor on," said Andrew.

"Then take it off, duh!" replied Neva.

Andrew did just that and set the protective gear on the ground beside them. In laughter, the two embraced one another in a tight cuddle. Though he was trying to, Andrew could not ignore the weight loss the already light ice wielder suffered. She felt like a hard, bony skeleton, and her light blonde hair looked dull and stiff. Her body felt deathly cold, and that may have been a large part of why she buried herself so deeply into his radiant hold. It all culminated into a mental cringe of worry in him. In no way was she in any condition to do anything mission-wise.

"How are you feeling?" Andrew asked.

"My shoulder and leg aren't bothering me too much where I got slashed," Neva mumbled. "And my gut is jabby and tough."

"Jabby?"

"Yeah. It feels like I keep getting jabbed there. I mean, look."

Neva leaned away and rolled her shirt up to reveal the result of the reconstructive work on her. She had seven sutures running along her abdomen at different angles, all of which held back a noticeable amount of swelling. Dark, raised scaring on her pale skin lined and ran through each of the sutures.

"It looks awful, doesn't it?" asked Neva. "It's all lumpy and sticking out..."

Andrew shook his head. "No, it's not awful. There's nothing awful about it. It's part of why you're still here."

Neva rolled her shirt back down and smiled, returning to Andrew's arms. Their hold on one another made both of them feel better in a timeless moment. They stayed that way for a long while up until the sun disappeared over the horizon before they finally decided to go inside the Rainbow Suite.

* * *

The seven o'clock dinner that night in the Rainbow Suite's dining hall turned into something memorably special right from the start. Being an impromptu get together Daisy suggested as a result of Peach's arrival, the long, rectangular horseshoe collection of tables featured all eight Kruna Yura, Peach, Toad, Alden, Toadsworth, Donkey Kong, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Koops, the five Black Mages, Rosalina, Lubba, Polari, and whoever else in the Rainbow Suite or even from elsewhere across the chain of sky islands that wanted to sit with them. Everyone there had put on hold whatever they were doing for that gathering, one that they would let come to a natural end.

Shortly after everyone's arrival, Daisy looked around her in astonishment at all the people that had made it there. _I have my team to thank for that,_ she thought. She looked to her right past Peach to see Bowser sitting beside her having good-natured small talk with Marut, Athelstan, and Warra. Athelstan and Marut both always had a cheery, boisterous jolliness to them. Warra, usually more muted and reserved, showed a subtle smile. Bowser was in one of the calmest states Daisy ever remembered outside of his meditation. At no point at all did the Kruna of Fire resemble the angry, hostile Koopa King of the past.

On Daisy's left, Neva sat back in her chair with a relaxed grin taking up her face. No matter how feisty and irritable – or just downright rude – the little ice wielder could be, Daisy could not deny that Neva had become many times happier and friendlier compared to their first encounter in Sarasa Field. Next to Neva, Andrew lay back in his chair some as well. He also appeared to be in good spirits, much like Ramona beside him.

 _I couldn't have asked for a better group,_ Daisy thought. _Well, I could have gotten a better group, but I'm taking these guys a hundred out of a hundred times._

Daisy glanced around at everyone else spread out along the conjoined tables. Sure, just about all the people there had been armored-up, taking up residence in an isolated, secret society outside the reach of the Nirvana Barrier; but just as they did when the Kruna first arrived, they did their best to act like they were at home. And the fact that these people all came to this gathering showed the kind of impact that her and her teammates had made.

Toadsworth stood up out of his seat across from Peach to speak to everyone in the group. "A heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you who have come to this dinner and who have contributed to the building, maintenance, and defense of Rainbow City with your craftsmanship and combative proficiency. Our guards for Rainbow City have done a fine job patrolling the citadels and fending off whatever foreign animals or sky monsters infiltrated our boundaries. Let us too not forget those who also run reconnaissance and supply missions to the surface to keep Rainbow City alert and running. They are some of the best pilots that our community has to offer when it comes to speedy stealth. Finally, of course, let us now all give thanks to the eight prime catalysts on the front lines, the ones who have risked life and limb in their takeover for the fallen Mario and Luigi as the world's top elemental wielders and as our last hopes. All they need to do now is to find the Oracle of Fates and make final preparations to confront Marissa."

"And we'll be doing a trial test with the Crystal Tears after this dinner," added Bowser. "Sixty-four Crystal Tears, right, Ramona?"

The Kruna of Light nodded. "Sixty-four exactly."

"We should also thank the Kruna Yura for another key thing they accomplished a short while ago," said Toadsworth. "And that is the return of our dear princess, Peach Toadstool! A woman who has survived and evaded danger for over eight years! We are grateful to have you back with us, Princess!"

Peach smiled, but said nothing. She just waved to everyone at the table and in the diner that applauded and cheered. From her subdued demeanor, many there could tell that she did not want to hog the attention.

"Neva, what did the docs say about your timetable for recovery?" asked Daisy.

"I'm getting the stitches and stuff removed in a couple weeks," said Neva. "And then I've got four weeks of healing and rehab I need to do. And I need to gain a bunch of weight back too."

"Man, that's gonna keep us from fighting Marissa for a while," said Daisy. "But that means the rest of us have time to make sure we're fully recovered too. Marissa said that she would try and eliminate Kokoro and get rid of the Master Pendant while she waited for us. And that's assuming she's not trying to pull some trick. But if we confront and beat her before she gets to Kokoro, then that means we'd have to track him down and deal with him too."

"And there's still King Boo to defeat as well, right?" added Neva.

"You don't worry about things too much," said Daisy. "Just focus on getting better."

"I feel awful for you, Neva," said Peach. "I can't imagine what it must be like to have gone through all that pain and hospital time and to still be dealing with after effects from such a terrible injury."

"It's not all bad," replied Neva, glancing at Andrew. "I've had this idiot with me, and he'll be giving me a ton of help."

"Ooh, what's he helping you with?" asked Peach.

"Everything," said Neva. "Everyday stuff like eating, moving around; and the rehab, and support too."

Andrew nodded, saying only, "I want to do my best for Neva. No thanks or whatever needed."

The others around him understood well on the otherwise serious manner, because everyone saw the poor condition Neva was in even then and there at the table. Neva's mortal injuries and hospital stay had made her severely underweight, malnourished, weakened, fatigued, and physically brittle. In contrast to the worry most of them held about her, Neva maintained an otherwise cheery demeanor. Many assumed she was just happy to be out of the hospital.

"Well then, without further ado, why don't we all go over to the bars and get our nourishment?" said Toadsworth. "Of course, we don't have too much in the way of food, but you all may help yourselves to what we do have."

The dinner that followed proved to be a marvelous affair for all involved. Despite all that had happened and gone on in the past eight years, merriment and delight prevailed over the group that night. Daisy and Marut did the usual and loaded up plates – though, not nearly with as much as in the past, mostly because of all the others that had come to the dining hall this time. Andrew got Neva a plate with softer, easily digestible food and helped her with every bit of food she ate. Everyone had their fill, had their laughs, and had their fun. Stories told to the audience, jokes and banter, words of encouragement; from it all, Daisy felt a sense of hope welling up and growing stronger within all in attendance.

And by the time all was said and done roughly after nine o'clock, the natural stop came. They all thanked one another and refocused on the reality at hand. While the others cleaned up the tables and left the dining hall to step out into the Courtyard Square, Ramona went up to her room to pull out the special case of hers housing all sixty-four Crystal Tears. The shards of crystal glowed and glistened with a special twinkle in their box as Ramona walked with it back downstairs and outside.

Ramona hurried to Rosalina at the front of the group, the case of Crystal Tears unlocked for the Elder of the Cosmos to take and examine. Everyone there waited for what would happen next. Aside from Ramona's Alkemei now producing a bizarre pink shell of light over its golden glow, Nothing special seemed to happen on its own.

"So, uh, how am I supposed to do this?" Ramona asked.

"Good question," said Bowser. "Besides your pendant giving off that weird glow, I'm not noticing anything else happening."

"None of us are," said Daisy.

As Rosalina handed the case with the tears back to Ramona, Marut raised a hand and said, "Maybe there's a password?"

"Kruna," Athelstan said, as if trying to set off some password alarm. "Kruu-nuh. Fate. Oracle. Help! Crystal Tear Sixty-four! Give me results!"

"Maybe we need to just blast them and see what happens?" said Andrew.

"Actually, maybe we need to combine all eight elements with them?" suggested Warra.

"What – no. This should just be a straightforward thing," said Daisy. "Nobody mentioned anything about combining elements to get these to work when gathered, including Marissa. It's gotta be something else."

Ramona had her swordstaff out to scope, but it did not light up in any direction she pointed it in. It only lit when she reversed her grip to hold it upside-down and at an angle that pointed its lone blade at the box she held in her other arm. "This doesn't do any good," she murmured.

"I'm quite stumped on ideas myself," Rosalina said.

"I have an idea, but it could be kind of disgusting if you think about it too hard," said Toad. "It involves Andrew doing something to Ramona."

"We might have to try anything at this point if we don't have a clue as to what to do here," said Daisy.

"Wait, what do I have to do?" Andrew asked.

"You've got that intangibility pendant now, right?" said Toad. "Maybe you can just take the Crystal Tears and turn them intangible long enough for you to stick them inside of her?"

"You want him to do _what_?" asked Ramona.

"Why do you want – no, _how_ would that even work?" asked Andrew.

Toad shrugged. "Well, if the tears are all a part of Ramona, then her energy would run through the tears as it made its cycle through her body, swordstaff, and Alkemei. So, maybe in that way, the Motomeru could pick out and detect whatever has the same kind of DNA the tears contain as the energy passes through them?"

"Doesn't that seem kind of invasive?" snapped Neva. "Why don't I stick my hand straight through your face?!"

"HEY – that's all I got," said Toad. "Unless she wants to eat them! Anybody else here thinking of anything?"

"If needed, my comrades and I could try and program the Motomeru to detect the DNA found in the tears," said the Black Mage, Naraka. "But that would likely take a while. You all said you wanted to search for the Oracle of Fates before going to the Angel Islands, right?"

"Yeah, but that can wait, can't it?" Andrew said.

Ramona sighed. "Let's try it, Andrew."

"No, hold on," replied Andrew. "Don't let anybody pressure you into-"

"Let's just do it," Ramona said, laying her swordstaff on the ground. "Let's at least see if it would work, I guess. It can't be that uncomfortable having sixty-four pieces of Crystal in me, can it?"

"It sounds uncomfortable," mumbled Marut, drawing a glare from Daisy. "What?!"

"Alright...if you're really okay with it," Andrew said. He walked over to Ramona and reached for the Crystal Tear case. He then shifted the case to one arm so he could pick up a couple tears with his other hand. His Alkemei Fwin now glowing in activation, Andrew inched closer and got ready to place the first tear inside of his friend.

Wario and Waluigi tried hard to stifle their mounting laughter, but they could not handle it. Daisy shot them both a cold look, barking, "Anybody got a problem here?"

"This is just so awkward and disgusting," Wario replied.

"He's actually gonna reach inside of her like some kind of ghost," Waluigi said. "I don't know if I could even tolerate that! I sure don't want a hand sticking through me!"

"Night's not over!" Andrew snapped behind him.

"Only you two would be laughing at something this serious!" Daisy yelled at Wario and Waluigi.

Neva clutched at her stomach, suddenly overcome with a sickening feeling. The idea of Andrew fazing through Ramona made her think about when Dark Siren impaled her in her abdomen. The thought forced her to close her eyes and look away, and the sensation of pain from the event tried to recreate itself within her.

"Ramona, why don't we just switch pendants long enough for you to stick all the tears in yourself?" Andrew asked.

"No, I'd much rather you do it," replied Ramona. "I don't think I could get them in well by myself...definitely not safely, anyways."

"Then how should we do this?" said Andrew. "Should I just plant them all throughout your body?"

"I guess you just spread them out," said Ramona. "But try and make it symmetrical?"

"I'll try, I think," Andrew said. He paused for a while, not doing anything with any of the Crystal Tears. Eventually, he shook his head and let his hands drop to his side. "I can't. I can't. These tears won't stay immaterial when I 'let them go,' Ramona. What if I stick one in your lungs and then you can't breathe and you suffocate? What if I put one in an artery, or even a vein, and it clots and gets stuck there; and all of a sudden, you've got full occlusion and that part of your body goes under hypoxia and dies? Or worse, what if the tear doesn't jam a vessel and instead shoots to your heart? That's a heart attack waiting to happen!"

"We need a doctor here," Athelstan commented.

"Maybe just make them shallow?" said Toad. "You know, make it look like she's got spikes on her!"

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Marut. "Give her, like, the rad, wavy spike trail on her arms! And then some on her back, too! It'll look so cool!"

"No, I don't want that at all!" shrieked Ramona. "And they're not staying in me!"

"Oh boy," Andrew said in a sigh. "This is a really, _really_ freaky situation here."

"Can we hurry this up?!" barked Wario. "Move around or do something already!"

"Shush!" Ramona said.

"Maybe you _should_ just eat them!" Waluigi called out.

Ramona gulped, wide-eyed. "Eating...crystals? I didn't like that idea when Toad said it and I still don't like it!"

"It's a crazy idea anyways!" Andrew snapped before glaring at Waluigi. "How are they supposed to get out of her, then?"

After a few moments, Wario, Waluigi, Koops, Marut, and Neva all began facetiously cracking up. Those that understood why either shook their heads or did not even comment on them.

"Andrew, you'd just faze through my gut and grab them," said Ramona.

"That's _totally_ what you guys were thinking, right?" Daisy asked the five laughing ones.

"Of course we were!" Waluigi replied, laughing even harder.

"That's no good," Andrew said to Ramona. "There's a pretty fair chance that either I end up grabbing something inside of you other than tears – because I can't see inside of you – or I could pull out stomach acid in the process that'll eat away at my hands."

"This is getting really morbid," Ramona muttered.

"And what if the tears get digested in her stomach and whatever DNA they contain breaks down?" said Athelstan. "I'd think that the moment they hit stomach acid, those tears'll change, and then that could ruin everything real quick."

"Alright, I've got a different idea now," said Toad. "This one ought to be easier since I'd be doing all the hard work. If everyone could just follow me to the forge for a quick fix up, then we should be able to get things going from there."

* * *

With the entirety of the group waiting outside of Toad and Alden's Forge on South Island, Toad got to work on the case Ramona had used to contain the Crystal Tears. Using Ramona's Luster Swordstaff as reference, the five-minute modification to the case allowed for a clip-on action at the base of the staff's blade. Once finished, he brought both items out of the forge and handed them to the Kruna of Light. He showed her how to attach the case to her staff and how to take it off.

"You shouldn't have to change anything you did when searching for Crystal Tears," said Toad. "It should just take you bridging your power through your tool as normal and then using your tool to scope when you've made the energy link between it, your body, and your pendant. I just added on to your extension. So as energy floods your entire elemental tool, it should flow through that case when you have it clipped on. I'm hoping that is what'll happen, anyways."

Ramona nodded and hooked up the case to her swordstaff. With her Alkemei still maintaining that odd pink-gold glow, Ramona once again called on her Motomeru's power and initiated her crucial scoping ability. "So, using these Crystal Tears with my Motomeru and swordstaff, I _should_ be fine now to scope for the tears' source, the Oracle of Fates," Ramona mumbled.

"If this doesn't work, then I guess we're going back to the crystal acupuncture idea," said Toad.

Interestingly, Ramona did not have to scope for long. As she waved her swordstaff all around her, its glow continued to expand in intensity and frequency until it reached the slow, hard pulse Ramona had gotten so used to...right as she pointed the tip of her blade at Peach.

"Oh, bloody hell," Ramona murmured in absolute surprise.

"Wait, I'm sorry; what just happened?" asked Peach.

"It's you, isn't it?" Rosalina said to Peach with intrigue.

"That can't be right," Daisy muttered to herself.

"It's not my Alkemei malfunctioning," said Ramona. "It's been acting as it should, and there's nothing here to make it malfunction. Peach, you're the Oracle of Fates?"

"That has to be pointing at something behind me," Peach said. "I didn't even know anything about any Oracle of Fates before today-"

Peach took a few steps to the side, causing Ramona's Alkemei and swordstaff to dull some. But once Ramona redirected the blade of her staff back to Peach, the pendant and tool regained their full shine and throb. Ramona pointed back at the spot where Peach formerly was, only for the signal to not flicker as strong and instead try to direct Ramona to pull her swordstaff in Peach's direction. Peach even tried running right behind Ramona, just for the Kruna of Light to turn around and for her Alkemei and swordstaff to glow and throb the same way it always did when in immediate proximity to its target.

"Peach, that's definitely you," Daisy said.

"Me..." Peach mumbled. "Me? Are you sure you didn't mis-execute your scoping technique?"

Ramona nodded. "I am very much sure."

"Wow, this sure saved a lot of trouble!" said Marut.


	60. Chapter LX

Small Shock:

"What does this even mean?" asked Peach. By now, all eyes of everyone else outside of Toad and Alden's Forge that night rested on her.

"It means you're going to be a critical piece to us beating Marissa," said Bowser.

"But how?" said Peach.

"You've got a dormant power inside of you that you just need to unlock and bring out," said Daisy.

"You mean there's something other inside of me besides light wielding?" asked Peach.

Daisy nodded with a smile, though Peach looked away and to the ground. Peach did not seem happy at all about being the Oracle of Fates, and the apparent knowledge of her role made her more anxious than anything else. Seeing this in her dear friend, Daisy trotted over to Peach and grasped her shoulders with an assuring, firm grip.

"It doesn't have to be right away," said Daisy. "We have time. But I'm sure once you figure this all out, then you'll know what to do."

"But how do I figure any of this out?" asked Peach. "How am I supposed to figure it out when I don't know how to figure it out?"

Daisy then and there made a quick transition into her Nova Form, now only taking a second to switch. "I didn't mean to figure _this_ out when I did. It just happened one night. I was literally about to die, and that may have been the one time my spirit fell apart and gave out...but then I saw someone really special and important to me. He was...like a surrogate father for me when I needed him the most, and he came through for me when I needed him the most even after his death. Seeing him and hearing him encourage me and will me on restored me. I felt like I had awakened, I felt like I had ascended to a new level, I felt like all the guilt and doubt that I had built up and repressed faded and disappeared...and I felt determination in its full force."

"It is only natural for some to feel apprehensive with such a great responsibility thrust onto them," Rosalina said.

"I just don't understand what I am supposed to be as an Oracle of Fates," said Peach. "And even then, how am I supposed to do anything as one?"

"I didn't know anything about Nova Form," said Daisy. "But when the time came and I unlocked it, I just went with it and embraced it. From then on, it has only helped."

"I'll request that Peach spend the next several days with the Black Mages and I at the Comet Observatory," said Rosalina. "We will assess her and see if we can encourage the process of her awakening into the Oracle of Fates – the one whose powers will be instrumental to your success, Kruna Yura. Though, I only request if she is ready."

"Are you?" Daisy asked Peach.

Although she did not reply at first, Peach cracked a smile – and a nervous sweat – and nodded. "Yes. I'll be there first thing in the morning."

Daisy transformed back to normal and took her hands off Peach, who now felt better about the whole situation. It seemed as though Daisy herself felt better too; and maybe even a little stronger from it.

Ramona took off the case full of Crystal Tears from her swordstaff. "I guess I can just save these for when we need to get the Gate of Time to work...unless, you want to look at them, Peach?"

Peach leaned in as Ramona opened the case and showed the sixty-four Crystal Tears. The whole time she stared at the tiny pieces of crystal, Peach felt like she was staring at a part of her. _I made these,_ she thought. _These all came from me..._

"Surely, no ordinary person could have cried tears that crystallize," said Bowser.

"You're right..." murmured Peach.

* * *

A period of four weeks passed from that night. The early spring thaw began, accompanied with longer daylight and a warm-up in temperature – both things Andrew self-mockingly boasted complaints about. Overall, the break offered the eight Kruna all an opportunity to recover from what had been a string of brutal trips down on Earth. Given Peach's spiritual and magical work with Rosalina and the Black Mages, the Kruna did not see Peach often unless it was very early in the morning or late at night. She stayed in her own room in the Rainbow Suite like the Kruna did.

Aside from Neva and Andrew, the Kruna Yura worked on their elemental wielding and craft in training – lighter and more sporadic training than in the past, but enough to offer benefit. Having been the three pressing the most in training, Warra, Marut, and Athelstan combined for a triad of substantial improvements; the latter two enforcing the need to get more serious for what lay ahead. They even spearheaded some brief, light missions alongside some of the other Kruna; missions generally involving some combination of supplying relief for various portions of the planet, putting down raider threats, and even bringing back to Rainbow City some more people who came from other worse off communities.

Bowser enforced more control over his Giga Soul than he had for as long as he could remember having it inside of him. He had progressed along so far, he wondered and even felt a little like the Giga Soul was actually beginning to die off. The Kruna of Fire offered next to nothing for the Giga Soul to feed off of or try to twist around in its favor. And for the first time, it seemed as though Bowser's persistent and meaningful meditations may actually succeed in eradicating the Giga Soul.

Though Andrew still could not do anything about his curse mark, he did all that he could in providing aid for Neva, whether it be rehabbing her body and musculature, helping her with food and eating – or making sure she ate, since she often tried skipping meals just from being so sick of eating – or, emotional support. Andrew showed more patience with her in her recovery gauntlet than he had in anything or with anyone ever. Period. Ramona noticed this on several occasions and had nothing but applause and acclaim for him, and Neva's condition overall really did improve. However, the Kruna of Ice remained severely underweight and still had trouble moving around. No Mushroom in the world could help with that in any significant way.

When not with Neva and Andrew, Ramona spent her time with Daisy. The Kruna of Light more or less returned to normalcy over the four weeks, though her actions in Mekarsari still haunted her when she was by herself. In training with her, Daisy noticed Ramona being a lot more defensive and reluctant in her power usage. As a result, Ramona restricted herself, and it took a concerted effort for her to try and bypass the new impulse. Daisy wondered if Ramona even had it in her anymore to harm anybody, good or bad. That would not bode well for fighting Marissa.

On a particular afternoon early in their fifth week, the week the Kruna intended to go out and scout through the Angel Islands, Daisy and Ramona were supposed to train at their usual spot in the Elemental Training Grounds. When they both arrived, Ramona looked depressed. The Kruna of Light refused to ready any of her elemental energy.

"What's up?" Daisy asked with concern.

"I don't think I can keep doing this," said Ramona. "I'm not cut out for all of this. I'm not meant to be in this position."

"How can you say you're not cut out for this when you've made it this far?" replied Daisy. "We're all only here because of each individual on the team, including you. You're not just going to give up, Ramona. And you're _not_ going to when we're so close. Have some resolve."

Ramona sighed. "I know you're right...but this – all of this – has been so trying to cope with. Daisy, how do you always stay so determined and confident?"

"I have hope and belief and faith that everything will work out," Daisy said. "Even when I can't make sense of anything, or when I don't know where I'm going, or if I am way behind or about to lose. And, I try not to limit myself to what I think I can do. I just do, and then I see what happens."

"Easier said than done, isn't it?"

"Ramona, drop your restraint, please. You have great power. Don't shun it out of fear."

"I'm not trying to, Daisy! Honest! I want to still contribute and help and save people, but I just don't believe I can anymore. I'm scared, I'm homesick, I'm beyond rattled, I'm still in pain from injuries I never thought I would ever have to deal with... I can't keep battling. I can't fulfill my role. I'm just not a fighter."

"You're not a fighter, I get that, but you're a protector, aren't you? You're always trying to protect Andrew, right? You've made it this far because you wanted to protect everyone, haven't you? The power you have, it can help you do all of that. Don't think of it as you going out and purposefully inflicting any harm. Just think of it as you doing what you can to protect everyone. In giving up, you'd be giving up on two worlds; this one, and ours. Is that something you really want to do?"

"No..."

"We're all homesick, we're all hurt, we're all rattled, and I'm sure most of us are scared in some way. But we've got to stay strong and gut it out. We're not just fighting for ourselves. We're fighting for everyone. We've got four things we need to do; find the Gate of Time, beat King Boo, beat Marissa, and either capture Kokoro or disarm him of the Master Pendant. Four things left. And look behind us at all that we did to get to where we are now."

Ramona stood there staring at Daisy for a while; during which time, Daisy added, "We've accomplished a lot together."

"We really have," Ramona replied.

"But there's still more work to be done," Daisy said.

"But there's still more work to be done," repeated Ramona.

"It'll be over soon," said Daisy. "We're getting real close."

Ramona took a huge, deep breath, pulling out her Luster Swordstaff at the end of it. "Right."

"No more holding back, okay? The world needs you to use everything you've got."

Her expression growing more firm and decisive, Ramona tightened her hold on her swordstaff and raised her energy to a point just before flickers of light began escaping from her body. Quiet and like a veteran stalwart, she said, "I'm ready."

* * *

In front of the Courtyard Square's water fountain, Bowser sat on the ground in meditation. A light tapping on his head interrupted him, at which point he opened his eyes and growled. "What is it?!" he snapped. "I was busy here!"

"Oh!" Peach gasped. "My apologies! I forgot that you might be meditating."

"What did you think I was doing?" asked Bowser.

"I thought you were asleep," Peach replied, moving to stand in front of him.

Bowser's eyes went wide. "So it's not okay to interrupt someone's meditation, but it's okay to wake someone up?"

"I was just going to tell you to go sleep in your room. I figured you fell asleep here unintentionally."

"I...okay, whatever – what are you even doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be working with Rosalina and the Black Mages?"

"I needed a break. It has been a difficult four weeks spending most of the waking hours there with them, and I don't really feel any different from all of the magical rituals and spells they've done and wanted me to try. I wanted to see what you were up to."

"Obviously, not much. Daisy and Ramona are training right now. I'm sure Warra, Athelstan, and Marut are hard at work near there too."

"I just said that I wanted to see what _you_ were up to."

Bowser paused for a moment. "Just me?"

Peach nodded. "It came to my attention that the reason you even have to do all these meditations is because of me, isn't it?"

"What makes you say that?" Bowser anxiously asked.

"Because of the Giga Soul," Peach replied. "If you hated me – and by extension, Mario and Luigi – that much to the point where you didn't try and get rid of it when you had the chance and actually wanted to keep it-"

"You came here to bring that up," Bowser grumbled. He rose to his feet and began walking away. "Wonderful. An efficient use of break time."

"One day this week, I'll cook you a dinner, and I'll bake you a huge, king-sized cake-"

"Stop it."

"Well, if you need anything at all, please just ask me-"

"Stop. It."

"I just want you to know that I'm available and willing to help with whatever-"

"No – you've been doing this ever since you got here," Bowser said, stopping his movement and looking back at her. "I take that back – since before me and the other Kruna went to Sarasaland! Stop acting like I'm just some hurt little puppy you have to coddle and comfort because you feel guilty and you want to try and make it up to me. There's nothing to make up. We're fine. I'm not mad. I was mad. I was beyond mad. Not anymore. I've moved on. I've moved past that. Why haven't you? Didn't I get the hellish end of the deal? I'm the one with the murdered parents and the decimated clan – a clan that may as well have been scattered and not even exist anymore in this time. You're the perfect pretty little princess that everyone adores and can do no wrong in anyone's eyes."

Peach raised a brow. "Where did that last part come from?"

Equally as surprised, Bowser murmured, "Where _did_ that last part come from?"

"Whatever the case, it's clearly my fault that you're in the position you're in now," said Peach. "If I had the power to remove the Giga Soul from you, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"Is it because you want to be a good friend, or because you fear what I could do if it ever took full control of me?"

"Both."

Bowser smiled. "Thank you for being honest."

"Do you think you would want to see if there's a way to transfer the Giga Soul into me?" Peach asked.

Bowser sounded much less irritated when he responded. "No, don't go and do that. Seriously, don't. Peach, we are good. Stop with the remorse and regrets. I'm not going to sit around and let everything linger on my mind. I've seen what happens to people who do that. I am a changed koopa. I will not seek hate or violence where it is not necessary."

"Can I still be a good friend and make you a cake anyways?"

"If it'll make you feel better, then okay. Sure. But don't do it with the intention of trying to make me feel any better."

"Great, just let me know by the end of today what flavor you want it," Peach said. Her tone turned urgent when she noticed Bowser walking away again. "It's not only that that I wanted to talk about!"

"What else was there?" Bowser asked.

With steady conviction, Peach said, "I want to go back to the surface."

* * *

With a hazy sunset behind them, Neva and Andrew walked hand in hand through Rainbow City. Both of them smiled at one another in earnest. Something about the way the setting sun shined on Neva made the ice wielder glimmer and sparkle in Andrew's gaze, highlighting a surreal moment that he himself could not fully believe he was a part of.

 _Never did I think I could feel this way about you,_ Andrew thought. _When I first met you, I thought you were annoying, mean, rude, and overall ill-willed. But I stuck with you, using patience I normally don't have, because I felt that you needed help. After that, you changed – or, maybe you didn't, and you just showed who you really are on the inside past that sour outer. You turned out to be loyal, trustworthy, and honest. And you've been genuine with who you are. Sometimes, you get on my nerves fairly easily. Other times, your goofiness never fails to make me laugh. I feel safe with you, to the point where I can cut back and act like...a bright and happy kid...the one that I wanted to be...and maybe still am deep down. Maybe that's what we both are in the dark, and we bring it out of each other?_

"What are you thinking about that's making you all smiley?" Neva asked, intentionally bumping into him. "You've got that spaced out look on you again. It's because you're with me, right? I know; I'm wonderful to have around, aren't I? You don't have to answer that, because I can see it on your face! What am I gonna do with a big softy like you? Soon, you're not gonna be able to be anything other than a beanbag chair. Or a life size plush cuddly! Except you've got muscle instead of plush. Can you get unfit so you can be mushy like a plush?"

Andrew smirked, albeit with a clenched jaw and angled eyebrows. _I wholeheartedly accept both the good and the bad, but please don't ruin the moment!_ he snapped in thought.

Neva beamed with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'm so glad I got my cute, cuddly plushy with me!"

Andrew sighed, giving her a simper and a laugh in turn. He then said, "That's the last thing I ever thought I would be called."

Neva stuck her tongue out at him and then giggled like mad as they continued their walk. Her cheery mood did not last for long. Just a short while later, they went to the Starbeans Café on Southeastern Island and picked out a window table for that night's dinner. While Andrew had a cup of decaf Teeheespresso in his hands, Neva had a plate of french toast, grilled chicken, and a side of soft cruciferous vegetables in front of her. She had barely even eaten any of it after close to twenty minutes had elapsed.

Andrew stared at her and the discomforted gaze she gave to her meal, worry filling him. She had made progress since getting out of the hospital in working up to larger meal sizes and more frequent eating, and they had also been trying to progress her from easy-digesting food back to normal food. Neva had no problem with that day's breakfast. Now, it was as if she wanted nothing to do with food at all.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Andrew.

"Kinda," mumbled Neva.

"Your food's getting cold," he said.

"Yeah...I know," she replied.

Neva did know, but she still did not even try eating any more of what she had left on her plate. Andrew looked at her thin, bony arms and frowned. He could tell Neva had grown tired of eating, but she still had to gain back a significant amount of weight just to return to where she was before the Mystic Lake incident.

"You've gotta eat, you know," said Andrew. "Please. Seeing you like that scares me."

Neva frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? All of a sudden, my body scares you? What, am I disgusting or something?"

"No, that's not what I meant at all!" Andrew replied. "But, you've got to put back on the weight you've lost. I know it's a lot to have to handle, but you've gotten way too skinny!"

"I know! I know!" Neva snapped. "But I'm not hungry! What do you want me to do? Force feed myself? I'm getting so tired of you urging me on like this! You're stressing me out! How am I supposed to eat anything when I'm stressed out? Never mind how limited my choices are with my insides still trying to heal!"

"Neva, I'm not discounting any of that-"

"It seems to me like you are, you stupid jerk!"

"No! You've gotten frail and weak, and I'm concerned about you and your health."

"Don't be concerned! It's not your body!"

"I don't care! Neva! Please understand that I'm not trying to force you to eat or to do anything you don't want to do. But I am pressing this on you, and I have been ever since you had lost weight in the first place from your stay in the hospital. I'm sorry for having pressured you so much! I really am. But we need you as strong as you can be to fight Marissa."

Neva glared at him when he said that last part. "That's it? That's all you wanted me to be healthy for? Nothing else? Just need me to fulfill a role, huh? Is that all this ever was? Just trying to make me feel good to make sure I stick around and do this stupid mission with you?"

"It's not just that! No! I swear it's not just that!"

"I thought you of all people, out of everyone in the world, wouldn't be just another jackass."

"Neva, it's not like that at all!"

"Then what's it like, shadow-spitter?"

"I have not spent _this_ much time with you just to make sure you can fill some role!" Andrew furiously yelled. "That's the truth! You don't know how painful it was for me to see you in that hospital bed, and every day has been a pain ever since then because of how close we ca- _I_ came to losing you! No, the days before that have been so painful for me too! And I'll be damned if I let you starve to death! I have to encourage you somehow to eat! It doesn't even have to be food! Drink your calories and nutrients! Protein shake! Milk! Anything! We can go the Milk Bar all day! Whenever you feel comfortable enough to go, we'll go! And I'll go with you each and every time! Please, Neva! I'm begging you! It's not to make sure you're able enough to go back down to the surface again! It's not to make sure you can fight! It's because I want you to be healthy again! It's because I care too much! It's because I lo-"

Andrew cut himself off right there and covered his mouth with both hands. Neva gasped, going from vexed and irate to calmed and relaxed in an instant. She stared at the shadow wielder across from her, who went red pepper hot in the face. By now, their shouting had grabbed attention from the few other people in Starbeans.

"What's wrong?" Neva asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I guess I'm just disturbed is all..."

"I disturbed you? What's disturbing?"

"You're fine," Andrew said, getting up from his seat. "It's nothing... I think I need to go-"

"No, wait!" Neva yelled. "What were you going to say?"

Now Andrew got mad. "What does it matter what I was going to say?"

"Because it sounded to me like you were about to say something important!"

Andrew snarled and continued on just for Neva to rush out of her chair and latch onto his wrists. She used all the strength she could muster to keep from getting dragged away.

"Don't do that!" said Neva. "Don't run away from your feelings!"

"I'm not running away from any feelings!" he yelled.

"Then why'd you get up to leave all of a sudden?"

Andrew then felt the gravity quintuple and threaten to force him to the floor. No answer he came up with except for a totally transparent one on his part could have been good enough for Neva, who would not let go of him and stared at him with glimmering, shaky eyes. He stopped trying to move away.

"Now, I should apologize!" Neva then said. "We've both been dense idiots. Maybe it's just a defense mechanism we share. But it's not necessary, because you're just being a good friend. I just have it ingrained in my mind to be defensive. Still, I don't know why you feel disturbed!"

Andrew took a deep breath. "I'm just disturbed by... I'm disturbed by how much I really do like you."

"Well, I'm not disturbed by how much I like _you_ , Shady," Neva replied. "So you shouldn't be disturbed either!"

"There's some stuff about me that's messed up. I don't think I'm the best person to be around."

"I do. And I don't see anything about you that's messed up."

"Because you just don't know."

"I know enough."

Neva let go of him and returned to her seat. She got her fork, picked up a piece of the chicken on her plate, and took a huge bite out of it. Andrew watched in amazement as she kept eating without any hesitation in her pace. He came back and sat down with her, and he stayed with her all the way through until she finished off all the food she had.

* * *

Andrew and Neva walked back to the Rainbow Suite together later on. He split to the opposite side of the hallway to go to his room door. When he turned around in expectation of Neva being at hers, he instead saw her right behind him.

"What are you doing?" asked Andrew.

"I'm hanging out with you, stupid," said Neva. "Duh."

"Not tonight," he replied. "I know it's still kind of early, but you need to get as much sleep as you can. You need the rest."

"Well, yeah...I guess you're right," she replied.

"I'm not staying here anyways. I was with you all day today and didn't get any chance to do any elemental training. I'm going to the gym to get some work done there."

"Then, kiss me goodnight?"

Andrew flinched and went blue in the face. "Huh?! What did you just say?"

Neva frowned. "Why did you react like that?"

"Why did you ask?" snapped Andrew.

"What do you mean 'Why did I ask?' Why do you think?!"

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not inside your head!"

"Oh my g- can you be any more clueless? I wanted you to kiss me! I _shouldn't_ have had to ask! You should've just done it!"

"What do you mean I _should've-_ " Andrew said, cutting himself off as he got madder. "Alright! You want a kiss? Fine!"

"That doesn't even sound like you want to do it! You act like it's a punishment!"

"It certainly is seeming like a punishment with you mouthing off like that!"

Neva turned away and opened her door. "Never mind then, if you're gonna make it so difficult! Just forget it! You better hope I'm in a good mood tomorrow!"

Andrew crossed his arms and looked away. "Who said I would be free tomorrow anyways?!"

"You did!" Neva yelled, slamming her door behind her.

Leaning up against the wall, Andrew grumbled and clawed at his arms. "Stupid little... Why should I be excited about kissing you?" he muttered. He slumped down to the ground and palmed his forehead. _Why the hell do I even put up with you?_ he then wondered.

Daisy rounded the corner and walked up the hallway to Andrew moments later. She giggled at the vexed and irate shadow wielder on the floor and asked, "How'd it go taming the ravenous, flaming beast today?"

Andrew covered his mouth and moaned, "Ohhhhhh-I hate all of you..."

"I'll take that to mean that it went well," Daisy replied.

"She is such a pain sometimes," Andrew said, sighing and removing his hands from his face. "She's just so...so...so-"

"Perfect for you?"

Andrew heatedly blushed. "No! Don't you go putting words in my mouth! She's not perfect at all!... But...well..."

"But what?"

"She...she doesn't have to be perfect. I don't care whether she's perfect or not..."

Daisy then asked, "You love her, don't you?"

Andrew gave a soft smile at Neva's door, keeping silent for a while. But eventually, after a quick glance up and down the hallway, he did say, "I do... I really do."

"Well, get up, you lovesick dummy," said Daisy. "Are we gonna make this gym run, or are you too distracted?"

"I'm ready when you are," Andrew replied, returning to his feet.

Daisy and Andrew then went through the hall to go down the flight of stairs to leave the building. Though they did not know it, Neva had one side of her head pressed against her door from the inside of her room from the moment she heard Daisy's voice first enter the hallway. The exchange between Daisy and Andrew gave Neva a sedative, full-body quiver.

"Andrew..." Neva mumbled. "You...you really..."


	61. Chapter LXI

The Sky Ruins of the Angel Islands:

That Thursday; Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Marut, Athelstan, and Ramona waited in the Western Island Docking Bay's hanger that held the Koopa Cruiser. For their afternoon trip, only Toadette came. Marut would be handling the piloting in Waluigi's place alongside her. Since they were going to the Angel Islands high over the North Pole – and consequently, above the Nirvana Barrier – they could park the Koopa Cruiser without repercussion once they arrived.

"If you're all ready, then let's go," said Toadette. "It's gonna be a bit of a light cast today, huh?"

"Yeah, it sure is," said Bowser. "It'll feel a little weird, for sure."

"This is so exciting!" Daisy hollered between her teeth. "This is gonna be one of those days!"

"One of _those_ days?" asked Toadette. "That sounds bad, but you don't look like you feel bad."

"Because it's just a special day!" replied Daisy. "Don't you notice the special glow the sun has today? Everything has a certain kind of sheen on it that you almost never see! And just think about it – we're going to go to a bunch of floating islands at the North Pole to look for the Gate of Time! Doesn't it have a unique kind of ethereal feeling to it? It's a cool, all-around feel-good day, if you ask me!"

"Ahhhhhhh-nobody here knows what you're talking about, Daisy," said Athelstan.

"You're just too dense to notice the deeper kinds of things that life has to offer," said Daisy.

"I too know that sunlight glows," said Bowser.

"Okay, well now _you're_ just being smart," said Daisy.

"Knowledge is power," said Bowser.

* * *

Their trip in the Koopa Cruiser northward took a couple hours, turning their one o'clock departure into a three o'clock arrival within the bounds of the Arctic Circle. The sky and sun around them took on the appearance of a warm, golden early evening, met with a drop in air temperature as evidenced by the airship's thermometers. Just as with everywhere else in the sky, the Nirvana Barrier stretched over all of Earth below.

They saw the Angel Islands a short while later as they neared the absolute North Pole. Toadette and Marut increased the elevation of the airship in response to the higher altitude of the floating island chain. The islands were numerous and scattered around without any apparent pattern or ordering, though none of them boasted any notable size. All of them seemed fairly small.

Of interesting note, the Angel Islands all featured clouds as part of their grassy, earthen surfaces as well as archaic, ornamental buildings and bridges consisting of stone, brick, clay, and even glass. Similar to Rainbow City, the bridges connected the islands together. Because of the crowded, busy design of all the architecture on and around the Angel Islands, Toadette and Marut had to park the airship on the only flat, open island available, which was also the island furthest away from a tall tower towards the center of the collection of islands.

The Koopa Cruiser parked and powered-down, Toadette and the six Kruna got out of the airship and stepped onto the small floating island. The air had become noticeably thin at this elevation, eliciting a little breathing difficulty from Daisy and Athelstan both. The lone, heightened bridge leading off of their islet reached an island closer towards the main archipelago grouping around the central tower.

"Looks like that tower may be a point of interest," said Toadette. "It might take you about a half hour or more to reach it considering all these islands you gotta trek through to get there."

"No problem," said Daisy. "We shouldn't take long."

"Provided we don't get ambushed by that deity that watches over this region," said Ramona. "Actually, that sounds silly now that I think about it – she _will_ ambush us at some point."

"Just don't be aggressive," said Warra.

"And besides, we've all gotten more powerful," said Daisy. "I'm sure we could handle her if she wanted to get violent."

"We should also keep someone here to look after the ship with Toadette," said Athelstan.

"I'll stay back," said Bowser.

"As will I," said Warra.

"Yay! I don't have to wait here by myself!" exclaimed Toadette.

"We'll be fine with just us four going?" asked Ramona.

"I'm sure four of us can handle it if it gets to that point," said Daisy.

"Be careful with the clouds!" said Toadette. "If you try stepping on them, they'll start to collapse! You'll sink and then fall right through if you don't keep moving!"

Daisy took Marut, Athelstan, and Ramona up the ascending ramp onto the bridge to the next island. The bridge stretched a long way from where it began, complete with several drawbridge sections attaching to walls or small towers where applicable with chains. Parts of the bridge did not have any railing, making for an easy, disastrous plummet if someone made a misstep.

After getting past all the drawbridge portions of their path, they entered an open building anchored onto the next island. Passing a handful of windows, they reached another ramp and went down it onto the cloud-grass mix of terrain where the whole left side of the land had been fenced off. There existed nothing past that fence but the empty expanse of the sky, whereas all the other islands hovered ahead or to their right. A short forward advance led into the bridge to the third island in the sequence. This bridge had a similar build to the previous one, though they got to see more of the inner islands as they arced around and got closer to them.

"How peculiar," said Ramona. "All these buildings look almost identical in aesthetic to the ones in that sky city behind the Light Shrine."

"Aside from some weathering, I have to agree," said Athelstan.

"It's kind of like some dudes just ripped them from their spots and stuck them up here like some sky decorations," Marut joked. He then caught what he said and frowned. "Oh, wait..."

"You don't think someone actually tore land free from the Light Shrine and sent it up here, do you?" Ramona half-asked.

"You know what..." mumbled Marut. "That city did look kind of incomplete, didn't it?"

"Maybe scattered," said Athelstan.

"I did get the sense that there was something missing there, among other things," said Daisy. "But if you guys remember at the waterfall way back where the bordering mountain chains came together, there was a crater where it seemed like a whole plot of land had been ripped free."

Getting off that bridge put them in a structure on the underside of another island. Further forward progression necessitated climbing the very tall ladder in the rectangular, tunnel-like vertical passage – necessitated for Ramona and Athelstan, rather. Marut just flew through the opening, and Daisy simply wall jumped up. All four of them eventually got to the top and stepped foot onto the main level of a tower with a winding staircase. Looking out the open walls and gaps, a bridge extended from higher up in the tower towards the inner island chain. Any bridges on their current level only extended to more islands on the outskirts.

Climbing the stairs and crossing the lengthy top-level bridge, they entered yet another tall structure. Their descent onto the main level of the open-walled building brought them out to another new islet that held bridges going in several directions to various other structures and floating masses of land. This would be the theme for the duration of the Kruna's trek as they scouted through the area for anything that could have passed for a Gate of Time. Their search had been pleasant and uninterrupted until several many islands later, where they ascended through a tower and stepped out onto a spacious roof. There, a large mass of light cut them off in front of the bridge they intended to trek through.

The most stunningly gorgeous woman any of the Kruna – present or not present – ever saw then faded into view before them through the light. Her silvery-gray hair cascaded in voluminous, untamed layers on either side of a face that, similar to Marissa Arkana's, maintained an early adulthood youth. With skin even paler than Neva's and eyes of brilliant, glowing gray, she had very little color to her. The black and gold jewelry around her neck, on her forehead, and hanging off of her ears matched up with a white cloak that covered her black and silver-trimmed golden shirt and white pants. The pair of gold Geta sandals on her feet looked to be of an old-world, ancient design, much like the markings covering her attire. She held a level of muscularity throughout her seven-foot height just a step below that of Daisy's dense and compact build, and her Divine Battle Wand's winged hilt fed into a thick, jeweled tip with a perpetual white glow.

The woman floated just a few inches off the ground and eased closer to the group of four, as if forcing them away from the bridge. She flipped her long wand around in her hands and pointed its tip at the Kruna Yura, almost hitting them with how close she extended it out in front of her. The Kruna stepped away and cleared some space between them and her; though, aside from putting up the hood of her cloak over her head, the woman did not react further. She kept her wand out but stopped advancing towards the Kruna, giving off the impression that she just wanted them away from the bridge entrance.

"You four have had your fill," the woman said, her voice high-pitched but suave. "You've seen enough of these lands. Backtrack or die. There is no third option."

"Can you really call them lands if they're thousands of feet in the air," muttered Daisy.

"Progress no further," the woman said. "Take your aircraft and leave."

"You know how we got here?" asked Athelstan.

"I see all over these islands," the woman replied. "What business do you have here?"

"I can tell you are one of exceptional power and prowess with light," said Ramona. "Forgive us for trespassing, but we're just looking for a Gate of Time-"

"There is no Gate of Time anywhere here," the woman said. "Go away, or I will kill you."

"Hey, that's not friendly!" Athelstan shot back. "We don't mean any harm! Why don't we talk things out over some beverages?"

"I do not need physical sustenance," the woman said, readying her DB Wand with light energy.

"Then how about some good jokes?" asked Athelstan. "What is a yoshi's favorite food?... Egg rolls!"

"Athelstan, that belongs at Joke's End," Daisy said, shaking her head.

"But I still hear laughs," said Athelstan.

"Because that was horrible!" hollered Marut.

"And look who's not laughing," said Ramona.

The divine woman in front of them stared at them with a stern scowl, not so much as even blinking at any of the four Kruna. Their laughter soon became uneasy and died out altogether under the menacing glare the woman gave them.

"Aw man, we're not gonna even be able to return to our own time at this rate," said Marut.

"Return to your own time?" the woman asked. "Explain."

"The demon witch down on Earth sent us through a time skip into the future – which would be this present now," said Daisy. "We've been collecting Crystal Tears and searching for the Gate of Time for us to return home when we beat the witch responsible for this red and purple cloud barrier underneath us."

The woman relaxed her power some. "I see. So you are not of this time."

"Correct," said Athelstan.

"Present your Crystal Tears then," the woman demanded.

Ramona pulled out a couple of the tears from her pocket. "These are the only two I brought. I left the other sixty-two back at our base to keep them secure. We have no intention of leaving until we have removed the demon witch from power."

"Such unique artifacts can not be naturally produced," the woman said. "This must be the work of the Oracle of Fates. You have received their blessing upon this world. Their help will provide you with a crucial advantage if your desire and quest is to restore the world below us."

"So are you going to show us the Gate of Time, then?" asked Daisy.

"I did not even confirm that one existed," the woman replied.

"Oh c'mon! Cut it out already!" Marut hollered. "We know it's here! These really old-timey light wielder dudes made it at the Light Shrine, and we checked, and it wasn't there, so we had to go and dive down into the ocean on the other half of the world just to figure out that it was up here the whole time!"

"All the scriptures and hieroglyphs I translated in that underwater temple pointed to this place," said Athelstan. "If it's not here, then where would it be? And you can't say it doesn't exist when there have been countless references to it in what I read through."

"Alright then," the woman said, strapping her wand to her hip. She touched her feet to the ground and held out a hand in front of her. "One of you, step forward. I will scan through your mind to judge if you are trustworthy enough to see the Gate of Time."

Daisy moved over behind Ramona and gave her a big shove; one that sent the Kruna of Light stumbling ahead several steps. In a flustered blush, Ramona barked at Daisy, "Hey! What was that for?!"

"You're the one holding the Crystal Tears, aren't you?" Daisy replied.

Ramona did not get to do anything else before the woman pressed a hand on top of her head. Direct contact with the divine being seemed to make Ramona turn even redder. A period of silence followed, only broken with Ramona's elevated breathing. Though nothing happened from what the Kruna could tell, the woman was busy reading through Ramona's mind. At some point, the woman gave Ramona an odd look.

"Well..." the woman mumbled. "I suppose I should be flattered..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Athelstan.

"Ramona, what are you thinking about?" asked Daisy.

"I do not think such thoughts should be out in the open," the divine woman said.

Feeling everyone's weird stares on her, Ramona replied, "What? She's an attractive woman, isn't she? I'm just surprised by how...um..."

"Are you crushing on her?" Daisy asked.

"I'm not!" Ramona snapped. "I'm not trying to, I swear!"

As Ramona overflowed with embarrassment, the woman removed her hand and stepped back from the group. "Aside from a few exceptions, I did not sense anything questionable or anything that should make me doubt your intentions. I see who you and the others of your party really are, and I see that the demon witch displaced you into this present point in time. Your intentions of returning to where you came from will need the Gate of Time."

"And just to be sure, the Gate of Time is here, correct?" asked Athelstan.

The woman nodded. "Yes. Come. I shall lead you to it."

* * *

Traversing through more of the clouds, bridges, buildings, and old-world designs of the Angel Islands, the divine light wielder led the four Kruna on a route to the Gate of Time. The golden-red shine of the low sun gave everything around them a bronze tint and inspired within the Kruna a sense of peace and calm in the chain of islands suspended high over the North Pole and the Nirvana Barrier. Before too long, the group reached a bridge just a few floating buildings and land masses away from the tall, thick tower taking up one of the central islands.

"I am Apollymi," the leading woman said as they continued on their trek. "Long ago, in the time before time, I lived among a foregone society who spent ages uncovering the intricacies of life and time. We had constructed that which you seek, the Gate of Time, as our ultimate and everlasting creation that would stand as the culmination of all our work. But we remained wary of the world around our isolated community. To prevent against the misuse of our creation, we did two things as fail-safe mechanisms. The first was simple. I had ripped free a large chunk of land from deep within the depths of the Light Shrine where our sky civilization thrived, and I sent that section of land skyward along with several portions of our city. We all lived up here in solitude and peace with our Gate of Time until everyone had passed on. But I did not follow them. I declared that I would stay here as an ethereal entity and guard the Gate of Time for all eternity. In the event that one tried to misuse the Gate of Time, I would destroy them – or, worst case scenario, I would destroy the gate. I see I made the right choice in secreting away the gate up here, considering all that has occurred down on the surface over the ages. You all hail from a destructive culture."

"It's an unfortunate truth," said Daisy. "But it is something we are trying to rectify. What was the second thing you did?"

"The second...was to ensure that the Gate of Time could only be used when absolutely necessary," said Apollymi. "To do this, we made it so that only the Oracle of Fates could activate it. As a descendant of our society, light wielder or not, the incarnation of the Oracle of Fates across generations holds the innate ability to power the Gate of Time within their bloodline. They have granted you the ability to operate the Gate of Time through the Crystal Tears they produced. The gate only need recognize the presence of the Oracle of Fates to operate. For this, a single Crystal Tear should be close enough."

Upon reaching the target island, Apollymi lead the four Kruna inside the double doors of the floating land's tower. Though stairs wound around the boundary of the interior to upper levels, they did not have to worry about anything above them. The very object they had sought for so long sat dead center on the main floor.

"This is the Gate of Time," said Apollymi.

A tall, spacious arch with a thick build of some glossy dark gray, metal-like substance stood in front of them. Its curving body contained a pattern of inactive lights evenly spaced out, converging to a centered octagram; an imbalanced octagram rather, for the very top tip pointing straight up had more length and width than the other seven. The gap in the arch stretched about ten meters in length and an equal distance in height. The thickness of the device's frame spanned just long enough for someone of Athelstan's bulky build to hide behind it without anyone noticing.

"As I'm sure you can tell, the gate is in a dormant state," said Apollymi. "It is nothing but a heap of timeless metal and stone for now. It is utterly useless to anyone besides the Oracle of Fates. But, if you so desire, you may present a Crystal Tear to confirm that the gate will react and awaken."

Ramona nodded and stepped towards the Gate of Time. She took out one of the Crystal Tears on her person and held it out in front of her at the gate. When nothing happened, she shuffled closer to the gate and touched the tear to it. Within moments, the gate's lights turned on. The lights increased in brightness with a low, almost inaudible hum until a swirling black vortex with white streaks formed within the arch. Though Ramona took the tear off the gate when she backed away, it remained active.

"Oh snap, that's trippy!" said Marut.

"It actually operates," mumbled Athelstan. "All this hard work might pay off in the end after all..."

"This is totally awesome!" said Daisy. "There's our ticket back home right there!"

"But how do you work it?" asked Ramona. "How do you determine what time to go to? Would we just walk in? How do you even turn it off?!"

"The gate should turn off on its own after a while," replied Apollymi. "It definitely will not stay on for long once you've left. When you are ready to proceed through the gate, then I shall inform you of what to do. Then, and only then. You are committed to finishing your campaign in this world, are you not?"

Daisy nodded. "We most certainly are. Thank you for trusting us, Apollymi. We will return only after we've settled things on the surface."

"Excellent," said Apollymi, her form now fading. "Then I shall see you when your business is done. You are only allowed back here then. I have but one final warning for you to heed, and you must heed it well. Beware of the one-eyed False Angel bound to a seal. He will be the harbinger of the end to all times should you come across him. Now go and leave this place."

None of the Kruna had a chance to ask what Apollymi meant by her statement on who to be cautious of, for she disappeared entirely after she finished speaking. Calling out her name did not summon her.


	62. Chapter LXII

Options and Choices:

The Koopa Cruiser flew back from the Angel Islands to Rainbow City with the setting golden sun casting its final shine of the day on the right side of the ship. With Apollymi granting them permission to use the Gate of Time, a gate that they now confirmed exists, the Kruna Yura just had only a few more tasks to worry about before returning to their time. King Boo, Kokoro, and Marissa awaited on the surface; all three exceedingly dangerous.

"Guys, we're gonna get as strong and powerful as possible," Daisy said to her teammates in the airship's cockpit room. "Because as soon as Neva recovers, and once Peach unlocks whatever abilities and powers she has as the Oracle of Fates, we're going down to fight Marissa. Hopefully, Marissa has gotten to Kokoro already or will have by the time we confront her. If not, then we'll just have to stick around and beat him too. And then we'll have to go find King Boo and deal with him as well."

"But we can't..." Ramona suddenly said. "Andrew still has the Gatekeeper's Seal on him."

Daisy palmed her forehead. "That's right! I completely forgot about that! Aw man! How are we gonna get that curse mark off him?"

"How did you forget?" asked Bowser. "I thought you were training with him to try and get him to work around it!"

"I was, but it hasn't been very often at all ever since Neva got out of the hospital," said Daisy. "This is brutal! Rosalina and the Black Mages have been busy with Peach the whole time too, so they can't help us!"

"So then what do we do?" mumbled Ramona.

No one said anything for a while. The two piloting, Marut and Toadette, did not have any suggestions either.

"I guess we'll just have to find another shadow wielder who's powerful enough," Warra said.

"No, that's entirely out of the question," said Daisy. "We need him, and he needs us. I'm not even gonna acknowledge any idea of a replacement."

"Well what idea do you have then?" said Warra. "Aside from maybe Rosalina and the Black Mages, we know no one that could remove the curse mark, and Andrew's obviously too preoccupied to even care about his share of our duty."

"It's not like that," said Daisy.

"Then what is it like?" said Warra. "His priorities are scrambled and misguided. With as much focus as he has had on his own power, he's just gonna go and let some girl distract him now?"

"She's not just some girl," murmured Ramona. "You do realize it's Neva he has actually been helping recover."

"That's fine, but that doesn't mean he needs to spend hours on end with her," said Warra. "None of us are here to fall in love. We're here for a mission, and he's not doing us any favors. If he's not committed, he needs to get kicked off the team. If his feelings get hurt, too bad."

"That's cold, Warra," said Daisy. "I can't believe you of all people would say something like that. Didn't you have a girlfriend you were going to marry?"

"Yeah, I did; but you know what? She's dead," Warra hissed. "He'd be a lot better off if he just...just..."

Warra's voice trailed off, allowing silence to reimpose its dominance in the room for just a little while until Bowser spoke. "Show of hands, between waiting to find a way to undo Andrew's curse mark and going out to look for a new shadow wielder who's powerful enough to do an Elemental Seal with; raise your hand if you vote for undoing the curse mark."

Daisy and Ramona raised their hands. Toadette raised a hand off her joystick too.

"That's three," said Bowser. "Now raise your hand for a new shadow wielder."

Warra put up a hand. Then Athelstan did. Marut did as well.

"An even three-three," said Bowser. "I'm undecided."

"So interesting," said Athelstan. "The only three girls here all voted on Andrew's side."

"We're the only ones in general that did," said Daisy. "Don't try and straw man us."

"Regardless of the case, since I hold the tiebreaker, I have to vote for a new shadow wielder," said Bowser. "There's a very real chance he could be stuck with that curse mark forever, so we may as well just start looking for a replacement."

"I change my vote," said Ramona. "New shadow wielder."

"Ramona?!" Daisy gasped. "Why?"

"He's very vulnerable now," said Ramona. "It would keep him safe and out of danger if someone fought in his place."

"You're supposed to be his best friend, and that's your response?" snapped Daisy. "Okay, well I bet if Neva and Andrew were here, they'd both vote for him!"

"That'd still be five-four in favor of a new shadow wielder, by virtue of Ramona's switch," said Bowser. "And we wouldn't count Andrew voting for himself. And if you're gonna ask for votes from people who aren't here on an impromptu tally, then we may as well just go around and ask everyone in Rainbow City."

"It's nothing personal," said Athelstan. "But perhaps we would be better off that way? I think one of the Black Mages is a shadow wielder. Solovar? Yeah, he _could_ fill in if the other Black Mages can work with Peach without him."

"If he was more powerful, then yeah," said Daisy.

"But he's more powerful than Andrew is at this point," said Bowser.

"If you want to do an imbalanced Elemental Seal that Marissa could break out of, then yeah, let's bring in Solovar!" said Daisy.

"Any chance we could sway King Boo to help us?" said Athelstan. When nobody responded, he added, "Forget I asked."

"You know what – you guys just do what you want," said Daisy. "I'll quit. I thought we had a good thing going here with the eight of us, but if you guys are so quick and ready to boot someone, then I guess there's no loyalty here, huh? Just ready to toss someone aside when they're not able to be as useful as you'd like? Then why even wait on Neva? If they're both just tools, or means to an end, then why even bother with either of them if they can't help? That's what y'all are thinking, isn't it?"

"That's not what we're thinking," said Bowser.

"Prove that it's not!" snapped Daisy. "How would you like it if we just gave one of you the cut? You'd feel pretty lousy, wouldn't you? I know I sure did, getting left out all the time!"

The ship remained quiet for a while as it came up on Rainbow City. It soon flew into the Docking Bay, where it slowed to a rest and extended its landing skids. With that, Marut and Toadette stood up from the pilot seats and stretched out.

"If you all are kicking anyone off, I'm leaving," said Daisy. "Doesn't matter if it's Neva, Andrew, Bowser, Marut, Athelstan – whoever. We're not breaking this team up. We're not leaving anybody out."

"Then we need to wait for Neva to heal and figure out how to undo Andrew's curse mark," said Warra.

"It's not fair, really," said Marut. "At least if Peach had already unlocked her hidden powers and stuff, then the Black Mages could be spending their effort working on undoing Andrew's curse mark."

"Unless you want to resume trying to extract the Giga Soul, Bowser?" Athelstan asked.

"No, actually..." replied Bowser. "I don't feel like I need to get it extracted anymore. It just doesn't seem to bother me as much as it used to. I really think I can just go on living with it."

"Wait, are you...serious?" asked Daisy.

"Yes," Bowser said. "It's alright. Really. It's not going to break free from me. I can feel how weak it has gotten over time. I wouldn't be surprised if, in the near future, it just dies off."

"You're a saint for pushing on like this, Bowser," said Ramona. "Are you really fine with having to suppress the Giga Soul when it's time to fight Marissa? With the Nirvana Barrier still aggravating it within you?"

"I'm totally fine with it," said Bowser. "I think I can do it. And really, in a way, it's karmic retribution for the bad things I've done."

"Perhaps we could help you track down Kamek when we return to our present?" asked Ramona.

"It's not necessary," said Bowser. "Let's just get Andrew's seal undone. That's much more pressing."

"Maybe Echo could help Andrew?" said Athelstan. "Or someone in Memory Forest? Dabi the Fortuneteller?"

"No chance of seeing Arka Knight again?" asked Ramona.

Daisy shook her head. "Arka Knight's probably long gone by now. We could try Echo or Dabi. I don't know how much they would know about such a thing."

"We may as well check, right?" said Marut. "No real harm in at least checking."

"Okay, let's try that," said Bowser. "Is that something we can agree on doing?"

Warra nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

"Yeah, let's go there and see what they can do," said Athelstan.

"Great," said Daisy. "A trip to Memory Forest sounds a lot better than kicking people out."

"We should probably get out of this airship," said Toadette, gesturing to the right-side windows. "I think somebody's waiting for us outside."

The six Kruna and Toadette exited the Koopa Cruiser and stepped out into the hangar. By the hangar exit, Peach stood in wait. She looked as serious as ever and had her Koopa's Spirit and shoulder shield with her. The group walked up to her, a little surprised by her presence there in the Docking Bay.

"Hey, what's up?" said Daisy. "How come you're not working on your powers with-"

"Let's go," said Peach. "I have something I need to discuss."

"Um, alright," said Daisy. "But could it wait for a little while? We should report what happened at the Angel Islands-"

"It should be right now," Bowser said. "I'm pretty sure Peach has something to say that you should all hear."

* * *

The group consisting of the six Kruna, Toadette, and Peach went to Northeastern Island's Milk Bar and got a table and an adjacent booth. It was there that Peach expressed to the whole group her intention to leave Rainbow City and return to the surface. Everything she said, ranging from her frustrations and complaints to her lack of progress, the Kruna and Toadette listened to and understood.

"... I truly believe that I would be more of a help to the world this way," Peach said. "Me returning to the surface to continue doing humanitarian efforts and deeds would be more helpful than trying to pull out some hidden powers I know nothing of. Rosalina forbid me from leaving because she thinks I still need to awaken some 'true' powers I have, but I don't even believe anymore that I have them. I've made virtually no progress in unlocking them, and all Rosalina has been able to tell me is that I'm supposed to be some sort of divine healer. Guys, I just need you to sneak me down to the surface world. I can fend for myself from there."

Peach glanced at Daisy and Bowser in turn, saying, "It's been real nice seeing you again. But I need to leave. I need to be down there. Maybe when you guys beat Marissa and get the world freed from the barrier, we can go back to normal...at least, for however long it will be before you leave and return to your time."

Daisy sighed. "You're really not going to change your mind, are you?"

"No," replied Peach. "This is the way it has to be. This is the way I want it. You can either escort me down, or I'm taking one of the solo fighters and flying myself."

"We'll go down with you," said Daisy. "We were thinking we might have to make a trip to Memory Forest anyways. Is that an alright location for you?"

"It'll be a _Home_ -coming," said Athelstan. "Ayyyy... Alright, even I admit that one was terrible."

"That's plenty fine," said Peach. "I haven't seen the people of Home in so long; not since the day I sped past you all in the Great Valley."

"Alright," Daisy said with a hefty exhale. "Let's go tell Andrew, since he's why we're going there."

* * *

Neva and Andrew stood side by side and stared out at the setting sun through his room's window. They had just come back from some rehab work at the gym moments ago, and Neva looked more fresh and stable than she had been in a while. At that moment, with cups of tea in their hands as they gazed at the last remnants of daylight, Neva had a special gleam in her eyes.

"Spring is here," Neva said.

"I really hate spring," said Andrew. "Maybe not as much as summer, but it's close."

"Same. I mean, I get sunburned pretty easily. But despite the heat and sun, it's still an alright season."

"For what it is, yeah. It's a time of hope...renewal...change...rebirth..."

"New beginnings?"

Andrew smiled. "Yeah."

After a while, the sun left nothing of its glow but a dim blur low in the sky. The two glanced down and saw Rainbow City brightening up its colored lights as residents and townsfolk walked around on the streets below. The same gleam that Neva had, Andrew now had too.

"Let's go out and have some fun tonight!" Andrew said. He gestured for the door, only for Neva to show a slight frown. She kept staring out the window, staying still and giving no response. "Hey, what's wrong? You were fine just a second ago. Do you want to just stay in?"

"Andrew, let me ask you this," said Neva. She put her cup down on the nightstand by the window, as did Andrew. "Assuming we defeat Marissa, and we have to go back to our time...well...what if we decided not to go back?"

"Not go back at all?" said Andrew. "This isn't our time Neva. Our time is eight years ago. At this point, it might be getting close to _nine_ years ago. We have a world waiting for us to return."

"But think about it!" said Neva. "We could just leave that world behind and live on in this one! This would be a hero-less world anyways if all eight of us left. Sure, this is a grimmer timeline, but it won't be so bad once Marissa and the Nirvana Barrier are gone."

"What are you saying?"

"I think...I think I want to stay here... And I want you to stay here with me. Just you and me."

"I don't know if I could just leave Ramona like that," he said.

"She can stay here too," she replied, her breathing visibly accelerating. "I know how important she is to you. I don't wanna be _that girl_ who'd make you choose. But seriously, Andrew; that time in the hospital, and the time since, with you, regardless of everything else and how hurt and diseased I've been, it has been the best time of my life. It's been made all the better knowing that I actually have someone who legitimately, wholeheartedly cares about me...and who I care about without a doubt. I don't want this time to end. Let's just forget everything we left behind! Let's spring into a new start!"

"You're acting like someone possessed!" Andrew said as Neva bounced and jumped around.

"But I feel so renewed!" hollered Neva. "And I feel so alive! This is a whole different world from the one we came from! And with the way this world is, this is bound to be a more peaceful place than ours once Marissa's out of the way!"

Neva latched onto Andrew's waist and spun around with him for a while before they stopped in a dizzied daze. Andrew almost hit the floor, but Neva kept him from falling. Even in her weakened state, she kept him upright. They were both all laughs and smiles as they gazed into each other's eyes. But just a few moments later, Andrew's expression reflected a pensive state of mind.

What Neva had presented as a possible, divergent route for them carried certain unavoidable implications. Neva had asked him – not anyone else – to stay in this world with her. It had the foundation of a serious commitment to it, but they also already had a commitment to the team as Kruna Yura. If they really did stay in this time, that would leave two open slots on the team that needed replacement ice and shadow wielders. Surely, Daisy and the other Kruna would have much more to do beyond this world in their own time. Neva's proposal just felt like running away from it all; not to mention one glaring flaw with her idea.

"Neva," murmured Andrew. "About staying behind here..."

"Yeah?" Neva said, starting to grin.

"I'm not saying 'no' to it... But, aside from it being kind of...escapist...you do remember that there's still the Marissa from our time to defeat too. We have to beat her here _and_ in the past."

The Kruna of Ice's smile faded a little, but they heard a knocking on the room door before she could give a response. When Andrew and Neva headed for the door and opened it, they saw Bowser standing on the other side.

"Come on," Bowser said, gesturing for them to exit the room. Neva and Andrew followed him into the halls where the other Kruna, Toadette, and Peach waited. There in the hallway, the group as a whole went over everything Peach wanted to do and what they would try to do to cure Andrew of his curse mark.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Andrew said to Peach. "But you're a grown woman of free will. You have the right to do as you wish."

"Yeah, what he said," added Neva. "Maybe this is actually the way you're gonna help beat Marissa. It's a pretty indirect way, if it is."

"Just know that it has been a pleasure to be with all of you for the period of time I was here," said Peach. "I know you guys can beat Marissa. It has to be you guys since there's no one else who can but you. I'll do what I can to support the world while you eight fight."

"So early tomorrow morning, we'll smuggle Peach to Memory Forest," said Daisy. "Andrew, you're coming along. If neither Echo nor Dabi or anyone else in Memory Forest can help with your curse mark, then at least we could get the Black Mages to attempt something since...Peach won't be here anymore."

When Peach heard Daisy start to chuckle moments later, Peach asked her, "What's funny?"

"It's nothing," said Daisy. "It's just...you're actually leaving..."

Peach walked over to Daisy and hugged her. "I know. Just, go out there and win this one for us, okay, Daisy? Then you can all go home. To _your_ home."

Daisy seemed paralyzed, in terms of movement, speech, and thought, as Peach hugged her. Strangely, the Kruna of Earth soon noticed a surging of energy inside of her. She felt invigorated, as if willed on by Peach's soft and gentle encouragement.

"I guess I'll be going to pack after I get done with Rosalina and the others," Peach said, letting go of Daisy. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Right...tomorrow," said Daisy. "Early tomorrow... You hear that, Andrew? Be up and ready to go early."

"Okay," Andrew replied.

"Neva, will you be alright here by yourself until we get back?" asked Daisy.

"Are you kidding? I'm going with you guys," said Neva.

"Woah, woah, woah – hold up! Are _you_ kidding?" snapped Andrew. "You're still not ready to go anywhere on the surface yet!"

"I don't care! I'm going!" Neva hollered. "You realize how long I've spent holed up in Rainbow City?! I need to get out!"

"You know what – yeah, you come along too," said Daisy. "We're not likely to run into any trouble."

"Yeah! Dude, let me go with you!" Neva said to Andrew. "Not like I'm gonna let you tell me what to do anyways, but it'd be easier if you just let me come along!"

"Oh my gosh – you were complaining about abdominal pains the whole time we were in the gym today!" Andrew barked.

"I was!" Neva hissed, readying a fist. "You want some abdominal pains too?"

"Well, hold on!" Toadette shouted with a nervous smile. "Let's not get violent in here!"

"He started it," Neva grumbled. She threw out a jab at Andrew's abdomen, but it did not do much.

"That window's _right there_ for me to sidearm you out of," said Andrew.

"Go ahead! I dare you!" Neva snapped, sticking her tongue out at him.

Andrew scowled. "Why you little-"

"Alright, you two need to cut it out!" yelled Daisy. "How about if we didn't leave for another week? How's that for a compromise? That'd give Neva extra recovery time to get a little better! Is that okay?"

"Yeah, fine; I don't give a damn what happens to her," grumbled Andrew. "If you're in trouble, don't expect me to come diving in to save you, because I won't."

"Why do you think I'd expect you to?" barked Neva. "Like I need some purple knight in shiny black armor to come rescue me by turning off the lights!"

"Fine, don't expect me to!" Andrew yelled.

"I'm not, dark dummy!" Neva screamed.

"Fine! Because I totally won't!"

"Fine! Then totally don't!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

Daisy facepalmed herself and turned away. "I'm not, I'm not...just..."

"Oh dear," Ramona mumbled, anxiously rubbing the side of her face.

"Hundred-percent chance they're back to normal by tomorrow," Athelstan whispered to Marut.

"I just wanna sneak away from this craziness before the whole place blows up," Marut whispered back.

"Oh, you guys," Peach said to Neva and Andrew. "Settle down already! You're fighting like an old married couple."

"Married?!" mumbled Neva. Her whole body tinted to the shade of cherries as she quivered and turned to glance at Andrew. "P-Peach, h-why would you even – why would I want to get married to someone like _him_? D-don't say anything stupid like that, you sicko!"

In one quick dash, Neva bolted across the hall to her room, barged in through the door, and slammed the door shut. Everyone then heard her door's lock click. They all peered at Andrew, who was looking away with his arms folded. If not for the dark tone of his tan skin, he would have looked just as, or even redder, than Neva. Bowser tried to hold back laughter, but he eventually started cracking up.

"I didn't even remotely imply..." Peach started to say. "Hmm... So touchy."

"Bowser, that's not funny!" exclaimed Toadette.

"Yes it is!" hollered Bowser, laughing even harder. Athelstan and Marut burst out in laughter too.

"We'll just give Neva a week to get as much of her strength back as she can," said Daisy. "Can you wait a week, Peach?"

"Sure," said Peach. "None of us are telling anyone that I'm leaving, right?"

All seven Kruna still there in the hallway – including Warra, who had stayed silent the entire time – and Toadette agreed not to say a word about the matter.


	63. Chapter LXIII

Bowser Must Pay:

A week passed; a quiet, yet eventful week. Daisy, Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Marut, and Ramona made full use of the first five days out of the week for training, leaving the latter two for recovery. Andrew helped Neva regain more of her weight to get back into a slightly more healthier range, and the little ice wielder got stronger and more resilient. Though Neva still remained in subpar shape, Andrew felt more comfortable with her being on the surface.

Peach's work with Rosalina and the Black Mages yielded very little other than one notable, bizarre phenomenon. One day early in the week in the Comet Observatory Garden, Peach had been practicing with energy focus and meditation while sitting next to a diseased, dying plant. She did not deliberately decide to sit near it, for she just picked out a seat in the grass and sat down. It seemed that just being in close proximity to the plant for the several hours she was there revitalized it and reinvigorated it. No one noticed it until the night before the Kruna left for Memory Forest. Lubba looked at the plant's restored, lush green palette of color and saw that it bore fruit.

That night, the night before a trip that not a single person involved in Peach's decision had told anyone about, every one of the Kruna made it a point to go to bed early. Bowser was the last one to return to the Rainbow Suite. He went up to the level where all their rooms were and knocked on Peach's door. No response. She was either still at the Comet Observatory or already asleep.

When Bowser returned to his room, he opened his door and found a large box sitting on top of his mini-fridge. He turned on the lights and saw a frilly red bow with a note on the box. Confused, he walked over to the box and stripped the note from it to read what it said.

 _Here's that Strawberry Cherry Berry Supreme Turnover Cake you asked for,_ the note read. _Ha ha! It's a good thing I stayed this extra week! You thought I wouldn't do it, but I said I would make you one; even a cake as complicated as this. It has strawberries, cherries, raspberries, yoshi berries, cinnamon, blueberries, blackberries, coconut, vanilla, Hee Beans, boysenberries, apple butter, carrots, bananas, toffee, and whole-wheat flour; just like you asked. I stayed up all night just to gather all the ingredients. This is one sugary loaf of breaded dough, and I know you didn't have any intention of actually eating something so ludicrous, but I bet it is positively scrumptious!_

 _Be sure to tell me how it tastes before I go,_ was crossed out on the note. Replacement text followed immediately after it. _When you see my past self, tell her how it tastes. If it's any good, save this list for her so she can make it whenever you want. Maybe Mario and Luigi would like it to. She can make it for all of you guys and all your friends, I'm sure._

After a paragraph break, the note went on to say, _This is my farewell present to you._ _Take good care of yourself and all those around you. Best Wishes, Peach. May the stars shine down on all of you._

The note finished with a picture of a smiley face surrounded with stars at the bottom. Bowser lifted the top of the box to reveal the brownish-red, four-layer cake that gave off the most uniquely heavenly scent that he had ever smelled. He teared up and broke down into a slump on his bed.

With a soft sigh, Bowser said in thought, _Why does food have to be perishable..._

* * *

The next morning when they woke up, the Kruna overall made some quick changes to the individual uniforms they wore under their armor. Warra swapped to a monochrome look with a royal blue shirt and pants combo that featured gold and azure trim. His long sleeves underneath and his high boots had a navy blue hue. Andrew just switched up his mono-purple look by swapping purple pants for black pants. Similarly, Athelstan broke his all-brown look with a switch to tan and yellow pants. Bowser now wore red pants with a melded orange and yellow print going down either side under the "K" at the hips. Marut swapped whatever traces of black he had in his uniform to lime green, better resembling a typical air wielder in combination with the forest greens, silvers, and sky blues he had. Ramona changed to gold pants but kept her black long sleeves under her white shirt. Neva's skirt turned silver like her boots, but her long-sleeved shirt remained white, and her leggings stayed cyan.

Daisy stared in her room's mirror as the only one who made no changes. She thought about it for variety like the others did, and she had not worn orange, her personal favorite color, for a considerably long time; but she ultimately decided against it. The all-black look with the silver trim and accents had become a look she felt at home in; and the uniform itself now felt like more than just a standard earth wielder outfit. She remembered all her training with Master Terran in similar garb. Then, she thought back to the day she and Bowser set out for the Fire Shrine in what felt like so long ago. From there, she recollected everything in her mind that she did with her teammates that got her to where she stood now. All of it, she did in that black-on-black style; a style that had become synonymous with the active, substantial role she now held, contrasting with her relatively obscure, insignificant, and uncertain life before.

It was not just about representing the earth element anymore. The uniform now carried a distinct sense of identity with it; one that filled her with empowerment, confidence, pride, determination, and vigor. The faux teal jewel in the middle of the flower design centered on the upper portion of her shirt flashed, almost as if winking at her.

In her final glimpses at the mirror, her mind duplicated her outfit in her reflection and projected a whole row of them lined up behind and offset her. Silver, wispy bodies of smoke filled each of the uniforms. She knew why she saw such an image soon after it came to her.

 _All the past Kruna of Earth across the ages are watching me,_ thought Daisy. _I am one of them._

Her smile faded to a stern look. She glanced at the wrist and ankle weights she wore, weights that felt like nothing for as long as she had been wearing them. What normally would be reserved for training, she had used as pseudo-elemental tools. She did not use claws, or drills, or hammers, or any other tool common for earth wielders. Before her Terra Bladestaff, she could not even use a tool period. She had a bright, cheery, sassy, energetic personality with an angry attitude when provoked. In battle, she applied her high strength, speed, power, and agility; relying heavily on offense and improvised action to make up for little defensive skill. Her feelings and intuition gave her insight that most others did not have, and her readiness to adapt to anything paired brilliantly with her clutch nature. Aside from her toughness and resilience, she did not fit the mold for an earth wielder at all. Yet, she was one; and not just another average one, but an elite one.

Even though they were just going on a quick trip to Memory Forest, she had a feeling that the day ahead would hold special significance. _Whether it's Echo or Dabi the Fortuneteller, someone's going to get the Gatekeeper's Seal off Andrew,_ Daisy thought. _And then soon, it will be time to face Marissa..._

* * *

The ride aboard the Koopa Cruiser to Memory Forest came to pass quietly. Peach had a backpack with food and healing items the Kruna all gave her, and she had her shield and Koopa's Spirit with her. No one said very much when it came to her impending departure. Bowser thanked her for the cake he got, only to get a simple nod in response. He did not feel singled out though, for she kept distant from everyone on the ship; including Daisy. Piloting the airship with Toadette, Waluigi had not known beforehand about Peach leaving. Still, he had enough sense to figure it out on his own, and he held back his snide remarks.

Soon, they passed into the Nirvana Barrier and came out on the other side into the darkened skies under the red and purple cloud ceiling. Judging by how early in the day they had left Rainbow City, they entered the timezone containing Memory Forest just an hour or so before the time the sunrise would have happened had the skies been clear. All eight of the Kruna Yura then sensed something with a terribly huge energy signature in the area. They also sensed a second one almost as large as the first.

"We should be fine to park, right?" asked Waluigi. "Marissa's not going to attack us, there's no crazy robot, and you guys will only be there for a little while right?"

"We're sensing something very powerful," said Daisy. "It feels like it's coming from inside the forest."

"Why don't we park somewhere inside the forest but away from whatever you're sensing?" said Toadette.

A towering column of light erupted from deep within the gigantic trees of Memory Forest. Mounds of ice and snow exploded near the light. From what the Kruna could tell, the blasts occurred in the vicinity of Home.

"Far away from whatever you're sensing," Toadette added.

"No, take us as close as you can get," said Daisy. "Just get us a good angle to drop from."

"Leave and return above the barrier as you normally would," Warra said to Waluigi and Toadette. "Don't stay here."

While the two pilots steered the Koopa Cruiser closer to where ice and light bursts continued to go off, the Kruna Yura got out their Sail Gliders. They ran into a problem upon realizing that Peach did not have one. Marut ended up giving his to Peach and opted to use his Furaito to fly down.

"Just keep the glider over your head and lean in the direction you want to go," Bowser told Peach. "This should go without saying, but make sure you don't let go of the handles."

"Oh my," said Peach, studying the glider. "This is quite the piece of tech."

"And it's sensitive to movement too," replied Bowser. "Don't be surprised if you have trouble handling it. I know I did the first few times."

"Follow my lead," Daisy said, setting up at the diving hatch. "We're gonna fly in close but not directly at anything."

After Daisy opened the hatch and jumped out, the other Kruna and Peach went after her one by one. Peach backed all of them as the last one out. Before she jumped, Peach gave one final salute to Waluigi and Toadette and said, "Thank you guys so very much."

The two pilots gave salutes back and watched her go. Moments later, the Koopa Cruiser turned and headed for the Nirvana Barrier.

* * *

Daisy had aimed for a gap in the titanic treetops and soared through to the ground level of the realm hidden underneath. As she came to a running stop, the others followed her and split to the clear areas of the dirt road near her. The unusually strong gusts in the area made their descent much more difficult than it should have been, but they all got through fine. It seemed as though the howling winds reached all the way from above down to the forest floor.

"I don't like the way the air feels," said Marut. "There's crazy displacement all over the place!"

Everyone in the group had to stay mindful of loose, flying debris tumbling about. Almost getting blown away, Neva clung to Andrew's arm as hard as she could. Already, he felt like it was a bad idea for her to be there with them. But it was too late to turn back now. And aside from Athelstan and Bowser, everyone else also had issues resisting swaying under the pressure of the gusts.

"What a windstorm," grunted Warra.

"Something real serious is going on at Home!" said Daisy. "We need to hurry over there!"

While the winds raged on, more bursts of ice and light sounded off and exploded from somewhere deeper into the forest just around a mile away. The group of nine darted up the dirt road, closing in on the elemental uproar as gusts flew in all directions. A few erratic ice blasts shot at the Kruna and Peach and forced them into evasion during their run.

Several minutes later, they entered the first of Home's rows of house-trees. The light and ice blasts now looked more prominent even though the Kruna noticed the massive energy signatures in a gradual decline compared to what they sensed them as while in the Koopa Cruiser. They got to the intersection that branched off onto Home's main route and went up it, coming face to face with two distant figures. One of them produced light, and the other produced ice; but the darkness of the early morning prevented them from making out details from further away. The scattered lampposts lining the dirt road did not overcome the Nirvana Barrier's shadow.

They saw Cafune, the blind water wielding koopa, before they made out who the two entities battling each other were. Only upon reaching Cafune and some of her fellow residents did the Kruna and Peach recognize the faces, voices, and appearances of the two elemental wielders fighting in the intersection ahead. Daisy scowled at Kokoro's presence and the pink and light blue glow the Master Pendant emitted around the demon's neck.

"What's Kokoro doing here?" Daisy barked.

"That's the one who chased me before," Peach said. "What's this all about, Cafune?"

"Oh, is that you, Peach?" replied Cafune. "You haven't been back around here in a while. You came back at just the right time. Echo has been battling that demon here for hours."

"Where's Jayus?" asked Marut.

"Jayus isn't here," said Cafune. "Not anymore. That demon killed her."

The news elicited shock among the group, particularly from Peach and Marut. After blocking an ice bolt from Echo the Skull Guardian, Kokoro turned and noticed the Kruna and Peach. He flashed a malicious grin their way, one that Daisy and Marut eyed down and let linger in their minds.

"Oh no, not Jayus," Peach mumbled, grabbing at her face.

"She was such a bright and happy girl too," murmured Ramona.

"That dude's going down," grumbled Marut, smashing his fists together.

"That demon killed a lot of people here before Echo showed up," said Cafune. "They've been fighting ever since last night. To be frank, both he and Echo should be worn down right about now."

Cafune was right. Echo and Kokoro's labored breathing came from battered, bloodied bodies. The Kruna sensed the two combatants' energy signatures steadily decline with each passing moment. As tired and beat down as they were, Echo and Kokoro still fought on. But once Kokoro bounced around the open area and got close to Echo, he blasted the Skalfer away and into the side of a nearby house-tree with a burst of light to put a stall to the action.

"I KNEW they were here!" Kokoro yelled at all of Home. "You all thought you could hide them from me? What fools you really are!"

"You were looking for us here?" asked Warra.

"I was looking for you all over," said Kokoro. "I want my Crystal Tears. I don't care how many bodies I have to tear through to get them." He focused intently on Daisy, adding, "And if you want to try and threaten me like you did with that stunt you pulled in Kareah, I will unleash a pure, unadulterated hell storm of light upon this entire forest. I'm not playing around this time. I don't care how many have to die to ensure that I never die."

The "eye" inside the Master Pendant glanced at each of the Kruna Yura and at Peach. Its sickly glow increased in thickness and smoggy consistency. By now, Echo had recovered and marched back towards the intersection. The Skalfer looked gassed, as did Kokoro. However, Echo seemed ready to keel over.

"You lasted much longer than I thought you would," said Kokoro. He raised a hand to charge a dense beam of light. "But of course, we all knew you wouldn't last forever."

"Don't you even dare!" Daisy yelled.

"TOO LATE!" Kokoro screamed in laughter, firing his burst. The attack flew at Echo with breakneck speed, but the Skalfer had enough time to dodge. Unfortunately, he was too hurt to move quick enough. He closed his eyes, expecting a big hole to burn through him.

Except he did not get hit at all. Diving in front of him, Andrew blocked and deflected the incoming light beam skyward with his left arm coated in shadows. His spin added to his shoulder extension to give him the momentum needed to clear such a hefty burst of power, but the high amount of energy he used in such a maneuver made his Gatekeeper's Seal recoil. Out of his dive, he hit the ground hard and cringed in a painful tightening of his body.

While that occurred, Daisy powered-up into Nova Form and dashed at Kokoro. A pulse of light from the Master Pendant pushed Daisy just enough to slow her down and give Kokoro adequate evasion time. Daisy missed with her two-handed smash, and Kokoro got away without enduring any harm. He peered at Echo and saw the other Kruna and Peach rushing to the Skalfer's side, but then he also noticed Andrew still down on the ground.

 _I'm taking out the antagonistic element first,_ Kokoro thought. He wound up and fired a light beam directly at Andrew, only for Ramona to step in front of the shadow wielder and deflect the attack off her swordstaff. Daisy flew at Kokoro with a Flurry Punch string, forcing the demon into a backpedal until he twisted around and slammed a leg into her. After her body bounced off a house-tree, Daisy looked up and saw Kokoro lunging at her with one of his claws out and ready to slash. In a surprise shocker, Neva rocketed at Kokoro's side in a long jump and kneed the light demon away from Daisy. Kokoro did not tumble on the ground for long, however.

"Neva, what are you doing?!" Daisy yelled.

"What do you think?" said Neva. "Am I not allowed to save you?"

"Not in your condition!" barked Daisy. "Get back!"

"Quit babying me!" snapped Neva. She then heard a yell from Kokoro and saw the demon rushing at her, but a wall of dirt and soil rose up in front of her right as the demon neared. Neva got her bladestaff out and spun around backwards as Kokoro smashed through the earth wall and fell over. The moment before Kokoro hit the ground, Neva thrust her bladestaff into a fleshy area between his neck and shoulder. She did not have the strength to force it in too deep, so she pulled it out of him and shot a freezing wave of ice power into the open wound. The severe cold immobilized Kokoro in a violent, writhing squirm.

"What do you think of that, Sarasa?" Neva barely managed to say. As her breathing became heavy and her posture deteriorated, Daisy pulled her away from Kokoro and led her back to the others. Bowser, Athelstan, Marut, and Warra stepped up, though it did not seem like Kokoro would present much of a threat anymore. Daisy joined the four up front, and the five of them made their way towards the downed demon.

"Jackass," Daisy said. "I got some questions for you."

"You can just cram those up your cramhole," grunted Kokoro. He rolled over on his back and tried to get up, only for Daisy and Athelstan to push him back down and pin him to the ground.

"Damn, do I hate this guy," grumbled Daisy, shaking her head.

"Have you run into Marissa lately?" asked Bowser.

"Yes, a few times," said Kokoro. "In fact, too many times, to be honest."

"At least we know she has tried," said Athelstan.

"I don't get why she has been so focused on me as of late when you're all running around," said Kokoro.

"Because you've got the Master Pendant," said Daisy. "You've had that thing for too long. Time to give it up."

" _That's not his choice, now is it?_ " a warped, multitoned voice spoke from Kokoro's mouth.

The five Kruna around Kokoro glanced back and forth between him and each other, wide-eyed and spooked. Kokoro had lost all tension in his face and now looked blank. None of the Kruna had any idea as to what provoked the odd voice.

"Let's see if we can just do this," said Athelstan, reaching for the Master Pendant. He tried tugging it off of Kokoro, but it refused to detach from the demon's neck. Not even his barbaric might could remove it. Daisy grabbed onto a section of the Master Pendant's necklace and tried yanking it off too. Their combined strength started pulling the pendant away from Kokoro's neck, only for a shock from the pendant to zap their hands away from it. Bowser, Marut, and Warra watched the Master Pendant refasten itself into place.

"Screw this," Marut muttered. "Let's just destroy the freaky thing!"

"No, if we destroy it, Osiris gets freed," said Bowser.

"I've had about enough of this guy," growled Daisy, forming a Crystal Fist. "I'm pounding his head into oblivion! The kill here is worth it!"

Just as Daisy began taking her technique one step further to thicken and fortify it into a Final Crystal Fist, Kokoro spat at her face. She moved her head out of the way and forwent completing her attack upgrade, instead slamming her standard Crystal Fist into the side of his head. With hers and Athelstan's bodies pinning Kokoro down, the demon's neck took the brunt of the force from the hit and gave off an echoing "crack" sound effect. Peach, Neva, Ramona, Andrew, and Echo saw Daisy's hit from a distance and heard the subsequent noise loud and clear.

But the dead-on, firsthand sight of the hit was even more disturbing. Athelstan had already jumped off of Kokoro and yelped in shock. Marut put a hand over his mouth and backed away, forcing down a gag. Bowser and Warra grimaced at the now limp demon body as Daisy disbanded her Crystal Fist and stood up off of Kokoro.

"You...weren't kidding, huh?" Bowser asked the Nova Form earth wielder.

"I'd've done a lot worse if his spit had got on me," grumbled Daisy.

Worse might have been more effective; for in a stunning display, Kokoro's body fidgeted and shifted. His arms and legs even wriggled around as well. He got so close to getting up that Daisy and Athelstan moved back to pin him down again. The demon's face remained blank.

"Not to be crude or morbid, but he should be paralyzed right now," said Warra.

"To be fair, there is a chance – however slight – for one to _not_ experience paralysis from a broken neck," said Athelstan. "There may also be variances in his anatomy that grant him more durability in that area, so you may not have broke it as much as you thought."

"Bro, that sounded as broken as it could get," said Bowser.

Kokoro's head turned to look at a point in between Daisy and Athelstan, though not explicitly at either one of them. Now, both the demented voice from moments ago and Kokoro's voice spoke at once to say, "Get off of me."

"That sounded way more disturbing than it should have," said Athelstan.

"Give me one reason why we should move," said Daisy.

Kokoro then glanced at Bowser for a brief moment. The eye in the Master Pendant did as well. Although when Kokoro looked back at the space between Athelstan and Daisy, the Master Pendant's eye kept staring at Bowser.

"You're in my way," Kokoro said.

"What... In your way?..." murmured Daisy.

A few seconds later, Kokoro started chuckling. The chuckling turned to laughter, and the laughter then turned into mad cackling. No one had said or done anything even remotely humorous.

"What's so damn funny?" Daisy spat out.

"Yeah, I didn't even tell any good jokes yet!" exclaimed Athelstan.

"You never tell any good jokes," said Bowser.

"I have an acquired taste," the Kruna of Stone replied.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Daisy screamed at Kokoro.

"The Master Pendant just told me something funny is all," said Kokoro. His laughing came to an abrupt halt before he added in a slow monotone, "I HOPE YOU ALL GO TO HELL WHEN YOU DIE."

"Oh yeah?!" Daisy grunted out as the Master Pendant's glow brightened. She wound up to slug Kokoro in the head but got blocked with an echoing, octagonal shield of the same hue as the Master Pendant. Athelstan got off of Kokoro and tried to stomp on him, only for a similar shield to come up and deflect his foot when it got to within inches of striking the demon. With his other arm free, Kokoro swiped at Daisy and knocked her off of him. He then launched off the ground using his back and hips and went straight for Bowser. The Kruna of Fire activated his Blazer Claws and got them up to block the demon's reaching hands, countering after contact with a double diagonal slash. The hit dealt noticeable harm to Kokoro, but the demon did not even acknowledge his damage or show _any_ signs of pain. At this point, the Master Pendant had reached its strongest glow yet.

Not even when Marut and Warra simultaneously blasted lightning and water at Kokoro did the demon flinch. Kokoro hit the ground without a care in the world and got back up the moment his momentum stopped. Daisy rammed into Kokoro and jumped into a somersault kick for a second hard hit in succession. Again, Kokoro went down. But he got back up. The Master Pendant's glow continued increasing.

"What's-I, I d-don't understand what's going on over there!" Ramona cried, teeth chattering.

Kokoro twisted his back around in an entirely unorthodox manner to dodge two of Marut's agile kicks and a fierce Iaido swing from Daisy. Warra's ensuing Iaido slash missed as well, as did Athelstan's heave of his meaty swordstaff. The Kruna of Water kept his swordstaff out to try and land a quick slice on Kokoro, but the demon continued executing ghoulish, spectral-like movements in evasion that he himself normally never even made.

"He's moving around like his spine is made of gelatin!" said Athelstan. "Daisy, I think you smashing his neck like that made him nimbler!"

"No living being moves like that!" Andrew shouted. "Back off of him! Something's not right!"

Warra made a final attempt at landing a swipe on Kokoro and missed. Bowser and Marut noticed the Soul Stealer's feet "sliding" on the dirt terrain in his evasion. While the other Kruna had put an end to their current attack phase, Kokoro only stopped moving once he noticed he had a clear line of sight at Bowser.

"Enough fooling around," the horrific voice coming from Kokoro angrily shouted. The demon's arm raised and pointed at Bowser. "This vessel contains power from _The Shadowed One_. UNLOCK IT AND CONSUME ALL TO RETURN THE WORLD TO ABSOLUTE ZERO."

"What is he even..." Neva mumbled.

"The Shadowed One's remnants exist outside the seal!" the voice spoke from Kokoro. " _You will never be safe._ No seal will keep you away from destruction forever. The Universe began at absolute zero, and it will return to absolute zero. One ruler shall hold dominion over the empty expanse, and I am guaranteed a seat alongside the throne."

Utter silence developed from the voice's ominously slow and deliberate assertions. The Kruna, Peach, Echo, Cafune, all of Home; none of them said a single thing. That may have been because no one knew anything the voice was talking about.

"All will soon be made right," the voice from Kokoro then said, still pointing at Bowser. "My master and I will realign everything as it should be and eradicate all impurities. There will be no time. Space will hold nothing. The abyss shall exist all around. Then, and only then, everything will be at rest."

"Alright, whatever's going on here, _that's_ not Kokoro talking," said Marut.

"Infernal elemental wielders," the voice said. "You destroyed my Revenant, but you have lasted far too long now. You will be wiped. This whole world must be cleansed, just as worlds beyond this one must. All these pointless, extraneous existences must be erased. Perish for standing in our way."

"We refuse," Daisy sternly declared.

"Refuse?" the voice murmured. "Hmm... You don't quite seem to understand. I gave you no options. What have you to refuse?"

"We refuse everything you just said!" barked Daisy. "We're not letting you do any of that! You can't!"

"And why is that?" the voice asked.

"Because we said so!" yelled Daisy. "Got a problem with that?"

"Because you said so..." the voice murmured. "You see? You don't understand what's happening here at all. YOU'RE NOT THE ONES IN CONTROL."

An irregular, rainbow-colored dark shroud shot out of Kokoro's raised hand at Bowser. The Kruna of Fire saw it coming and evaded, but that did not save him from taking the hit. The Master Pendant flashed when the burst went past Bowser, at which point the shroud somehow curved back around and struck the koopa as if magnetically drawn to him.

No damage or harm of any sort fell upon Bowser, but he would soon wish that to be the case rather than what happened instead. He felt himself lose touch with the world around him. Suddenly, he noticed a surge of energy shoot through his constricting body.

 _You don't know how to use your power!_ the Giga Soul roared inside of him. _Let me show you!_

The koopa's vibrant and lively form dimmed and became pale and saturated. His entire body began to grow as a navy blue cloud with a pair of red orbs leaked out of his mouth and covered him. As he gained size, height, and mass; his shell expanded and fractured at numerous areas, causing jagged ridges to mold around his now sharpened spikes. He did not stop growing until he had nearly tripled in size, forcing the Kruna near him to back away.

Though proportionally slimmer and lankier, he was much more massive overall. His soft bulk stretched out into a more hardened, sinewy silhouette of extreme muscularity. His pants, armor, and shoulder pockets stretched under the size increase, but his Pyro Scimitar, Blazer Claws, Hammerspace Belt, and Alkemei Kracielle all fell off of him. The bandana he wore ripped to shreds when his horns thickened and elongated, and his face deformed into something hideous.

"Man, he...uh...has been eating his vegetables, huh?" mumbled Neva.

"That's not his doing," said Athelstan. "That's the Giga Soul corrupting his body like that."

This new form of Bowser possessed by the Giga Soul pulled back one of his legs and swiped it in front of him to kick his discarded equipment to the side and out of the way before centering his focus on the other seven Kruna and Kokoro. The transformation complete, the Giga Soul re-assimilated itself back into Bowser's body. The koopa's mouth creaked open and revealed a menacing array of sharpened teeth, but the strain Bowser endured overshadowed all of his newly developed, frightening features.

"You really hated me that much..." murmured Peach. "I'm...so sorry..."

 _I will make sure you pay for keeping me subdued all this time,_ the Giga Soul said within Bowser. In full possession of the Kruna of Fire's warped body, the Giga Soul eyed-down Kokoro and charged at him. Daisy, Athelstan, Warra, and Marut dodged and slipped out of the way. Kokoro remained motionless. And Kokoro would stay motionless after Giga Bowser spun and whipped his tail into the demon's head, further adding to the critical damage Daisy had already done on his neck. The Master Pendant fluttered off of Kokoro as if it had merely been placed around his throat without ever being secured. A quick pulse of power while airborne shifted its trajectory to fall on the ground near Daisy.

As for Kokoro, who lay on the ground with his head laterally bent beyond ninety degrees, Giga Bowser marched over to him and raised a foot. And he gave him the most unceremonious stomping treatment anyone had ever seen. All those that watched could not keep count of the amount of times Giga Bowser's foot went down on the Soul Stealer, nor could they keep track of the number of crashing thuds elicited from each stomp. They just knew that Giga Bowser did not stop stomping until he had hammered a small impression into the ground where Kokoro once was.

Kokoro now dispatched with, Giga Bowser turned his attention to where the Master Pendant had fallen. But he did not see the pendant on the ground. Instead, he saw Daisy knelt over with the Master Pendant's necklace clenched in one of her fists. As soon as the Nova Form earth wielder noticed Giga Bowser eyeing her down, she got up and leaned onto her back foot.

 _Take the pendant from her,_ the Giga Soul demanded inside Bowser.


	64. Chapter LXIV

Nonaggression:

Giga Bowser trudged towards Nova Daisy, his eyes locked on her and the Master Pendant she held. The winds howled on at them without end. No doubt all the residents in Home hiding and watching were panicking. Despite its unpredictable tendencies, the Master Pendant remained passive and did not show aggression towards Daisy. To Warra, its lack of actions seemed beyond suspicious.

Daisy held her ground as Giga Bowser crept closer. The size increase definitely slowed the koopa down, but there was no telling just how much strength he had in reserve. Her and her team had two options – escape and evade, or fight. In fighting Giga Bowser, they would be doing harm to someone who had come out of such a bad place and grew to be an invaluable friend.

Daisy's mind gave her an ever so brief glimpse of a flashback to her fight against Grekka on the roof of Elkon's Tower. Then she thought back to Mario and Luigi as Mr. M and Mr. L in the very same location she was in at that very moment. And now, the scenario played out again; this time, with Bowser.

"Spread out!" Warra ordered to everyone there. "Spread! Spread! Spread!"

"Hey, don't take a hit!" Andrew called out. "Seriously! I got a feeling this guy might end up one-shotting somebody if you give him the chance!"

Ramona cringed and whimpered, "Ugh...this is horrible..."

"He's not even aware of anything, is he?" Peach asked of Bowser.

"That evil spirit is in full control of him, it seems," said Echo. "The one we saw while he transformed..."

Giga Bowser roared and slammed down a fist at Daisy, who leapt in towards him to avoid a hit that smashed the ground she formerly stood on. Her inward movement set her up well for a counter on the hulking behemoth.

 _Oh...I'm so sorry for this,_ Daisy cried in thought. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and kneed Giga Bowser in the abdomen.

The Kruna Yura of Earth was among the most physically strong on the team, second only to Athelstan in that respect when in Nova Form. That taken into consideration, her forceful knee bash stunned Giga Bowser for all of two seconds. He might have stumbled back some, but not by a notable amount. Her attack even sounded like it hit hard, yet Giga Bowser showed little acknowledgment that he had endured any damage. And then the Kruna remembered that Bowser had always arguably been one of the toughest on the team, meaning the Giga Soul's influence and transformation had only bolstered Bowser's endurance even more. That reminder then became a painful one for Daisy on the subsequent kick Giga Bowser bashed her with.

Daisy went skidding far across the dirt road of the Home intersection, the Master Pendant flying from her grip the instant after Giga Bowser's hit rocked her. The hit itself almost knocked Daisy straight out of Nova Form along with rendering her dazed and temporarily immobilized. Marut and Warra jumped in front of where Daisy came to a rest, both priming their Ultima Staffs with elemental power. Giga Bowser did not speak a word and ignored the two wielders of air and water in favor of turning and heading for the Master Pendant.

"Marut, go get that pendant!" Warra hollered. "I don't think Bowser should get a hold of it!"

The Kruna of Air took off in a sprint for the sealed Alkemei. Interestingly, Peach retrieved the Master Pendant before Marut or Giga Bowser got near it. The Oracle of Fates herself turned and ran as fast as she could with the Master Pendant's eye shifting and scanning in every direction it could see from.

"Idiot! What does she think she's doing?" grunted Neva.

 _KILL HER,_ the Giga Soul screamed in Bowser's mind.

A ring of fire formed around Giga Bowser's raised hand and expanded as it rose up over his palm. The fiery ring flew at a winding, improper trajectory when he threw it. Its constant rotation and flipping made its exact trajectory difficult to predict on its way to Peach. Ramona rushed over and cut across to the opposite side of Peach, erecting a thick slab of light in the process to shield against the incoming fire ring for a timely save. But Giga Bowser had already left the ground.

Everyone watched the amazing height the massive corrupted koopa gained in a jump that put him in line to land on top of Peach. From his apex just into the beginning of the titanic trees' foliage, Giga Bowser fell quick. The intense winds did nothing to alter or affect his massive body's trajectory in any way. Just for insurance, Giga Bowser flared flames all around his lead foot.

Peach could not react in time. Almost no one else was ready either. Daisy regained her bearings just as it happened. Giga Bowser's landing kicked up fiery earthen chunks all around him. He had to tug his foot free from the indentation it made where he struck. And there – crushed, charred, and mangled – Echo lay. The Skull Guardian had bashed Peach just far enough out of the way for her to avoid death, instead taking the lethal hit himself. Still clutching to the Master Pendant, Peach rolled to her feet and scrambled with it again.

"Oh damn, no messing around!" hollered Ramona.

"That really just happened," mumbled Marut.

"If not for Echo, there's no more Peach," said Daisy.

"But now, there's no more Echo," said Warra.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Cafune called out as she walked towards the battle area. "You should be unleashing an onslaught on this monster!"

"He's not a monster!" Andrew yelled.

"He sounds and feels like a monster!" snapped Cafune. "So I'm assuming he looks like a monster just like I'm assuming only one reason to be true as to why I suddenly can't sense Echo anymore!"

"Cafune, please stay back!" Peach demanded in her frantic backpedal away from Giga Bowser.

Cafune summoned moisture from all around and coalesced it into a spinning, "bladed" disk. "Fine – you just have to let the blind one do all the work, don't ya?!" she barked.

Using her echolocation skills, Cafune slung her water shuriken in the direction ahead of Giga Bowser's heavy, thumping footsteps. The attack struck but induced minimal damage, not containing enough power to noticeably harm Giga Bowser. While Peach ducked under a swipe from the enormous koopa and slid through the gap between his legs, Cafune readied more water.

"Peach, get over here and give me that pendant!" Daisy yelled.

Hurrying to the Nova Form earth wielder, Peach gave Daisy the Master Pendant and turned around just in time to see Marut slamming into Giga Bowser with a Drill Dash. Marut's offensive produced the most damage on Giga Bowser so far, and Athelstan succeeded that with an Odina strength boost to the Boot Club kick he followed up with. The one-two combo put Giga Bowser face-up, shell-down on the ground, buying everyone there at least some time to regroup and recollect themselves.

"Okay, first off, a certain someone really shouldn't be here right now," said Daisy, looking at Andrew. "You need to go find Dabi and see if she can get your curse mark undone!"

"At this point, I doubt she can do anything," muttered Andrew.

"Just try!" snapped Daisy. "Not like you can ask Echo now..."

"Come on, Shady," Neva said, tugging him along by his arm. "Let's go to Dabi and see what she can do. I don't think I should be out here either, to be real. The blind koopa's doing better than I would in my current condition."

"Yes, the both of you, please leave," said Warra. "The possibility of losing three of our teammates in one day is too much to handle."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Peach.

"Hold onto this and make sure it doesn't leave your sight!" Daisy said, tossing the Master Pendant at Andrew.

The Kruna of Shadow made a backhand catch and secured it as if dropping it would blow up the entire planet. "You're giving this to me?"

"We gotta keep it as far from Bowser as we can," Daisy said as Giga Bowser stirred and rolled over. "The Giga Soul obviously wants it for something. Just take it with you. And don't let it do anything strange. You know how it likes to act as if it has a mind of its own."

"Warra, does that mean you're going to kill Bowser?" asked Peach.

"We will do what's necessary of us," said Warra.

"No, we're not killing him," said Daisy.

"We will do what's necessary of us," repeated Warra, turning to face the now standing Giga Bowser.

"Don't kill him!" Peach urged. "He doesn't deserve that."

"If it gets to that point, and it's a life or death situation, we will do what we must," Warra said as Giga Bowser marched towards them. "I'm sorry."

"Andrew, let's go already," Neva said. "Hey! Dude!"

"Alright, alright! I'm coming," Andrew said, breaking his gaze from the Master Pendant he clutched in his free hand. He and Neva then turned and ran up the street into an area more numerous with house-trees. Giga Bowser reacted hard with alarm out of their departure with the Master Pendant and broke into a run himself. Just as he neared the group, Giga Bowser got set to attempt a long jump and clear over all of them to reach the two escaping Kruna.

"No you don't!" Marut hollered, flying into the air. The moment Giga Bowser left the ground, Marut entered another Drill Dash. Giga Bowser's momentum smacked Marut away on contact, but Marut succeeded in forcing Giga Bowser back too. Marut flipped out of the hitstun and hovered in the air, watching Giga Bowser hit the ground in front of the others on his shell again.

"Oh man, this feels so weird!" Marut exclaimed. "I don't wanna hurt my bro here!"

Athelstan raised his Obelisk Swordstaff with the intent to slam it down on Giga Bowser, but he hesitated just before jumping. "Ah, I can't! This is isn't right!"

"Weak," Cafune spat out. Having completed gathering and condensing a pressurized orb of water, Cafune tossed the orb up and arced it in a whip-like manner to slam it into Giga Bowser. The corrupted koopa growled when the water hit him and jolted his body. Cafune did it again, over and over, gathering more water and recollecting whatever splashed away. She kept pounding him while the Kruna and Peach watched, none of them actually adding on to Cafune's offensive themselves. Showing strain, Cafune pulled as much moisture from the environment and the skies above as she could to fortify and strengthen her smashing water attacks. Giga Bowser took hit after direct hit to the torso, not so much as even getting a chance to stand up.

"I'm not...I can't stay here for this," murmured Peach. "Cafune, please stop."

"Why should I?" Cafune shouted. "This guy's getting what he deserves!"

"He doesn't deserve this!" Peach yelled.

"Just back off of him already!" Marut yelled down. "Geez, man, have some chill!"

"We don't want to kill him if we don't have to!" said Athelstan.

"No – you stupid asses need to check yourselves and just _stop_ with your _nonsense!_ " Cafune yelled. "This is all your fault! The people here that died overnight died because of you! That demon only came here looking for you! Jayus is dead because of you! You made my best friend die! I don't care what happens to you or this bastardized koopa!"

Cafune's water froze in midair. The blind koopa could not see it, but Warra had his swordstaff up and focused on her water. Feeling the interference, Cafune tried to overpower it. She tried, but Warra's influence proved greater than hers. Warra soon had all of Cafune's water gathered around him in a slowly revolving vortex, poised to strike but on standby.

"You! Water wielder!" Cafune yelled. "Why'd you do that to me?!"

"I'm not standing around for any of this any longer," murmured Peach. She turned and ran in the direction Andrew and Neva went in. Daisy watched her go, though she knew she could not give her dear friend any true consolation at such a moment.

Cafune swiveled her arms and yanked some of her water back, then she swung it around and shot it into Warra's side. Warra lost all control of the remainder of the water to Cafune, who then aimed the water at Giga Bowser. Unfortunately, Giga Bowser had already got back up. The burst of water Cafune shot at Giga Bowser only pushed the colossal koopa back. Cafune, stricken with fatigue, failed to continue the assault.

 _Kill them all,_ the Giga Soul roared in Bowser's mind. _THEY ARE IN THE WAY._

Giga Bowser's eyes spread wide open as he charged a green ball of flames in one of his hands. The Fanning Torch fireball he made flickered in the relentless wind and burned with ghoulish talons as a part of its build. When he threw it down, it charred everywhere it snaked across and blew a wide swath of green fire at the Kruna and Cafune. Warra got a wall of water up to defend, paired with a burst of wind Marut sent down from above to scythe through the incoming fan of flames. Though the elemental wielders kept safe, everywhere around them that the fires touched got marked with black ash.

Giga Bowser opened his mouth and let flaming breath escape to try and coat the Kruna and Cafune in a burning veil. Luckily, Ramona pulled through as a defensive stalwart yet again and split into the fires with a high-powered light beam off her swordstaff. Warra lashed out at whatever flames got through Ramona's attack using rising splashes of water, though the group as a whole still backpedaled to further their distance from the massive koopa.

"This thing needs to hurry up and die already," said Cafune. She readied her energy for a sonic outburst and cupped her mouth to focus the scream she let loose. As the only one Cafune directed her Sonic Scream at, Giga Bowser covered his ears and froze in place. Athelstan set up his Stone Launcher over his shoulder and fired it at Giga Bowser to pelt him with a punishing barrage of rocks. Marut added onto Athelstan's assault using the slicing winds of his Aerovado blast, an attack that turned erratic and unfocused with the natural disturbance of gusts already present in the area.

Neither Athelstan nor Marut could bring themselves to the level of violence Cafune tried to inflict upon Giga Bowser. As soon as her Sonic Scream died out from a lack of air, she inhaled and let another one go. The scream sounded wetter and harsher this time, rendering Giga Bowser too preoccupied with covering his ears to defend against Marut's and Athelstan's attacks. Down the colossal koopa went again. But like all the times he fell to the ground before, he did not seem very hurt at all.

* * *

"You can't help me?!" Andrew hollered. He, Neva, and Peach stood in front of Dabi in the room in her house-tree that held her great psychic ball. The fortuneteller had denied the Kruna of Shadow a way to undo the Gatekeeper's Seal that had so severely restricted his power.

"No, I can not," Dabi replied. "It is beyond the scope of my abilities. I have strong healing powers, yes. But I can not perform miracles, and I can not undo hexes – especially not ones of the level you describe."

"Alright, screw me," muttered Andrew. "Can you at least say that there's someone in the forest who could help?"

"Maybe Echo," said Dabi. "But not anyone else."

"Echo's not capable of helping anyone anymore," Peach said under her breath.

"Oh..." Dabi mumbled. "I see... Then...perhaps you are at a loss, shadow wielder. I am so very sorry."

Andrew sighed. "It's fine."

"Hmm...unless..." murmured Dabi. The Magikoopa pressed the tips of her fingers together in deep focus and stayed that way for a while before looking at a certain someone in white and pink. "Peach, why haven't you tried fixing your friend there?" Dabi asked. "I can sense you have great powers; even far greater than the last time I saw you."

"Me?" said Peach. "You...want me to try and- No way, I don't know the slightest thing about hexes! I have only a basic understanding of magic. Curse marks? You may as well be speaking another language to me."

"Even now, you still discredit yourself," said Dabi. "You've always done that for as long as I've known you, and yet you end up doing magical, mystifying things. Why, even the existence of Home itself and the fact that it has thrived for as long as it has is something truly extraordinary; and it is you that brought us together here."

"Peach, if you're holding something back, just lay it on me," said Andrew. "I don't care if it backfires or not, so don't worry about harming me. I'm willing to try anything. Well, mostly anything."

"I'm not holding anything back," said Peach.

"Really? Because I feel like the old koopa lady is trying to say that you are," said Neva.

"You have a vast reserve of untapped potential, Peach," said Dabi. "Don't give up before you even began. Try, at least, before you go around saying you can't."

"But how could I possibly..." Peach mumbled, her voice trailing off.

"Daisy said that eight years ago, you didn't know the slightest thing about elemental wielding," stated Andrew. "And yet you stood there at Mekarsari with us against Dark Usurper, firing off light bursts like it was nobody's business! And like you said, you learned light wielding on your own out of necessity, without anyone's help!"

"But-" Peach tried to say.

"But nothing!" Andrew cut-in. "Daisy's not here to encourage you right now, so I'm gonna do it instead! Whatever stuff Rosalina and the Black Mages have been working on trying to get you to do, just try it on me. If it works, then great! If not, then it's no loss. The only loss that would come at this point is if you don't at least try."

"I never understood what they were trying to get me to do!" said Peach. "I don't know how! I tried figuring it out, but I didn't learn enough to know what I'm doing!"

"You wanna know a secret?" said Andrew. "I don't know what I'm doing half the time on the battlefield either. A lot of the time, I just pull out energy, throw down techniques, and react to whatever's happening. I don't have any plan or strategy other than dishing out as many damaging attacks as I can. You may as well say that I just wing it and hope for the best. But you better believe I go on with the intention that I'm going to succeed or what I'm doing is going to work somehow, even when I feel like utter crap and don't think I can do anything right."

Peach quivered and shook, but Andrew remained resolute and did not back down from anything that he said. With a deep sigh, Peach closed her eyes. Andrew, Neva, and Dabi waited on Peach to see what she would do or say. Just a short while later, Peach raised a hand and focused some of her power into it. A warm, radiant gold glow emanated from her palm.

"Get on the ground, Andrew," murmured Peach.

* * *

Now back on his feet once more, Giga Bowser tromped towards the Kruna and Cafune. From his spot in the air, Marut got control over some of the wicked gusts and kept them in rotation around him on standby to attack. He never did send them at Giga Bowser.

"I can't hurt this cool dude here, my dudes!" said Marut. "He's, like, my favorite dude! Ugh...this is so screwed."

"This is beyond twisted, for sure," said Athelstan. "Warra, can't you call for help?"

"By the time _anyone_ from Rainbow City comes, it'll be too late," said Warra. "We can't just expect to last like this for two hours."

"Bowser! Take back control of your body!" Daisy yelled. "We need you! The world needs you! Get in control! You're a Kruna, for Luma's sake!"

"Bowser, you have to seize back your body from that spirit!" said Warra. "You're a good person! Don't fall back down into that hole! If you fall again like this, against a soul like that, you'll never get back up!"

Giga Bowser ignored them. He broke into a dash with fires blazing around his arms. The group of elemental wielders split to either side of him and avoided the flaming downward swing he attacked with. Similarly to Mario and Luigi, Bowser showed no evidence of having any control of himself.

Daisy raised the dirt and clay underneath Giga Bowser to score a low hit near his tail. The attack did little other than buy enough time for them to circle behind Giga Bowser, who then surprised everyone when he retreated into his shell and spun around in a maneuver similar to his Whirling Fortress. A huge displacement of wind from the massive spinning shell threw back the airborne Marut and knocked Cafune off balance. None of the Kruna noticed her fall until it was too late. Giga Bowser came back out of his shell after a handful of revolutions and raised a clawed arm with nothing short of malicious intent behind it.

The blind koopa could not get up in time to evade or protect herself, only able to yell out, "Somebody help me!"

The other Kruna turned around and saw a swipe of Giga Bowser's arm paired with a bloodcurdling scream and a splash of red. They had no time to get to Cafune before it was over for her. Eyes of rage and fury fueled Giga Bowser all through the several shots of fire he laid down on the mangled, dying koopa at his feet. It almost seemed as though for every smash and stab of water Cafune had attacked Giga Bowser with, he smothered her with an equal amount in fire. He did not end the onslaught until Athelstan got him to stop with a boulder to the head.

"Bad move, Bowser," muttered Athelstan. "Very bad move."

"Bad move for him? What about a bad move for us?!" cried Ramona. "We should've helped Cafune with that spin move Bowser pulled!"

A fireball flew out from Giga Bowser's open mouth, packing intense heat and erratic flames. Both Warra and Ramona stepped up and swung their respective swordstaffs to deflect the gargantuan burst of fire far off to the side, where it blasted a portion of the dirt road intersection. The explosion got too close for comfort in regards to catching onto any of the nearby trees or house-trees. The last thing anyone there needed was for the whole forest to burn down.

"You're really going to force us into doing something we don't want to do, are you?" murmured Warra. He held the blade of his Tidal Swordstaff in front of him with a secure, tightened grip on the staff shaft. "Fine. I will assume responsibility as I did before."

"Hold on, Warra," said Daisy. "It hasn't gotten to that point yet."

"It most certainly seems like it has!" snapped Warra, pointing at their opponent. Giga Bowser readied another fireball in his mouth and looked up, likely with the intention of firing it into the leaves of the treetops hundreds of yards above them.

"This place is burning to the ground if he gets that off!" Ramona screamed, firing a laser from her swordstaff. In her urgency, she had aimed her beam directly at Giga Bowser's head. Her laser both cut through and disrupted Giga Bowser's fireball; and it also scorched and burned into his mouth. That was the most damage any of the Kruna had dealt the enormous koopa all battle, sufficient enough to make him clutch at his face and cry out in pain.

"He didn't take that one too well," Athelstan said as Marut flew over and landed nearby.

"Oh no, I put too much behind that one..." mumbled Ramona.

"No, this is just what we're gonna have to do, it seems," said Daisy. "When we get another attack in on him that fazes him like that, we need to unleash a barrage on him. No matter how much we don't want to, we gotta hit, and we gotta keep hitting him, and we can't hold back when we do."

"But what are we gonna do to save him?" asked Ramona. "How are we gonna fix him and get him back to normal?"

"There is no saving or fixing him," said Warra. His focus on Giga Bowser intensified as the possessed koopa once more lumbered towards them. "You all need to incapacitate him somehow. Make sure he can't defend himself or pull any stunts. And when you get him secured...I will do what I must."


	65. Chapter LXV

Unfaltering Will: Peach:

Warra's Tidal Swordstaff produced a blue, aquatic shine as he focused his elemental energy through it and extracted moisture from the environment. Giga Bowser trudged on, increasing the speed of his march as he got closer to the Kruna. In a few moments, the monstrous, corrupted, Giga-Soul controlled koopa would be within striking distance. Despite this, Nova Daisy, Marut, Ramona, and Athelstan all gave Warra odd and confused stares of hesitance.

"Don't give me that look," said Warra. "We all knew this was a possibility. We all knew that the Giga Soul could overtake his own free will. Well, it's happening now right before us. We should've been prepared for something like this."

"None of us thought it would get to this point," said Daisy.

"Well it got to this point!" snapped Warra. "Just because no one wanted to believe it could happen doesn't mean it couldn't!"

Giga Bowser brought down both of his arms in clawed swings, forcing the five Kruna Yura to split up and evade again. His subsequent charge of a fireball then got cut short when Athelstan ran at him and kicked him in the shin. It took the Kruna of Stone's Alkemei Odina strength boost to make the kick damaging enough to harm Giga Bowser, though it came with reluctance. Even so, that attack usurped Ramona's previous light burst as the one that elicited the most damage on the gigantic, warped koopa.

 _Destroy them,_ the Giga Soul urged within Bowser. _They are too weak. They are not worthy of a place in completing the ultimate task. Eradicate everyone. Return the world to its purest state. Absolute zero._

"Oh no, he's getting into stance for his Tavado blast!" Ramona called out. "That'll wreck Memory Forest!"

"Hey, can someone get to that?" Marut asked, his Dragon Bladestaff conducting electricity.

"Got it!" exclaimed Daisy, rushing straight at Giga Bowser. Marut raised his staff overhead and used the existing wind to add to the growing power he gathered for his Lightning Blade. While streaks of lightning flew off of and around Marut's bladestaff, Daisy landed a swift and quick Crystal Kick on Giga Bowser. She chained off of that contact with a spin that fed into a double palm strike, effectively disrupting the fires Giga Bowser had gathered.

Through the dissipating flames, Marut swung a horizontal slash with his bladestaff and unleashed the furious bolt of his Lightning Blade. Such a frightening lightning bolt of dense thickness and voltage ripped through the air on its way to Giga Bowser and blitzed the koopa with brutal shocks that lit up all of Home with its brightness. His landing of the Lightning Blade supplanted Athelstan's double-strength kick in terms of efficacy, as evidenced from Giga Bowser's obvious discomfort and painful roars. Stunning, numbing sensations replaced the pain shortly after the lightning stopped and died down, but Giga Bowser still stood.

"Bowser!" Ramona shouted. "If you don't get a hold of yourself – or if you kill just one of us – Marissa will stay in control over the planet! We can't complete the Elemental Seal without all of us, including you! We've come so close! We're almost home-"

Giga Bowser made Ramona come to an abrupt stop when he charged a mass of plasma between his hands. He fired the super-heated beam at Ramona, who could do nothing but dodge. As she rolled out of her side leap, she heard a terrible, cracking noise. She and the other Kruna looked behind them and saw a hole burned clear through one of the absurdly thick and wide tree trunks. That tree snapped where it had been hit and fell over seconds later in a diagonal manner, smashing all the way through the intersection the Kruna and Giga Bowser battled in. The top half of the tree extended its reach in its fall to also smash into some of Home's house-trees on the other side of the road.

 _Don't listen to them,_ the Giga Soul said in Bowser's thoughts. _They've slowly been building up the degree of power behind their attacks. They'll keep escalating their offense until they tear you down. They're not your friends anymore. They're trying to kill you._

While panic increased throughout Home, Giga Bowser blew fire all over the massive tree trunk standing between him and the Kruna. Warra countered and put out the koopa's fires using his water, aware that any fire that traveled up the trunk would then catch on the house-trees in contact with it. During the Kruna of Water's prompt response, Daisy jumped onto the tree trunk and leapt at Giga Bowser with a Crystal Fist ready. Her direct hit on him also dealt significant damage, and she seemed ready to try out another move when she backtracked to the others.

 _They're desensitizing themselves_ , the Giga Soul said to his grimacing host. _It's only a matter of time before they try to pull something fatal. They'll have distanced themselves enough to do so very soon. Then what will you do?_

* * *

Peach had her glowing gold hands hovering over Andrew's chest as the shadow wielder lay on the floor in Dabi's pearl ball room. Neva sat behind Andrew's head, hoping that Peach would be successful. Seeing Neva fiddle with Andrew's hair as the two stared at each other filled Peach with more incentive to cure the Kruna of Shadow of his curse mark. Problem was, she had no idea what she was doing. Peach just kept using the healing incantations she had been working on with Rosalina and the Black Mages.

All the while Peach worked on him, Andrew held the Master Pendant in one hand against the floor. So far, the pendant did not do anything strange or hostile. It stayed quiet. But he wanted to make sure he had control over it and guarantee that it would not just get left alone.

"How do you feel?" Peach asked Andrew.

"I certainly don't feel too different," he replied. "Um... Peach? I had a thought for something you could do."

"Sure. What is it?" said Peach.

"My ailment's a hex, but Neva still has a whole load of physical trauma she has to deal with," said Andrew. "Maybe it would be better if you tried using your powers on her?"

"Andrew, a-are you...really sure?" asked Neva.

"She's more likely to heal you than she is me," Andrew said. "If there's only enough time for her to fix one of us, it should be you."

"But, you've had that seal for so long now," said Neva. "I don't need much longer than another month or so to-"

Andrew raised an arm over his supine head and rested a palm on Neva's stomach, saying only, "I don't want you to hurt anymore."

Neva frowned and shivered; not out of anger or anxiety, but out of something other. Such a sensation made her tear up and cry hard. "Andrew... No one has ever made me feel so... Oh, just, thanks!... And stuff! Stupid softie! You know, if I weren't around, somebody would turn you into a huge pillow...or whatever..."

"You have an odd way of expressing gratitude," said Peach.

As Andrew rolled to his feet, Peach helped Neva onto the floor. Peach demonstrated extra care to not upset Neva's vulnerable abdomen, which meant that it took a little while to get Neva down. Dabi watched Peach ease the little ice wielder into a supine position, taking special note of the way Neva seemed to have more vitality and ease of mind by the time she got down on the floor.

"Peach, take care of her," said Andrew, running over to retrieve his bladestaff. "I'm gonna go get back out there."

"Sit down, shadow wielder," said Dabi.

"What – why?" asked Andrew.

"Young one, when an elder tells you to do something, you ought to do it!" snapped Dabi. "Unless you want to keep that curse mark forever, then sit down."

Andrew scowled at the Magikoopa and returned to sit next to Neva. Peach readied her healing incantation again, though Dabi interrupted her before it progressed.

"Peach, you don't need to use that," said Dabi.

"What do you mean?" asked Peach. "How am I supposed to heal anyone if I don't?"

"Just touch her," said Dabi. "Lay your hands upon her."

"I'm gonna say not to listen to the crazy old lady," muttered Neva. She got a big surprise when Peach pressed down on her stomach. "Hey! That's, that's unwanted physical contact! What are you-"

"Be quiet," said Peach. She spread her hands apart some, shifting more to the sides of Neva's waist rather than concentrating on just the center.

"It might work better if you have some intent and will behind it," said Dabi. "Or maybe it doesn't matter."

"Andrew, this feels really weird!" cried Neva.

"Oh, just relax," mumbled Peach. "You're the one making this weird."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, remembering something. Back in Mystic Lake when he initially got the Gatekeeper's Seal, Dark Siren did not do anything to him. All she did was hug him. She might have involved some internal spell or ritual through her mind, but she did not do anything other than maintain contact with him for a while.

 _So maybe it is possible...for certain things or effects to take place through touch?_ Andrew thought, staring at Peach. _Does that mean all you have to do is touch someone?_

* * *

Daisy stood with her Shotgun pulled back, charged, and ready to rumble. She held her position and glanced at Warra, who had the blade of his Tidal Swordstaff once more humming with aquatic power. The Kruna of Water was primed and ready to deliver the fatal blow when and if necessary, but Daisy wondered just how necessary it was if at all.

She did not get much of a chance to think it over before Giga Bowser slung another Fanning Torch at the group, forcing them all into a backtracking evasion. Warra had to sacrifice his charge in order to counter the incoming fireball and blunt its spraying explosion. That kept everyone safe, but then Giga Bowser burst through the downed tree trunk and tore along the ground at them in a Whirling Fortress bull rush. Again, the five Kruna split and dodged; Athelstan and Ramona just narrowly avoiding the sharpened spikes of Giga Bowser's spinning shell. The dirt the huge koopa kicked up behind him scattered in the howling winds and blocked his vision of the elemental wielders when he came out of his maneuver.

 _They can't keep dodging forever,_ the Giga Soul said in Bowser's mind. _And they certainly can't keep attacking forever. If you last, they'll fatigue and run out of power. But why even try and wait that long? Destroy them now and minimize the chances of them killing you._

"This is getting out of hand," Warra muttered, focusing power back into his swordstaff.

"No, this is only getting out of hand because we're letting it," said Daisy. "We're all pretty conflicted...but, well...I'm gonna fix all that..."

Giga Bowser kept peering through the dirt and earth matter blowing around in the wind until visibility returned moments later. He saw Daisy walk to the front of the scattered group of Kruna and close the distance between her and him. At a point not too close but not too far from Giga Bowser, the Nova Form earth wielder stopped her forward movement and raised her arms out to her sides. Her Shotgun technique dispelled, she resembled a standing star with her posture and positioning.

"Daisy! What are you doing?!" Warra shouted.

* * *

"I can't believe you did this to me!" Neva screamed.

The Kruna Yura of Ice twisted her torso all around, bent over as far as she could, stretched up and back, jogged in place, punched, kicked, and even fell down on her rear end. No pain or tightness plagued her midsection at all during any of the movements. She felt up all the scars littered across her waist and did not feel any tenderness or discomfort whatsoever from them.

"Shady! This is unbelievable!" Neva hollered. "I feel like my old self again! No! I feel better! I feel SO MUCH better! I feel better than I've ever felt before! This is so crazy!"

While Neva jumped at Andrew and gave him a big, joyous bear hug, Peach stared at her hands in utter awe. What she did for Neva inspired a wave of realization over her status as the Oracle of Fates. The weight of her importance now bore down on her in full as she began to understand her role in the grand scheme of things; the role the Great Beings in the stars above intended for her.

 _I am the divine healer,_ Peach murmured in thought. _I...I am the one with the power to heal...and cure... It's just as Rosalina said...isn't it? Then...that means..._ She nodded, closed her eyes, and let out a long exhale. _Okay...I get it. I get it all now. I understand what I have to do..._

"Peach," said Dabi. "You've invigorated life in this young one much like you brought life both into this community of ours and to the people that make it up. Now, the question remains: can your abilities help the other young one as well?"

* * *

"Daisy, you're going to get ripped apart!" yelled Warra.

But Giga Bowser did not attack. It seemed as though the Giga Soul in control of him was intrigued as well, for he did not urge Bowser's morphed and warped body into attacking the Kruna of Earth. Daisy had not mentioned anything about such a move to any of the other Kruna, who all stared on in dumbfounded surprise.

"I see I got your attention for once, big guy," said Daisy. "You can do what you want to me. I directed that to the Giga Soul, not to you, Bowser. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

 _Swipe this cretin into nonexistence, Bowser_ , the Giga Soul demanded. _Do it, or I will make you do it._

Giga Bowser clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He took a step towards Daisy. She did not flinch.

"We've all come a long way," said Daisy. "Including you. I remember when you were always fighting with Mario and Luigi, and how you kept capturing Peach. I remember how angry and hateful you were. I remember no one wanted to give you a chance. But Rosalina gave you one. And I did too. And it has paid off ever since then."

Giga Bowser started to raise one of his arms. Another step forward brought him that much closer to Daisy. Still, she stood her ground.

 _That's it_ , the Giga Soul cooed. _Tense your claws and shred through her!_

"No, I shouldn't say that us giving you a chance paid off," stated Daisy. "I gave you a chance because I wanted to. It wasn't because we had to meet some mission. I never thought you were bad. I didn't understand what you did when you did it, but it never seemed like you enjoyed or delighted in any of it. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

Another step, and Giga Bowser got just outside of striking distance. That was not actually very close to her, considering the long reach of his arms.

 _This filthy human must die,_ the Giga Soul barked. _She must die just as all the rest must. Don't you worry about not seeing them again. You will join them once the grand task has been completed._

Giga Bowser's shoulder reached the height of its flexion and lateral abduction. All he needed to do now was pull it back and let it rip ahead whenever he decided to swing at her.

"I don't know how much sense I can talk into you as you are now," said Daisy. "But, Bowser..."

"Hey! Bowser, you listen up!" screamed Athelstan. "No one is born inherently evil! You are not a monster! You are not wicked! You are not a villain! YOU ARE NOT BAD!"

One more step would put Giga Bowser within range to slash at Daisy. Her Nova Form reflexes could save her if he did swipe a claw down, but her stance reflected no intention of dodging. In a labored grin, Giga Bowser took a step forward and closed his raised hand into a fist. Still, Daisy did not move. The others came in closer to their earthen counterpart, though they stayed offset to either side behind her. None of them seemed ready to attack at all.

"Bowser, I know you haven't answered any of us before," said Ramona. "But, you have to be somewhere in there. Somewhere in there is someone who would not rampage like a monster...someone who strove to do the right thing...someone who got through a tough time in their lives and was on the upswing..."

"C'mon, bro," said Marut. "You can't be dead in there already. Don't tell me I have to lose one of my friends. It's because of you guys that I lasted this long after my uncle died. You guys are my only family now. Brothers and sisters. Yeah, it sounds lame, but it's true. I'd be pretty damn depressed if I didn't have all you guys. But, it'd be worse if one of you went and died too. The future's already lonely enough."

"Bowser, if you're listening, it would make it a lot easier on us all if we stopped this right now," said Warra. "Everything Marut said is true for me too. With how depressed and numb losing a whole squad and the mother of my never-to-be-born child has made me...a child I never even had the chance to know the gender of...the less people I have to lose in life, the better. Though I am not averse to doing what must be done if the situation calls for it, we shouldn't be fighting like this. This is senseless. How about I just radio-in Waluigi and Toadette and get Rosalina or someone down here to try and get the Giga Soul under control?"

"You hear that, Bowser?" said Daisy. "We're all your friends here. And Peach, Andrew, Neva, everyone back in Rainbow City; Mario and Luigi too... You've come a long way from being the bad guy. Screw whatever happens with Marissa. We just don't want things to end like this. But ultimately, what you choose to do here... It's all up to you. We can't make that decision for you. Don't let that Giga Soul make you do more of what we know you don't want to do... Now...now please...have we reached you at all in there?"

Giga Bowser's arm shook in its raised position. To this point, the colossal, warped koopa held back hostility. That changed just seconds later when he pulled back the arm and slammed a smashing fist into Daisy's defenseless torso, a punch that sent her soaring into one of the two portions of the downed tree in the intersection. Ricocheting off the wood, Daisy flopped stomach-down onto the ground; stunned, senseless, and helpless. Pain shot through her body from the potentially severe structural damage such a forceful hit gave her. Ramona, Athelstan, Marut, and Warra looked back at Daisy, speechless over Giga Bowser's attack.

"Apparently not..." Daisy barely mumbled. Though she stayed in Nova Form, her consciousness left her altogether. Such a devastating blow might have very well done more than just knock her out. Ramona did not even want to think about the snaps and cracks she heard during the hit Giga Bowser dealt Daisy, but she and the other Kruna were liable to receive similar treatment.

"How can the Giga Soul yield _that_ much strength..." Warra said under his breath.

"Man, Daisy's energy signature doesn't even exist anymore," said Marut.

"He's right," said Athelstan. "It's one thing for it to drop off, but for it to disappear entirely when she's _right there..._ "

"Is she dying?!" Ramona hollered. "From that one punch?!"

"Marut, get her out of here!" Warra ordered.

"And then what?" asked Marut, breaking into a dash.

"Get her some recovery items or get someone to help or something – I don't know!" yelled Warra. "I don't know what can help for something so lethal. At least get her out of danger!"

Marut reached Daisy just as Giga Bowser finished readying plasma in his hands. The giant koopa stared down the unconscious Kruna of Earth with the intention of firing the plasma at her. If Daisy did not die from the train of a punch Giga Bowser hit her with, the plasma would certainly finish her off.

There could not have been a more timely combined burst of light, magnetized ice, and shadow that shot through the gap in between the two sections of fallen tree to clash with Giga Bowser's plasma blast. The explosive reaction that ensued spread shadow-flickering rainbows and burning chunks of ice out in all directions. It was a surreal sight for all who saw it, including for Neva and Andrew when they ran through the lane in the downed tree to rejoin their teammates.

Marut turned away from the bright display and glanced at Neva and Andrew, who both stood tall, proud, and full of vigor. He then looked back at Daisy and caught sight of Peach walking over to him. Peach knelt next to the earth wielder and pressed her hands on Daisy's back with great focus.

"How did they... Woah!" Athelstan hollered, staring at Neva and Andrew. "Their signatures spiked?! What happened?!"

"I'm back! That's what!" Neva screamed. "I am a force of nature! Of ice nature! Everyone better watch out for my fearsome freeze!"

"Neva, you need to go find some cover!" snapped Ramona. "You're too hurt to be out here!"

"She's not," said Andrew. "She's completely better. A hundred percent better."

Giga Bowser flared a fireball and threw it at Neva, only for her to counter and nullify the attack with a stream of frost. She twisted around to the other side of Andrew while he called upon his Shadow Ripper, a technique that felt a little awkward to make since he had his left hand occupied with clutching the Master Pendant. Bolstering the move with extra power, he crouched and prepared to spring forward at Giga Bowser. At no point in his charge did he feel any pain or cutoff of power flow. His eyes widened with invigoration upon feeling the surge of dark energy within; a swelling of power he had not felt in a long time, maybe even surpassing the maximum magnitude he had topped out at in the past.

"Shady's packing power!" shouted Athelstan. "Does that mean Dabi got the curse mark off?"

"No! It was Peach!" exclaimed Neva. "Peach fixed me _and_ him!"

 _Foolish mortals_ , the Giga Soul said in Bowser's head. _If they were smart, they would have run. But I see the Master Pendant has returned..._

Giga Bowser opened his mouth and channeled fires through his throat. At that point, Andrew sprinted at Giga Bowser with his Shadow Ripper up to smash it into the huge koopa. Despite how much he had charged up his attack, his decisiveness slipped when he remembered just who he was about to jam his energy into. The thought sliced the power behind his Shadow Ripper in half before it hit, making the move only powerful enough to disrupt Giga Bowser's fire breath preparation once he landed it. He did not harm the morphed koopa very much at all.

"Damn, that felt wrong," said Andrew, leaping back and away.

Peach had her sights on the action while maintaining her contact with Daisy. From what she could tell, none of the Kruna would make any progress against Giga Bowser as things stood now. After a light burst from Ramona and an ice blast from Neva – neither of which caused any significant damage to Giga Bowser – it was clear that the battle would end in only one of two ways if it continued the way it had been going. Either the Kruna would eventually succeed in wearing down Giga Bowser and then kill him, or Giga Bowser would kill every last one of them.

Peach watched a burst of water bash into Giga Bowser and noticed the fatigue rising within everyone; aside from Neva and Andrew. The time had come for her. She could not delay it any more than she already had. Taking her hands off Daisy, Peach stood up and marched towards Giga Bowser. The gusts that had been rampant and random all morning now seemed to be blowing into Peach's back.

 _I need to do this now,_ thought Peach. A strike of lightning paired with ice bombarded Giga Bowser as she continued towards him _. This fight has to end. It can't keep going any longer. I can't let it drag on... Daisy, you'll be fine soon, I'm sure._ _I'm sorry I can't stay until you've awoken, but you'll certainly feel better once you do come back to your senses. I gave you at least as much time as I gave Neva and Andrew, so I know you'll be alright. I hope you understand why things had to happen this way once you wake up._

"Yo! Why are you just walking up to him like that?" shouted Marut.

"What does she think she's doing?" grumbled Warra. "She's just going to get herself killed doing that. She has no guard up or anything."

"I need you all to cover me," yelled Peach, getting closer to Giga Bowser. "Please, trust me on this. Trust me as the Oracle of Fates... I will do what's right for me and you."

Warra, Athelstan, and Marut rushed over to Peach and cut in front of her; all while Neva took aim in the back with her bladestaff's crossbow. Ice arrows flying overhead, Athelstan ran at Giga Bowser with his Alkemei Odina active. Warra and Marut sent out pressurized water and wind at Giga Bowser, granting the opportunity for Athelstan to dish out a herculean kick with his specialized boots.

"Marut! Please fly me up to his head!" Peach shouted. "Don't ask – just do it while we have the chance!"

The Kruna of Air activated his Furaito once more and flew at Peach, grabbing hold of her on his way to Giga Bowser and lifting her off the ground. He ascended to a point over Giga Bowser and then had to pull off a couple evasive maneuvers when the giant koopa swiped at them. A burst of melded light and dark power from Ramona and Andrew backed another string of ice arrows for successive hits on Giga Bowser.

With the koopa still dealing with hitstun, Marut flew in close and let Peach drop onto a point on Giga Bowser's head between his two horns. Wasting no further time, Peach focused her energy through her hands and slammed them onto a hairless portion of his head towards his neck. At first, nothing happened. Only when Giga Bowser tried to grab at Peach did he begin to feel a taut pull inside of him.

"Whatever she's doing, he's not liking it," Athelstan said of Peach and the panicking koopa she was perched on.

Both Peach and Giga Bowser endured and accumulated increasing amounts of strain while she kept pulling on him. Stunningly, she thought she noticed her hands sink into his head some for a brief instant before she finally got an upward pull of something thick and dark in its blue hue. Giga Bowser roared and screamed as his eyes went blank, but Peach kept pulling. In fact, Peach directed more and more of her power into her tug as time went on. It got to the point where her whole body began radiating a bright, white hue. Combined with the gusting winds, it made for one spectacular sight for the Kruna and the people in Home watching from safety.

"I finally understand who and what I am," Peach said. "I am the Oracle of Fates. I have to play my role in saving the world... And I will save the world by saving you, Bowser."

Peach urged more power into her pull, extracting more of the smoggy navy blue mass out of Giga Bowser. Before everyone's very eyes, Bowser began to revert to his normal self while Peach pulled out the red-eyed, corrupted spirit that had seized control of the Kruna of Fire. No longer under the pressure and tension of his size increase; his pants, armor, and shoulder pockets reverted to their normal size along with him. As more of the Giga Soul came out, Peach increased her light production and focused her powers on restraining the malevolent spirit in light bonds to prevent it from escaping her hold or from latching onto Bowser's soul like it tried to do several times already.

The amount of power Peach called upon amazed everyone watching and led into a remarkable, saintly event that could not be described as anything short of divine. Peach's power materialized into a glimmering golden halo hovering over her head. A shiny streak sprouted a pair of segmented and angelic white, pink, and gold wings of light off of her back. The illumination around her continued to strengthen until all of the Giga Soul had been extracted from Bowser, who now had returned entirely to normal.

As Peach hovered with the Giga Soul, Bowser dizzily collapsed to the ground. The Kruna of Fire got a hold of himself and his senses just in time to roll over and see Peach rising into the sky with the Giga Soul in tow and struggling against its restraints. Peach took her ascent with the Giga Soul past Memory Forest's abnormally large trees, their increasing height soon exceeding everyone's range of vision. No one dared say a word, just to preserve the once in a lifetime spectacle they were all witnessing in progress at that moment. It seemed as though even the Master Pendant watched from its position gripped in Andrew's hand.

Before too long, Peach had dragged the Giga Soul close to the underside of the Nirvana Barrier. From that point all the way until they flew into the red and purple ceiling of clouds, the glow around them increased in brightness and spread out all across the region. It almost seemed as if a miniature, artificial sun had developed and brought light to the land and beyond. But in a matter of moments, that artificial sun would not be needed.

Shortly after Peach and the Giga Soul went into the Nirvana Barrier, a large, glowing crack developed at their entrance point. That crack stretched out, spread, and branched several times in uneven, irregular intervals; reaching all along the barrier ceiling and extending way beyond what anyone in Home could see. Lightning from the Nirvana Barrier's clouds lashed out and went crazy with increasing intensity. Crevices continued to expand out past the region, accompanied with sounds of otherworldly thunder, breaking glass, and hissing gas.

Amid the manic lightning and chaotic noise, a magnificent explosion of light rocked the Nirvana Barrier and tore a miraculously prodigious gash clear through the cloud ceiling that had haunted and choked the planet for years. The light echoed all across the continent as a whole and forced everyone to shield their eyes and look away. All the Kruna could sense the startling degree of power that the explosion gave off. No doubt it would gain attention from places all over the western half of the world; and maybe into the eastern lands as well.

Once the light from the explosion died down, Memory Forest did not go dark. All those in Home and out in Memory Forest's neighboring districts and regions saw the brightness of morning sunshine beam down all around. Now, the only clouds floating above were the normal white and fluffy puffs that came from nature.

The tear in the Nirvana Barrier continued expanding from the epicenter of the cataclysmic event that caused it. Nearly a fifth of the barrier overall gave way before long. The staggering, extraordinary explosion that Peach triggered with the Giga Soul wreaked so much savage havoc on the Nirvana Barrier, the whole cloud formation had become unstable. With that instability and the monumental damage it suffered, the cloud barrier could not keep form or even hold together any longer. All across the world, the red and purple clouds scattered and disbanded to give way to sunlight or moonlight. The Earth could now once more view the open skies and stars that the cloud barrier had restricted for over eight years. When calm returned after the explosion's remnants dissipated with the remains of the Nirvana Barrier, only one simple phrase could summarize the overall result of the heavenly event that just took place.

"It's gone," murmured Neva.


	66. Chapter LXVI

It's Time:

The seven Kruna Yura – minus Daisy, who still lay unconscious, yet remained in Nova Form – looked all around at the sunlight's return to Memory Forest. No more did the Nirvana Barrier plague anywhere on the planet, and it was all thanks to Peach, the Oracle of Fates. The Earth had been freed because of Peach, a being that no one could sense anymore.

"The Nirvana Barrier's destroyed!" said Marut. "But, why hasn't Peach come down yet? And why can't we sense her?"

"This is crazy," said Bowser. "I wake up and see Peach flying up into the heavens with a blue cloud and a bunch of light, and then the next thing I know, I'm watching the Nirvana Barrier fall apart and disband."

"You weren't aware of anything you did?" asked Warra.

"What did I-" Bowser started to say. "Oh, don't tell me the Giga Soul took control of me! Speaking of which...I don't actually feel the Giga Soul inside of me anymore. At all... It's like it's completely gone."

"That's because Peach ripped it free from you," said Warra. "She pulled that thing out and took it up into the barrier with her. That blue cloud she carried had to have been the Giga Soul."

"And now it's gone," said Bowser, eyeing down his body. "Wow...this is incredible...I...I feel great. I feel amazing. I feel wide awake! I'm free! Restored! Revitalized!... Reborn..."

Residents of Home tucked away indoors came out of their house-trees, cautiously cheerful of what had happened. They gathered near the Kruna but maintained some distance and stayed on the other side of the split tree trunk clogging the dirt road intersection. Their timid stares and demeanor towards Bowser felt all too familiar as things he received from others in the past. He did not think he would see such apprehension towards him again, which told him that he had to have done something bad or been something horrible when the Giga Soul took over.

"But I messed up, didn't I," said Bowser. "I did something wrong. What was it? I don't see Kokoro or Echo around here. Or Cafune. And why is Daisy sprawled out like that?"

"Kokoro killed Echo and Cafune," said Ramona. "And then Daisy killed Kokoro."

"That...that really happened?" asked Bowser.

"That's exactly what happened," said Warra. "She got so mad with what he did, she just lost it."

"And then we had to fight you because of how out of control you were," said Athelstan. "But we must have weakened the Giga Soul enough for Peach to destroy it. And now, it seems as though you're back to normal."

"Then why is Daisy like that?" asked Bowser.

Warra could not come up with a decent response. Athelstan could not either. Neva would have said that she knocked her out herself, but Bowser caught on quick.

"That's not what happened, is it?" asked Bowser. "I'm not stupid, you guys. I killed them, didn't I?"

"What makes you think that?" asked Marut.

"Come on, no one has to stand here and lie to me to try and make me feel better," said Bowser. "I didn't have consciousness, but I kind of 'heard' the Giga Soul keep urging me to kill and destroy everyone. So Echo, Kokoro, Cafune, Peach..."

"Well, um...yeah, you killed them all," said Ramona. "But not Peach, obviously. She...uh..." The Kruna of Light pointed to the clear, open sky as she continued. "Well, she did that. Just like you saw. And it took her pulling the Giga Soul out of you and flying up into the barrier to do it. And judging from her not coming down yet and from us not being able to sense her...doing so took her life."

"So she's really gone now," murmured Bowser.

"She sacrificed herself..." said Warra. "For everyone."

"None of us even knew she was going to do that," added Marut. "She didn't say a thing about it!"

"She healed me and Shady up, and then she just went and did it," said Neva.

"This has been the greatest blessing she could have given any of us," said Ramona.

 _I can't believe her,_ Bowser said in thought. _She has been acting like she owes me for the longest time, and she just did something I can't even possibly hope to match_. _I can't even try to match it now because she's not here anymore..._

The Kruna of Fire's mind took him back to the cake Peach made and the note she left with it. _No, I can still...in another life...in another time... Oh, get it together; she didn't do it for me. She did it for the world. I can't go and center this on myself..._

Athelstan patted Bowser on his shell. "It's alright, bro."

"Oh, like I care what happens to her," Bowser grumbled, wiping at his eyes. "What are we gonna do about the earth woman over there?"

"He's right," said Marut. "Peach didn't finish healing her."

"The earthen one will finish healing in time," Dabi said, walking over to the Kruna. The Magikoopa fortuneteller had a staff she used as a cane in one hand and held a mat with assorted items and supplies in the other. She eased over to Daisy's limp body and rolled out the mat on the dirt road. After setting her healing kit on the mat, Dabi checked Daisy's carotid pulse.

"Peach has done what she needed to do," Dabi then said. "She set the groundwork for this earth wielder to make a recovery, I'm sure. I will do what I can to finish the process she started. I just ask that one of you place her onto this mat."

Warra walked over to Daisy and picked her limp body up. By Dabi's instruction, he laid her on the mat flat on her back, legs straight, arms at an angle by her sides, and neutral in the neck. While Warra did that, Bowser retrieved his equipment and secured it all back onto his person; all except for his bandana, which had overstretched and torn from the skull growth and horn elongation that resulted when the Giga Soul had full control of his body.

Andrew stared at Daisy, the Master Pendant still tame in his grasp. He wondered why she wanted him of all people to hold it. Unfortunately, he did not get much of a chance to ponder it. A realization blasted through his mind and turned on a sense of utmost urgency.

"We have to go to Marissa now!" demanded Andrew. "No doubt she'll be pissed that her barrier's gone; but if she finds out Rainbow City exists, she'll head right for it and take the whole place out!"

"Oh snap – she will!" exclaimed Marut. "She can now that the barrier's gone! Man, she's probably looking into the sky right now!"

Bowser grimaced. "Damn, we need to get to the Mushroom Kingdom in a hurry!"

"You mean, we have to fight Marissa _now_?!" Ramona cried.

"We don't have a choice!" Andrew snapped. "It's either that, or wait for her to find Rainbow City!"

"But we need to wait for Daisy," said Warra. "We can't make an Elemental Seal without all eight of us contributing elemental power, and we need her to beat Marissa so we can seal her away in the first place!"

"No, we don't need to wait!" Andrew urged. "The barrier's gone! Marissa's weaker now! We can stand up to her, can't we?"

"At the very least, we can stall Marissa until Daisy has recovered," said Bowser.

"It shouldn't take too long," said Dabi, finishing up the octagonal placement of eight candles around Daisy's body. "Maybe an hour or so. If you will, fire wielder? It's the least you could do after slaughtering two of ours."

"It's not his fault, ya old hag!" snapped Neva. "Don't go accusing somebody when you don't know anything!"

"Young one, I could very well decide _not_ to heal your friend here," hissed Dabi. "I'm the one with the healing powers, not you! Don't give me your attitude, missy!"

"Neva, cool it, man," Marut muttered.

Neva got ready to scream at Marut and Dabi both, but Andrew then came near the Kruna of Ice and put an arm around her. She soon calmed down and mellowed out. With Neva quieted, Dabi looked at Bowser and gestured to the candles.

Bowser flared a flicker of fire on his fingertips and lit each one of the candles while Dabi went to sit behind Daisy with a magic book and an octagram talisman in hand. Dabi's bitterness still made him feel bad, regardless of whether he had control over his body or not during Echo's and Cafune's deaths. But they needed Daisy healed and recovered as soon as possible, so he did not retort.

"Is there a Warp Pipe we can take to get to the Mushroom Kingdom from here?" asked Warra.

"It would take too long to find one," Bowser said. "Ramona, Andrew; with the Nirvana Barrier gone, can you guys do the portal trick?"

"We should be able to," said Ramona. She and Andrew stood together and each put an arm up as they focused their energies to bridge a path to where the Mushroom Kingdom should have been. Interestingly, they encountered some resistance in the region.

"Some sort of force field is still blocking us from going all the way there," said Ramona. "But we could bridge a portal to the plains around the kingdom."

"Close enough," said Bowser. "We don't have time to spare to do anything else."

Ramona and Andrew melded their light and shadow powers together, the unique properties of each interacting and reacting with one another on space itself. Soon, a portal developed in front of the Kruna for them to enter. They set the portal so that it would last until they manually disbanded it, therein granting Daisy the ability to use it once she awoke.

"Beyond your portal lies the beginning of the end of your journey," said Dabi. "Are you all done here? Are you equipped and prepared for what lies ahead?"

"Are we?" asked Ramona. "I mean, are we really ready for this? This feels so sudden."

"Peach did what she needed to do – now is the time for us to act," said Andrew. "It's now or never. _Somebody's_ finallygonna pay for all that's happened!"

"Guys, I'm ready to go," said Neva. "I'm good! I feel awesome! Peach fixed me up like a...like the Oracle of Fates she was..."

"We can actually end this all now," murmured Warra. "This is our chance to bring this whole conflict to a close."

"Yo! Let's goooo!" Marut hollered. "See, this is when the squad comes through! What?! We winning! We so got this-"

 _Kruna Yura_ , Rosalina's voice suddenly called out.

"Woah, is that really..." mumbled Marut.

The Kruna looked around the forest and to the sky, all seven of them having heard the voice of the Elder of the Cosmos. Dabi did not hear her, and neither did any of Home's residents and civilians. Rosalina spoke to the minds of the seven conscious Kruna, something she could not do with the Nirvana Barrier up.

"Rosalina, you're talking to us..." Bowser said.

"You're talking to us through telepathy, Grand Elder?!" said Warra.

 _I should hope all seven of you can hear me_ , Rosalina said. _I have established a telepathic link to speak with you all at once. I tried to just contact Daisy at first, but she was unresponsive._

"It's a long story, but she's okay," said Bowser.

 _Well, given the circumstances, we don't have time for a long story_ , said Rosalina. _Do not worry about Rainbow City._ _If something goes wrong, the whole city guard is on standby with me to defend the islands until everyone has evacuated through the teleporter to the Comet Observatory. This is something we have drilled and prepared for. Hopefully, we won't have to run through the scenario for real._

"We're about to head for Marissa right now," said Warra. "Peach restored Neva and Andrew to full power, and she eradicated the Giga Soul along with the Nirvana Barrier."

 _Then you are set to go, it seems,_ said Rosalina. _Now, you are about to take on the greatest challenge you have ever faced. Your actions in the One World Capital will determine the fate of the entire planet – and, quite possibly, that of worlds and realms beyond Earth as well. I don't think I need to remind you just what that entails. What happens next, we leave up to you. We believe in you._

 _All of us,_ Polari's voice assured. _You haven't progressed this far by accident. It took a special kind of perseverance and will to overcome everything you've faced. You've made everyone proud._

 _We're all counting on you_ , said Rosalina. _Know that you carry into battle along with you the hopes and dreams of everyone. So long as you hold on as well as you always have...everything will turn out alright. Good luck, Kruna Yura...and may the stars shine down on you. Unfaltering will forever..._

With Rosalina's voice trailing off, the telepathic link eroded. Now; Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, Marut, Ramona, Andrew, and Neva all gazed into the gateway that would lead them to the confrontation they had spent so long preparing for. One at a time, they went in.

Andrew was the last one to enter the portal. He stopped just for a moment to look behind him at Daisy's unconscious body. Dabi had already begun her healing ritual for the Kruna of Earth, but the results would not be anything close to immediate.

Before he entered the portal, Andrew glanced at the Master Pendant in his hand. It had remained benign the whole time he had possession of it. Knowing what was to come, he could not just grip it forever. He thought about sticking the Master Pendant inside of his Hammerspace Belt, but he did not like the idea of it floating around in there. So instead, he clipped the pendant's choker to the belt loop on the left side of his pants. At least that way, if it did act up, he could see it and react to it better.

With that, Andrew entered the portal. The Kruna altogether left behind a mounting collection of applause from Home's residents. And whenever Daisy returned to the waking world, the same portal would be waiting for her.

* * *

In the dark blurriness of Daisy's subconscious mind, a voice reached out to her. It was a voice that sounded so familiar, yet one she had not heard in a very long time. When it spoke to her, it talked with a gentle, nurturing calmness to its tone.

 _Daisy..._

 _..._

 _You're there, right?_

 _..._

 _Of course you are. I know you wouldn't just die like this..._

 _..._

 _It's been a long time, hasn't it?_

 _..._

 _You've done well, just like I expected you would. You've come a very long way..._

 _..._

 _See you soon..._


	67. Chapter LXVII

Witch's Haunt:

The portal brought the seven Kruna Yura to the top of a cliff overlooking the eastern outer boundaries of the One World Capital, formerly known as the Mushroom Kingdom. From the breeze and wind gusts in the region, it seemed much of the wind to the north in Memory Forest also reached down to One World Capital as well. Though the Nirvana Barrier no longer existed in the late morning skies, the wall of the translucent, dark red Arkana Force Field stretched skyward and expanded in front of scattered towers all across the One World Capital's outer suburbs.

"Alright, this is something we didn't think about," said Bowser. "We've got a force field that'll prevent us from getting in."

"We can't sense what's inside there either," said Athelstan.

"Then what are we gonna do now?" said Marut. "Should we just walk up to the force field?"

"We'll get spotted if we do that," said Warra.

"Does it matter if we get spotted?" said Andrew. "We'll have to tear through whoever's on guard to get to Marissa's castle anyways. Screw that stealth stuff six ways 'til Sunday."

"I don't think I can see anyone manning any of the towers," said Ramona.

"Or anyone on the streets," said Neva.

"I'll go up in there," said Andrew. "I think I can faze through the barrier if I use my Alkemei. If I can, I'll try and shut the barrier off. You guys come when you see the barrier go away."

Andrew took the blades of his Umbra Bladestaff, stuck them to his feet, and skated down the lengthy decent of the cliff. With the speed he picked up, he tore through the hard dirt terrain and breezed well into the plains below until his momentum stopped with just a few hundred meters or so to go to get to the force field. As he reattached his blades to his staff, he did not notice anyone moving within the red barrier. The whole time he trotted closer to the force field, he expected someone to notice him and either come through the barrier or sound off the alarm. But nobody did.

Upon reaching the force field, Andrew activated his Alkemei Fwin to turn his whole body and everything on him intangible. He could expend the energy needed to do so now that he no longer harbored the Gatekeeper's Seal. Taking the Fwin from Dark Usurper proved to be worth it, for Andrew passed through the force field without issue. Now with a clear view of the environment within the force field, he still did not see anyone. Not anyone living, anyways.

"My gosh..." he murmured.

* * *

"What's taking him so long?" Bowser grumbled. "We need to hurry up!"

"Oh no, what if he got captured?" whimpered Ramona.

"I haven't seen a single thing move inside that force field aside from maybe Andrew," said Warra. "Not a single person. No lights, no explosions; there hasn't even been any noise sans the wind."

"Let's just go and try to break through it," Marut said, taking off into the air.

"Screw it – let's go," said Neva. She broke into a dash around and down the hills off the cliff slope. The others soon did too.

At some point before the six of them reached the Arkana Force Field, a whole section of it shut off entirely. Andrew waved them over from the top of the tower that he had shut off power to. They did not have to slow up when they got near the invisible boundary of One World Capital that the towers outlined, for they still did not catch sight of anyone lurking through the outskirts. But by the time Andrew climbed back down to ground level and regrouped with them, they saw what littered the streets ahead near the first strings of houses.

"Somebody's been here already," said Bowser.

The statement came with the sight of dead Skalfer bodies tossed about like useless garbage. As they continued up the streets to progress into One World Capital, they saw more of the skeleton warrior corpses littering the ground. The high sun's shine through the clear, colorless honeycomb ceiling of the Arkana Force Field left no bodies hidden. Some of them looked and smelled fresh.

"I think I'm going to be sick," said Ramona.

"This is so screwed," said Andrew.

"But who would do this?" Marut wondered aloud. "Marissa?"

"If this really was Marissa, I seriously don't get what's going on with that witch," said Bowser. "Would she really massacre a whole army like this? And for what?"

"I dunno – make it easier for us to get to her?" said Marut.

"This was unnecessary if that was the reason," said Andrew. "She could have just let them go."

"She's unstable and unpredictable," said Bowser. "Still, I think it's more likely someone else did this."

"Or maybe the Skalfers all revolted?" said Neva.

No one spoke a word after that suggestion. They increased their pace of movement, their urgency upped and more pronounced. But as they got further into the One World Capital and entered the fields before where Mushroom City used to be, a new source of surprise grabbed their attention. Not only did they see dead Skalfer bodies scattered about, but they also saw dead Boo bodies as well. Or rather, they saw whatever goopy, ectoplasmic Boo remains lie along the streets and yards in semisolid puddles. The deceased Boos seemed almost as numerous as the dead Skalfers.

"Why are all these Boos here?" asked Neva.

"There's a lot more Boos here than you would normally see anywhere else," said Athelstan.

Everyone stopped moving at that moment. Now well within the Arkana Force Field, they could sense an absurdly high energy signature that they could safely label as Marissa's. However, they soon picked up on another one. Though not equal to the first in power, the second signature still felt massive. From everyone's anxious, troubled expressions, the Kruna knew they all sensed the same thing. Looking at all the dead bodies strewn about, the feeling of someone else there with them other than Marissa seemed unsettlingly creepy.

The seven Kruna continued on, entering the outer bounds of what used to be Mushroom City. More of the same lined the streets, fields, and hills; just countless dead Skalfers and Boos. The sight made the Kruna doubt that any of Marissa's Skalfers survived at all. If anyone of the skeletal warrior race still lived, they had to have fled to safety.

The long, hasty scuttle up the streets went on in silence. All focus from the Kruna went to their surroundings and what lay ahead. A somber, depressive tone mixed with the carnage and bloodshed leftover from whatever tore through the region earlier. The presence of the Boos seemed cryptic; but it became more and more apparent once the group continued onward and proceeded further that someone set these Boos up to fight and kill the Skalfers. They each figured that they all more or less shared the same thoughts as to who else could have been there stalking the One World Capital besides themselves.

As if things could not get more disconcerting, the segmented ceiling to the Arkana Force Field evaporated without any warning. Several glances into the distance showed that the remainder of the force field's walls went away too. All they heard was an echoing, waning warp. And then, other than from the winds that now had free reign through the area without the force field blocking them, silence dominated once again.

"Someone took down the whole barrier?!" said Marut.

"I don't understand anything that's going on right now," whimpered Ramona.

"I thought I just saw something shift behind us," said Bowser.

"Alright alright alright!" Ramona screamed. "I'm officially creeped out and about ready to brick it!"

"Brick it?" Marut repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Don't ask," said Andrew. "You don't want to know _or_ see."

"There it is again," muttered Bowser. "Two of them. It looks like...no, they're on either side of us now. And they're going in the same direction we're going..."

"Let's just keep moving," said Warra. "I don't like anything about this."

"It's hard _to_ like anything about this," said Athelstan.

The others caught sight of what Bowser was talking about once the two objects of interest got far in front of them. From the distance the Kruna saw them, the two floating spheroids looked like Boos. And just as quick as they flew in, the Boos sped up the street into the upcoming town.

"Have those two been watching us?" Athelstan yelped.

"They're good at hiding if they were," said Bowser.

"Great, then that means there's bound to be more of them stalking around," said Neva.

The Kruna Yura once more upped their pace, coming into the Toad Town suburbs of the old Mushroom City. They felt one of the massive power sources from earlier get real close to them as they continued on their way to the center of Mushroom City where Marissa's castle, Peach's former one, stood. All along the way, they encountered more of what they had already seen. Dead Skalfers and Boos decorated the streets and sidewalks. Stenches in the air smelled beyond foul.

But the Kruna also saw something new. Whether they got caught in the crossfire or were actually targeted themselves; corpses of koopas, Shy Guys, toads, Nokis, and Piantas lay scattered among the deceased Skalfers and Boos. The aggressors did not spare the civilians of One World Capital at all. And suddenly, the streets felt that much more empty and barren.

Only after running through several intersections did the Kruna see the lesser of the two powerful beings they had been sensing. King Boo floated towards them, flanked by twelve other Boos. The band of ghostly fiends cut off the Kruna at a lakeside intersection branching off on the right into a shopping center. Though karts and other vehicles filled some of the spaces in the parking lot, the whole plaza was devoid of life just like everywhere else the Kruna had went through in One World Capital.

"Damn...and we were so close to the castle!" grumbled Bowser.

"My, you're fast," said King Boo, a crazed look in his strained, lost eyes. "I didn't think you'd come so soon! Let alone today!"

"You've been busy, huh?" Andrew snarled.

"Oh yeah, very," said King Boo. "It was a massive, overnight onslaught. At my command, the Boos rose and took up arms with me. Our legions exterminated the enemy... _and_ whoever else just so happened to be unfortunate enough to get in the way. Getting past the force field was the easy part since my Boos and I can just faze through any force field like we would walls. From there, it was just a simple trip to the control center nearby. The only things stopping us from cutting off power to the force field didn't live very long. We cleared the force field just for you idiots!"

Bowser scowled as several more Boos flew over from random directions. "Are you seriously trying to say that you took the force field down _and_ killed everyone and anyone you came across here just for our sake?"

"Why would _you_ try to help us?" asked Marut.

"Gee, I thought you would've been happier," said King Boo.

"What do you mean 'happier,' ya sicko?!" snapped Neva.

"Why should we be happy that you killed all these people?" said Andrew. "We made our own way in anyways."

"You're just mean!" shouted Ramona. "Vile! Repugnant! Abhorrent! Sick, sick, sick!"

"Ha! Like I'm really gonna give two seconds worth of thought to these inferior creatures!" said King Boo. "I granted you a clean path to Marissa, and this is how you react? Ungrateful humans. How you chose to affiliate with them, Bowser, I will never understand."

"You don't have to understand," said Bowser.

"I don't want to," said King Boo. "I just want you all to beat Marissa. Look what my Boos and I have done. We've eliminated the army guarding this land and made things that much easier on you. Now, you Kruna go and defeat Marissa. Go do your job. Seal her like you were supposed to years ago. And hurry up. If you do so quickly, then I won't kill you right away."

"Oh, we'll beat Marissa," said Athelstan. "But we're not doing it for you."

"I don't care who you do it for," said King Boo. "I know you're going to do it. That's what you're here to do. That's your goal. It just so happens that we'd both like to see her dethroned and done away with."

"How about we go fight Marissa, and then we'll come back and seal you up the same way we're gonna seal her up?" said Bowser.

"Work under whatever hallucinations you want," said King Boo. "Just do the deed. I mean, if you even can now. I see that the earth wielder isn't with you."

"She's gonna catch up," said Neva. "Don't you worry."

"So long as she does, I won't," said King Boo. "Alright. Hurry up and scram."

The Kruna split to go around King Boo and his fellow Boos. As the elemental wielders got close however, the Boos spread along their leader to block them and prevent them from advancing. Some of the Boos covered their faces as they hovered in the Kruna's way, while others gave the elemental wielders nasty stares and stuck their tongues out at them in laughter.

"Hold on," said King Boo. "Dark one. Don't you go anywhere yet..."

"You talkin' to me?" asked Andrew.

"Yes, you," King Boo growled with a heinous grin. "You have something I want. Give it to me."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, unsure of what the ghostly being meant at first. He soon realized King Boo had referred to the Master Pendant hooked onto the Kruna of Shadow's left-side belt loop for all to see – and for it to see all.

"Can't give it to ya, sorry," said Andrew. "No, not sorry. Not sorry at all."

"You _will_ hand it over," said King Boo.

"You think I'm just gonna give it to you because you tell me to?" said Andrew. "Get outta here."

"If you don't, then I'll just take it from you by force," said King Boo.

"That's too bad, because I need this."

"For what? Naive fool. Why would an ingenuous human like you need it?"

"Because reasons. So, you can't have it."

"You little..." King Boo grumbled. "Fine! Change of plans! Screw you Kruna! I'll just take the Master Pendant from you and defeat Marissa myself! Since you want to be so difficult!"

"Make a beeline for Marissa right now," Andrew said to his teammates. "If Marissa catches sight of Rainbow City, it's gone."

"Please don't be so frustrating, just this once," said Neva.

"You're still here?" Andrew asked. "Get lost. All of you."

"He has a point – we need to get moving," said Warra. "We might have wasted too much time here already."

"Go on ahead, fools," said King Boo. His fellow Boos all opened up lanes in their makeshift blockade for the Kruna to get through. "My business is with the shadow wielder who doesn't know what he is in possession of."

"I know as much as I need to about this pendant," Andrew said.

"Come on, let's go!" Bowser ordered. "We can't stall here anymore! Andrew will handle things here! Don't argue with him!"

The other Kruna followed Bowser past the Boos, leaving Andrew to deal with the spectral beings and their monarch. Like Bowser said, they could not use up any more time trying to argue with their shadow counterpart. At least the six Kruna did not have far to go to get to Marissa's castle, but the King Boo encounter did slow them up a noticeable amount.

"Andrew, if you don't make it past these floating pillows, I'll never forgive you!" screamed Neva.

"I'll come for you once I've had my fill gouging your friend of all his blood!" King Boo yelled at the fleeing Kruna.

"Don't listen to that creep, Andrew!" Ramona shouted back as her and the other Kruna sped up the street. "You can do it this time! You can beat him!"

"You the man, dude!" Marut hollered.

"A skilled Andrew can beat any King Boo!" said Athelstan.

 _Win, Andrew_ , Warra said in thought.

The six Kruna soon disappeared from sight, heading for the silhouette of a castle over the horizon line. In front of Andrew, King Boo and nineteen other Boos prevented him from progressing. Once the Boos closed the gaps they had opened for the other Kruna. Andrew could not escape with anything short of a high jump over them. But the Kruna of Shadow had no intention of running.

"You," growled King Boo. "You're as annoying as that Green 'Stache guy used to be. And. I've. Had. Enough."

Andrew said nothing. He just frowned.

"I had a plan when this 'alliance' started out," said King Boo. "I was supposed to lend Marissa my assistance and rule with her...and then strike her down and take her place as the sole owner of this world. But she got more powerful than I had expected. Sure, that plan failed, but someday, I _will_ get her. That day could very well be today."

Again, Andrew stayed silent. The Boos all made creepy, tormenting faces at the Kruna of Shadow, but he remained unfazed.

"Just know that when I take over, this will be a world for Boos and Boos alone!" King Boo howled. "Humans...koopas...Shy Guys...toads...yoshis...Beanish...demons... ALL OF YOU. You all will be reduced to redundancy when I hail in Boos as the dominant race. And you think _you_ can stand in my way _now_ when you have NEVER beaten me before? No. YOU HAVEN'T A CHANCE IN HELL. No one is here to save you this time. Hear me now, for it is the end. You're not coming out of this alive."

The vessels in King Boo's eyes doubled in strain as they turned pink and as his tongue turned blue. His voice then warped to say, "THIS IS YOUR LAST HOUR. THE CLOCK STRIKES NOW."

An insipid red, black, green, and purple meld of darkness formed a halo over King Boo. An equal dark ring, claw-like with its eight-talons, materialized on the ghost's underside, coinciding with the whole bottom half of his body turning translucent. Elongated claws of the same shadow wrapped around and extended off of his arms to complete his shadowy transformation.

"Do you remember this form?" asked Umbra King Boo. "It will be the last thing you ever remember."

King Boo was not quite done, for all the Boos nearby flew at him and surrounded him. In an otherwise disturbing display, King Boo's grinning body absorbed every single one of the Boos. None of them showed any hesitance during the process. By the time all the Boos had been assimilated, Umbra King Boo looked no different than he did just after his transformation. But from what Andrew could tell, King Boo's level of power spiked to a point much closer to that of Marissa's.

"All I need is the Master Pendant," said King Boo. "And I am certain I can overpower her this time. I hope you realize now how hopeless you really are. You never had a chance against me. You standing up to me now; it's suicide."

Andrew grimaced. _No way..._ he said in thought. _He's_ this _powerful now?! I should've known he was holding back in Mystic Lake... Facing someone like me, he didn't need to transform. Even when I powered-up and outperformed him, he still beat me. He's only more powerful now. And I...I..._

"This is delicious," said King Boo. "I get to break your spirit, your pride, and your body all in one go. What do you have to say for yourself? If anything?"

Gloomy sadness overtook the Kruna of Shadow. _I really am a useless waste..._ he thought. _It was all a failed effort from the start... I...I deserve this... I was never good enough. I never should have made it this far... I'm sorry, everyone. I really..._

King Boo chuckled and cackled at Andrew's deteriorating state. But at that point, a shift occurred. Andrew's melancholy faded, and solemn sternness overtook him in its place.

 _No..._ Andrew thought. _No... Just...no. Not like this._

Andrew sighed; a long, lung-emptying breath. He bowed his head a little and closed his eyes. The angled arch in his eyebrows deepened, though the rest of his face looked relaxed and calm. Something about the Kruna of Shadow displayed no sense of worry or intimidation from the superpowered enemy he was about to face. King Boo's grin slowly diminished into a frown once he noticed Andrew's demeanor.

 _No...I'm not getting discouraged,_ Andrew affirmed in his mind. He pulled out his Umbra Bladestaff and held it behind him, his free hand raised to the middle of his chest as a fist. _I am not going to attack myself like I have. This isn't just about what I can and can't do anymore. I don't have to prove myself to anyone...especially not me. I got this far for a reason. I am a Kruna. I am fighting alongside my fellow Kruna. And we all have a purpose. Hope depends on us and us alone. We're all that's left. We all have a place here, a role to fill, a duty to meet... We all have a goal, and you're standing in the way. The fate of the entire world is on the line...and you're standing in the way. So many people are depending on what we do. No...so many people are depending on what_ I _do, right now. Because if I fall here, my friends won't beat Marissa. They need me to stay alive. The world needs me to stay alive. And I am alive. I am more alive than I have ever been! My heart now beats with more force than any lift in a gym or any elemental move has ever required of me!_

Andrew's eyes shot wide open with intensity. _King Boo...you're in my way. I have let you get the better of me too many times before. But not today. Not ever again. The stakes are too high for me to lose. I can not lose. I will not lose. I must get past you. There is no other outcome. For the future – for all futures, no matter what – I, the Kruna Yura of Shadow, WILL...STRIKE...YOU...DOWN._

King Boo winced and shook with irritation at the fearless shadow wielder before him. _What is up with this kid?_ King Boo thought.

A burst of shadow flowed out and around Andrew's fist. His stare harbored nothing short of the utmost fervency. With a quick twirl of his bladestaff, he spread his stance and propped his tool behind him in preparation for attack. The winds gusting across the streets and rippling the lake pushed against his right and King Boo's left.

"Prepare yourself," Andrew said.

King Boo cocked an eyebrow and scowled. "That's it? That's all you're going to say?"

Andrew did not give a verbal response. He just gave an ever so slight nod and stayed focused. A little bit of awe might have crept into King Boo's expression from the Kruna of Shadow's attitude, given the circumstances.

"Oh, I see..." murmured King Boo, his grin reforming. "Obstinate to the very end... Well let's go, boy; I'm the real power here. Go ahead and be killer fodder. Since you're short on words, no more talk. It'll just be you dying."

* * *

Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, Marut, Neva, and Ramona ran through the old Mushroom City streets of the now One World Capital as fast as they could to get to Marissa's castle. It took them less than ten minutes or so after leaving Andrew and King Boo to dash through Toad Town and into the central portions of what was once Mushroom City before they arrived at their destination. To their surprise, Marissa stood outside the castle's main entrance when they got to the castle bridge leading to the doors inside. Even though Marissa had control over the building for eight years and made some renovations to it, it still had the same foundation and resembled the castle that Peach used to reside in.

"I just saw it," said Marissa. "And I just saw everyone there. Looks like I have something I need to do after I kill you."


	68. Chapter LXVIII

The Last Hour – Part I:

Swirls of wind blasted the ground clear of debris and dust around Andrew and Umbra King Boo, kicking it off into the lake near them. Under the restored noontime sun, the two shadow wielders locked gazes on one another in a standoff. The only sound came through the disturbance of gale force gusts in the area as a continuation of what had been a remarkably blustery day.

King Boo smirked and laughed, teleporting from his spot in a warped streak. He reappeared behind Andrew and body slammed him to the ground, at which point he slashed down one of his dark claw arms on the Kruna of Shadow. Andrew got up his bladestaff and deflected the fierce swipe. Then, he rolled in a backwards somersault and propelled out of it off the ground. But before he even got his feet back down on the pavement, King Boo charged at him and rammed him again. As soon as King Boo struck Andrew, the ghost rolled and exhaled a flickering shadow burst into his opponent.

Andrew tumbled on the pavement a few times before using the momentum from it to return to his feet; but the moment he did, King Boo raised an arm and opened up a Paranormal Portal directly overhead of the Kruna of Shadow. Green and red spectral bursts of darkness rained down on Andrew and forced him into evasion, only for King Boo to tilt the Paranormal Portal to aim it and keep its fire on him. Andrew had the agility to get himself out of the way of the incoming projectiles, and he blocked and dodged whenever King Boo tried pulling the portal's aim ahead of where his trajectory would put him. That did not change the fact that he would soon tire out if he did not put a stop to the portal's assault.

* * *

The other six Kruna in One World Capital stood across from Marissa on the bridge leading into her castle's front doors. Interestingly, the witch did not seem vexed or angered at all with the undoing of her Arkana Force Field or the destruction of the Nirvana Barrier. She may have been mad about Rainbow City, but she seemed to have put that aside for the moment to deal with the elemental wielders before her then and there.

"What happened to Daisy?" asked Marissa.

"She's on her way," said Bowser. "And she'll be here soon."

"I would hope so," said Marissa. "For your sake, not mine. Eh, my sake too. I don't have to worry about getting sealed if one of you is missing, but it sure would make this last fight boring. Is the shadow wielder coming? Well, of course he's coming. He and Daisy have to come. Hmm... Before we do what we have to, I want to confess that I always thought he was cute."

"You...what?!" Neva grumbled, repulsed.

Marissa shrugged. "Yeah. Just thought I'd clear that off my chest. But don't tell him I said that. Perhaps a little too cute and wide-eyed for me."

"Oh no you don't – he's mine!" Neva shouted. "Don't you go looking at my boy like that, ya old vulture!"

"Does it really matter?" said Marissa, peering away. "You're all gonna be dead anyways. And nobody thinks dead things are cute. I guess it is creepy that I called someone who's barely an adult 'cute' when I'm however many hundreds of years older than him and not even human, huh? But still...do you think he likes curves?"

"What's it to ya?!" snapped Neva.

"I just think he'd prefer a real woman over a bite-sized stick figure," said Marissa.

"Actually, he has a strong preference for red hair," said Ramona.

"Let's just fight her right now already – he WHAT?!" Neva squeaked.

"No wait! I didn't mean to say that out loud!" Ramona quickly cried.

"Oh, koopa," said Marissa, looking at Bowser. "Before I forget, I think you would make a great plush toy. Do you have some time to spare so that I could get some made of you? It doesn't have to be exact dimensions, but I think they should at least be close so they don't look like knockoff bootlegs."

"Wait, why do you want plush toys of me?!" snapped Bowser.

"Because they'd be cute!" replied Marissa. "Different kind of 'cute' from the shadow wielder. And not 'cute' like the water wielder. He's more _handsome_ than cute."

Warra took a step back. "Is there an adequate response to that?"

"You can't tell me you wouldn't make a great plushie!" Marissa said to Bowser. "I mean, you've got a big head and stumpy legs; and your skin and scales and shell spikes look soft and colorful too."

"Woman, are you on some kind of new medication there?" Bowser asked, pop-eyed.

"Nah, I got that flu cleared up a couple weeks ago," said Marissa. "Can you believe one of my Skalfers got me sick? I kept telling that guy to stop breathing in my face with his snot dripping all over the place. Idiot."

"That's not what I meant," mumbled Bowser.

"Well, it's alright if you don't want to," said Marissa. "In any case, I think I've already been fair enough in giving you your time to prepare. I'm not gonna sit around and wait for the other two of your party either. We should probably get on with things, shouldn't we?"

Bowser, Athelstan, and Warra nodded in turn; though they felt just as surprised and dumbfounded with Marissa as the other three Kruna of the group. Marissa seemed both calm and friendly ever since the Kruna had arrived at her castle. She did still inspire a sense of dread and wicked malevolence, but it had been toned down a veritable degree.

"If you're all ready, then you should follow me," said Marissa. "Let's not settle things here of all places. We should go somewhere more appropriate for such an affair."

* * *

King Boo grinned, still aiming his attacking Paranormal Portal on the evasive Kruna of Shadow with its seemingly endless array of spectral shadow blasts. Andrew had slowed down since the start of the portal's onslaught, and now a few of the bursts began getting to him. Unfortunately for King Boo, he could not continue hitting Andrew when the Kruna of Shadow decided to head straight for him.

 _What?!_ King Boo shrieked in thought. As Andrew ran by him, he cut off the blasts of his Paranormal Portal to prevent from hitting himself. That pause gave Andrew enough of an opportunity to charge and sidearm a shadow burst of his own into the Paranormal Portal to disrupt and destroy it.

Scowling and grunting, Umbra King Boo increased his power output and exhaled several impure shadow bursts at Andrew. The slow-moving bursts were powerful but easily avoidable, and Andrew had no issue dodging them. The problem came moments after slipping around the ninth burst when King Boo made a large inhale, a gesture that drew all the shadow bursts he fired out back at him. Andrew felt two hit him in his back before he realized what was going on and rolled out of the way of the remainder that returned.

But it would not end there, for once King Boo got the other seven bursts back inside of him, he spat all of them out at Andrew as one huge, speedy blast. Andrew went airborne over the massive bowling ball of shadows, at which point King Boo teleported behind him and smashed a dark hammer fist down on him. Ricocheting off the ground, Andrew flipped and dodged the follow up claw slash King Boo threw. Some agile acrobatics along the street kept Andrew out of the way of the several ripping swings King Boo subsequently swiped at him. The powered-up ghostly fiend showed relentless attentiveness to every one of Andrew's movements.

King Boo wanted to sling a taunt Andrew's way as he swung at the Kruna of Shadow, but the fight had already evolved past the need for any spoken word. However the battle would go down, it would progress with little said – if even anything at all. The one swing of his arms King Boo thought he would land, Andrew twisted out of the way of in much the same manner he did the previous ones.

The Kruna of Shadow leapt back several times to clear space, only for King Boo to fly at him. Turns out that Andrew wanted that, for after a number of backwards jumps, he stopped and hooked his bladestaff up in a diagonal arc and smacked the ghostly being skyward. King Boo rolled out of his hitstun in time to see a crackling shadow bolt fly at him like a launched icicle. Enduring that hit, he then whipped out an impure shadow burst in retaliation. The burst curved and cut on its way down, showing King Boo had some level of control over this particular blast even after it had left him. He thought for sure this unpredictability would force Andrew back on the defensive.

King Boo's shock when Andrew caught the blast between his two hands then went on full display. As his bladestaff fell to the ground, Andrew held the corrupted dark spheroid and prevented it from both striking him and escaping. Despite his level of disbelief, King Boo kept urging the burst on. Andrew tried to keep it at bay under King Boo's increasing level of influence on it. The dark orb soon began pushing Andrew back along the pavement, his veiny muscles rippling and pulsating under intense stress. Combating a similar level of strain, King Boo cackled and continued forcing his burst at his opponent.

Andrew did not falter, though he kept getting pushed further and further back. Soon, he came off the street and onto the grass. He did not have much breathing room left preventing him from a short drop into the lake. King Boo grinned even harder as he put more force behind his attack, his entire body now tremoring; but Andrew matched his effort with more push on his end.

Even with his bolstered resistance, Andrew now found himself having to take voluntary steps back just to keep from losing his footing all together. The last thing he needed was to fall into any body of water with his inability to swim, but that soon became a very real possibility with the heel of his back foot tipping off the lake's stone border. He could feel his body tiring out quick under the powerful push of the Boo monarch's shadow burst. With what few moments Andrew could hold on for, he redirected his power elsewhere.

And then King Boo saw the blast fly right through Andrew and into the water behind him. The towering splash sprayed gallons of water up and around while Andrew rushed back onto the street. Utterly aghast, King Boo could not find any hole in the Kruna of Shadow's body. So focused on trying to comprehend what had just happened, King Boo did not notice Andrew's Alkemei glowing. Retrieving his bladestaff, Andrew got into stance to continue to fight. As Andrew gasped and panted from the tiring last sequence, King Boo still tried to wrap his head around how Andrew had outright avoided taking the hit from the last impure shadow burst. He wondered if the Master Pendant had actually helped Andrew, but the pendant was dangling on his belt loop and had not so much as even lit up once the entire fight.

As the glow from Andrew's Fwin died down, the Kruna of Shadow built up his power. The darkness that swirled into being around him spiked out and up like thick talons, blowing with the gusts of the winds scything through One World Capital. While Andrew powered-up, King Boo glared at him with the feeling that they might be there for a little while longer than he thought.

* * *

Marissa led the six Kruna with her southward of her castle, marching through the old Mushroom City streets. Through her Malocchio Eye's sight, she kept watch on the battle between Andrew and King Boo – something she actually told the Kruna she was doing. Still, they could not understand Marissa's unorthodox behavior and why the witch had been so cordial. As their chief enemy and threat, she did not act as such ever since their trip to The Northernmost West.

"The flowers will be in bloom soon," said Marissa. "Now that the sun is shining on the planet, this'll be the first real spring here in a while, huh? It's a shame you won't get to see them."

"Dude, you do realize your entire cloud barrier got destroyed," said Marut.

"Yeah, it did," said Marissa. "I have eyeballs, twig man. I have more than two, at that."

Again, the witch overlord had made the Kruna dumbstruck. They expected her to be livid over the Nirvana Barrier at some point, but she was still smiling instead. Not even the countless dead Skalfer and Boo bodies they came across in their walk incited her usual sociopathic anger.

"Um...Marissa," said Ramona. "Aren't you concerned at all about all these dead Skalfers?"

"King Boo and his Boos did whatever to them; yeah, yeah," said Marissa. "I was watching him. I'll kill him soon. After King Boo and Kokoro are gone, I'm not going to need that big of an army. So, it's whatever. I'll just have to hire people to clean up the mess."

"Huh," mumbled Marut.

"You don't care one bit about your Skalfer army being massacred?" asked Bowser.

"Aren't you mad or something about the Skalfers all being dead?" asked Neva.

"Why should I?" Marissa said. "Or better yet, how could I? My body is frozen. Everyone else around me will die at some point, just like everyone else has in the past. I'll just keep living. What's the point? Any attachment I form won't last. In the end, I'm just by myself in all this."

None of the Kruna had any idea how to respond. So, they walked on without saying anything; that is, until Marissa spoke again and threw them all for another loop.

"Video games are so cool, aren't they?" said Marissa. "You get to live entire stories whenever you want! Isn't that pretty rad? The companies overall have been on a bit of a downtrend as of late, rehashing the same old ideas and all. But maybe in the future, they'll get tired of the same old shooters, mindless platformers, and turn-based RPGs and come up with something more innovative. I'd like to see how the developers would have come up with a game based around you eight. I remember this old military game I used to play a lot where you could give out squad commands and stuff without having to actually switch to the other characters. And, you could split the team all over the level. You could have one guy on one end of the map and one aaaaaaall the way across on the other end. And then when you tell your team to follow, everyone would come from wherever they are to follow you."

"That...sounds like a totally rad idea!" hollered Marut. "Then you'd have, like, a bunch of different fights going on, right?"

"Conisword Legends EX was a good one that let you do stuff like that," said Marissa. "But it got overlooked because everyone thought it was too complicated and they wanted something easy to pick up instead of something that offered rewarding, innovative gameplay. Also, if dudes are gonna make a racing game, how about having more than thirty-two tracks and actually allow people to set the lap counter as opposed to forcing three laps on every course?"

"Yeah, that's so annoying!" yelled Marut. "The races only last like, two minutes! A whole bunch of crap could happen if you could go longer! We should be able to set it to a hundred laps or just one lap! And we should be able to choose how many opponents there are to race against!"

"And who those opponents are," added Athelstan. "And the ability to choose things like day-evening-night timing, and weather, too."

"Big muscle guy, you get it too!" replied Marissa. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who appreciates game flexibility and customization!"

"One of my favorite games was about buying and customizing all kinds of cars, karts, and bikes," said Athelstan. "It had all the major developers and manufacturers in the world, and you raised money as a professional racer. There were so many kinds of events to race through over entire calendar years, and you could upgrade parts and sell vehicles. Plus, there was this mode where you could actually have the AI race with your vehicle while you sat in the control booth and gave them commands on how to race!"

"That sounds godly!" exclaimed Marissa, squealing like some crazed fangirl. "Ooh, I wish I knew about that one!"

"Are you sure I'm not actually dead?" Bowser whispered to Warra.

"Bowser, I'm wondering the same thing of myself," Warra mumbled back.

While Marissa continued leading the group; she, Marut, and Athelstan kept talking about video games. Bowser, Warra, Neva, and Ramona all could not believe it.

* * *

Internal intensity rising with his power, Andrew continued activating more of his energy in front of Umbra King Boo, who now hovered across from him in wait. The Kruna of Shadow's hyper-aggressive black and purple aura increased in ferocity to the point of it appearing as though several dark knives slashed across him from every angle. He continued focusing and raising more power as he put away his bladestaff.

With a clutch of his right wrist, Andrew readied his Shadow Ripper. The strain on his gritted, wide-eyed expression hid nothing. He was giving it his all, trying his absolute hardest. Though King Boo still had the upper hand in power, the Kruna of Shadow's determination and growing vigor unnerved the ghostly being.

Andrew's motion of jerking his completed Shadow Ripper free from the grasp of his left hand let loose stray streaks of erratic, flickering shadow bolts. King Boo grinned once more and entered a teleporting chain, reappearing and disappearing at various portions of the area. The bulbous ghost popped up in the plaza parking lot, out over the lake, up in the air; essentially anywhere and everywhere he could. Andrew soon lost track of the deceptive maneuvers until he heard King Boo warp into being behind him, but he could not move out of the way in time. King Boo's claws soon slashed into him.

Or so King Boo thought. Instead, the claws fazed through Andrew much like his earlier impure shadow burst did. King Boo trembled, mouth agape. He noticed the glowing Alkemei around Andrew's neck and immediately withdrew his arms, but he could not back off quick enough. Andrew plowed his Shadow Ripper into King Boo for a critical hit that temporarily rendered the ghostly being senseless in addition to the egregious amount of damage it dealt.

A horrific, terrifying scream of agonizing pain escaped King Boo, but he moved himself out of the way of the followup ax kick Andrew threw at him. King Boo then deflected both shadow bursts Andrew sidearmed his way. After that unleashing, Andrew stood his ground and refrained from attacking. The break in action gave King Boo time to realize that Andrew's now dulled Alkemei gave the Kruna of Shadow the same intangibility ability he himself had.

That break lasted longer than King Boo thought, but he knew quick when it had ended. With Andrew still standing across from him, a black cloud faded into existence right next to King Boo from which a second Andrew lashed out with a hooking overhead punch. King Boo got another hit smashed into him, courtesy of the real Kruna of Shadow and the static, illusory afterimage he left behind of himself that soon eroded. Andrew had an opportunity to chain another attack, but he backtracked and gave King Boo a chance to recover.

King Boo grimaced and growled, more annoyed than harmed. Andrew stood in place by one edge of the road and flipped his bladestaff back into his grip, neutral in his face aside from a hostile, bellicose arch in his eyebrows. Neither one of the two shadow wielders showed any signs of weakening. Andrew had plenty of power left over despite what King Boo's impure bursts from earlier had drained of him; maybe even more than he himself realized, especially after having had the Gatekeeper's Seal limit him for so long.

Andrew then saw something materialize in the corner of his eyes towards the plaza parking lot. There, the same ominous, angel-winged, tall black figure in the Shy Guy mask and exceedingly dark blue cloak of prior encounters once again formed and stared at Andrew. The golden halo above his head inspiring nothing pleasant, the towering figure strummed his decayed hands along his harp to play haunting F minor chords and melodies that echoed in the winds. When King Boo saw the cloaked figure, he only grinned and chuckled.

* * *

The sign of the baseball stadium Marissa led the six Kruna Yura into read "One World Park." After traversing through the hallways and corridors inside, they popped out of the dugout and stepped onto the baseball diamond's artificial turf. The thousands of seats the sun laid its brightening rays upon were as vacant as One World Park's interior.

"This used to be Mushroom City Field," said Bowser.

"If there were more of us here, we could have had a game," said Marissa. "I can slug the ball out into the streets. You could also say I've got a bit of a gold glove. Maybe if you went and got some people together to play, I could go round up some snacks. I have a bunch of those cute little Yoshi Gummies for everyone."

"I don't think this is the time for any game," said Bowser.

"We have something serious we should be getting to," said Warra. "This casual and friendly attitude is not appropriate."

"This field actually has normal dirt and soil underneath the turf," said Marissa. "The turf is just here because there hasn't been sun to grow the natural grass. But now that the sun can shine again, I may just take the turf off and let the field grow its own grass back."

"Hey, Marissa!" barked Bowser. "We're here for something important! If this is where we're going to settle things, then fine, let's get this started already!"

"Yeah, what's with the stalling, witch?" asked Neva.

"If you believe I'm stalling, I would think it would only benefit you," said Marissa, turning to face the Kruna behind her. "It'd be giving your earth wielder and shadow wielder more time to arrive, wouldn't it?"

"It would, but you're, um, being terribly confusing," said Ramona.

"You told us word for word that you wouldn't sit around and wait for them to get here," said Bowser. "Yes, it does kind of help us that we're not starting right away, but...you're not taking this as seriously as you should, and you're just not making any sense."

"What's the deal?!" snapped Neva. "Are you not ready to fight or what?!"

Marissa nodded and sighed. Silent and tame, she spoke up after a while and said, "I was never ready for any of this."

"What do you mean by that?!" asked Neva.

Marissa did not respond. She closed her two main eyes, her Malocchio Eye still focused on Andrew and King Boo. The witch walked away from the Kruna and turned around when she got out into center field. A little apprehensive as to what the witch was thinking, the six Kruna all split behind first and third base and the pitching mound.

"It's a beautiful day out here," said Marissa. "With the sun shining on the land in that special one o'clock glow. It's fitting, isn't it? For you to have come so far to this point...to have scoured through the Nirvana Barrier's darkness for so long...and your journey comes to an end in the refreshing daylight."

Bowser unlimbered his Pyro Scimitar. Neva already had her Blizzard Bladestaff out. Marissa kept her eyes closed even as she heard the sound of sliding metal.

"Whatever happens here..." Marissa said. "I take no delight in victory...and I take no delight in killing you. It is the fight itself that I will remember. I need this fight. It'll be the last true one I have. In part, I am trying to savor this anticipation. There'll be no more after this starts."

Warra took out his Tidal Swordstaff. The Kruna of Water bent down and got into a defensive position, his line of sight fixated on the demon witch ahead.

"I achieved all that I ever could have wanted to," Marissa said. "Maybe I could've done even more, but none of this was worth it in the end. It...just hasn't been worth the effort. This is a lonely, empty existence. And the road I took to get here was mucked with gore and grime."

Marut sighed. Now serious and dour, he pulled off of his back his Dragon Bladestaff.

"Hatred has gotten me far," said Marissa. "But now, I don't think it will take me further."

Athelstan heaved his Obelisk Swordstaff into his grasp. He glanced at Marut, who nodded at him. There was no longer any time left for lightheartedness.

"Today is all about honesty, I believe," said Marissa. "I've killed an inordinate amount of people over the centuries – both out of desire and necessity. I've terrorized plenty more. But when you've done it over and over and seen maimed body after maimed body, you become dulled and numbed to the sensation. It has gotten tiring. Senseless. Fruitless. Really, everything after today will be that for me..." Still smiling, she closed her eyes and shook her head. "And people say they want to live forever. With infinite life, there comes a point where you just run out of things you can do. Things you want to do, for sure. Life is about doing, isn't it? That would explain how I'm dead when I'll never die."

As the last one who had not already, Ramona got out her Ultima Staff. Either the shaft of her Luster Swordstaff felt freezing to the touch, or she was just that chilled.

"With as many times as my parents tried to kill me, they only needed to succeed once," said Marissa, smiling through it all. "I wish they had. I wish I didn't put up any resistance and just let them do it. But what did I know? I was just figuring out what letters were and how to write."

Marissa then opened her eyes. "I'm blabbering on, I know. But for some reason, I have the strangest feeling that everything has come full circle now. Like I'm back to the way I was as a Kruna Genesis. Like I'm surrounded by my old teammates."

As they have all day, all over the continent, the winds blew and gusted across the land. The sun cast a gleaming shine on Marissa, illuminating the long, thick slit-like scars through the open sections of her dress on both shoulders and at the center of her abdomen. The similar scars in her palms totaled five of the unique marks.

"What lies ahead for me, I have no outcome to favor," Marissa said. "I've looked into the future. Maybe there's something I don't know of that could alter the scenarios. But as they stand now, they're all bad endings for me."

The witch raised her right arm across her body, magic power sparkling off her fingertips. In response to that gesture, the Kruna braced themselves and prepared for Marissa to attack. The moment the witch did, there would be no ending the fight until someone lost.

Marissa grinned half-heartedly, her expression anxious. "So there's nothing else for me to do now but try my best here, right?"


	69. Chapter LXIX

The Last Hour – Part II:

Andrew stood tall with a foot forward and rolled his bladestaff around in his left hand behind him. Shadows flashed and glistered along both of the staff's blades, increasing in density and ferocity as time passed. Blustery wind made both collections of darkness distort and disfigure. The foreboding, angel-winged black figure in the Shy Guy mask and the navy blue cloak watched Andrew from the plaza parking lot with unwavering attention.

Umbra King Boo raised both his shadow-extended arms, an angered scowl developing on his face. In between his dark claws, a pulsating orb of tainted shadow power swirled into form. The dark orb gave off several large crackles of power, some of them momentarily obscuring King Boo altogether. After those large outbursts, King Boo had his orb ready. But instead of doing anything with it, he hovered in place and glared at Andrew.

Turns out that was just a distraction. While the fake King Boo had readied the image of a dark orb, the real King Boo's arms grabbed hold of Andrew's legs from underneath the ground and yanked on him. Andrew's back slammed onto the ground with his footing removed from underneath him, at which point King Boo flew out from under the pavement and pulled his adversary into the air. The ghostly monarch heaved Andrew overhead and aimed to throw him off into the lake. Yet as King Boo threw him, the Kruna of Shadow slipped right through the ghost's grip and fell through him entirely.

The Alkemei Fwin's intangibility power saved Andrew from flying into the lake and subsequently drowning, though the momentum already transferred from King Boo's windup put him on a very close trajectory. As he fell, Andrew twisted around and slashed with his bladestaff to help him regain control of his momentum. He then fired off the shadows from his tool in front of him in a haphazard, untamed fashion to give him the backwards propulsion needed to push him away from the lake. He landed on his rear end in the grass just a couple of car lengths away from the lake's edge.

Andrew had no time to acknowledge how close he came to plummeting into the lake, for he heard a shadow burst go off behind him. He rolled and snapped to his feet, evading the burst that weakened and ate away at the already dead grass. As soon as he turned around, King Boo appeared and tried to smash a punch in his face. Andrew bent back with supple flexibility and spun his bladestaff around to smack it at King Boo, only for the ghost to turn incorporeal just long enough for the tool to pass through him. The momentum Andrew had from his staff swing carried him into a brutal back kick on impulse that King Boo did not see coming, scoring a hit on the ghost anyways.

Angered, King Boo floated away with haste; but Andrew dashed at him. In another demonstration of mobile, explosive hip power, he slammed a high kick into King Boo that launched the ghostly fiend airborne. With a twist in the direction of his kick, Andrew set his lead foot down with a crouch and readied a violent burst of shadow. Propelling out of his kneeling state, he shot his dark blast up at the still reeling King Boo.

A scream escaped the ghost entity on contact, then gravity took over and pulled him to the ground. Bouncing off the pavement, King Boo's puffy body came to a rest off in the grass towards the plaza parking lot near the darkened, decayed figure wearing the Shy Guy mask. Still, the figure stared at Andrew and Andrew alone. It seemed unlikely the figure would remove his gaze from Andrew at all for the duration either of them would be there.

Though King Boo remained motionless for a while, Andrew expected him to recover and return to a stable hover soon. Replacing his bladestaff across his back, the Kruna of Shadow took the opportunity to refocus his power and increase his energy flow. Once more, the aggressive talons of his furious shadow aura erupted around his body.

* * *

Eyeing the six Kruna in front of her in stance and ready to battle on the baseball field of One World Park, Marissa stood without any guard up. She maintained the calm and benign attitude she had kept up the whole afternoon so far. Her silky, thick black hair fluttered in the gusts like the golden blonde of Ramona's, the pale blonde of Neva's, the dark brown of Warra's, and the ragged red of Bowser's. With a deep sigh, Marissa decided not to delay any longer.

"Let's just skip the prelude," said Marissa, flaring her arms out to her sides. "I bet you all think you'll be faring pretty well just off of sensing and comparing your own powers to mine. Though, I have to inform you that such a belief is in no way accurate or rational. For you see, these past several years have given me a lot of dead time to investigate, explore...experiment-"

"Where is this going?" mumbled Neva.

"By now, you may have noticed this dress of mine is revealing in a few key, select areas," said Marissa. "And no, get your minds out of the gutter. I know what you were thinking, stone wielder, air wielder. Don't you two give me those looks. I know I have a _bewitching_ shape, but I'm referring to here."

The witch raised her arms and held open her palms. "You see these lengthy scars? You wanna know what these are for?"

"They serve a purpose?" asked Warra.

"They had better, as painful as they were," said Marissa. "They were more painful to slice into my hands than the ones on my shoulders or on my tummy."

"Okay, seriously, where is this going?" Neva muttered with a tremble.

Suddenly, a split ripped through each of Marissa's five scars. The splits produced wet sounds.

"Let me tell you – here's one reason why I'm actually glad the Nirvana Barrier is gone," said Marissa. "Now that I don't have to expend energy and focus maintaining the link between my Malocchio Eye and the barrier, I can do this..."

Marissa maintained a neutral expression while the splits in her scars opened up and spread apart, each cicatrix revealing a white orb inside. Then, each orb revolved in place to uncover an iris and pupil identical to that of her Malocchio Eye. A red and purple halo flashed from each of the newly uncovered eyes in turn, her main two amber eyes momentarily pulsing with light.

"Wait, are those...all of those..." Ramona mumbled.

"Are those all _more_ Malocchio Eyes?!" Marut gasped.

"That means she has _six_ Malocchio Eyes now?!" exclaimed Athelstan.

"Woah, what an energy spike," murmured Neva.

Bowser grimaced and grunted. "She's an insane fool!"

"I'm insane for uncovering more power?" asked Marissa. "Oh come on. Now you're just sounding like sore losers, and we haven't even started yet."

"Man, this witch is full of surprises," muttered Athelstan.

"I feel bad though," said Marissa. "It is unfair that I didn't mention this form in advance. If you had known, you probably could have prepared better. But if you're Kruna, you should be ready for _anything_ , shouldn't you?"

"Oh, this stinks," grumbled Neva. "This stinks on ice!"

Marissa crossed her wrists in front of her chest, palms facing away. All eight of her eyes stared at the Kruna, the six Malocchio Eyes unblinking in their gaze. As she stood there, the five Eyes of her body pumped up in size by a noticeable margin.

"Daisy has Nova Form..." said Marissa. "And now, I have Eternal Malocchio Form."

* * *

By the time King Boo picked himself up off the ground and reestablished his neutral hover, Andrew had already amassed an extensive amount of darkness. The Kruna of Shadow crossed his hands overhead and arched his torso back in setup for the unleashing of his Gemivado blast. He refrained from firing it off right away, instead granting King Boo a chance to put up a defense or try and counter with a blast of his own.

King Boo did neither one. He hovered in his spot and waited for Andrew's continuous wave. Not patient enough to extend the grace period he provided, Andrew slung his hands down in front of him and released the immense dark power built up in and around him. Only then with a wall of shadows rushing at him did King Boo do something. The Boo monarch opened his mouth and inhaled.

Andrew did not feel any resistance when his Gemivado reached King Boo, but he did notice a vortex flash and branch out from where he aimed his beam. King Boo sucked in all of Andrew's dark energy into his mouth as the Gemivado rushed at him. Sensing something wrong, Andrew cut off the flow of his attack and watched his shadows sputter and spiral out of control before reaching its destination inside of King Boo. Andrew soon saw nothing of his Gemivado blast after the last of it disappeared into King Boo's agape mouth.

The influx of dark power jolted King Boo, but he soon got control over all that he had collected and absorbed every last bit of it. Andrew grimaced as he watched King Boo flash with a black and purple strobe effect that added to the density and thickness of his corrupted red and green shadows. However unfortunate it was to waste an attack, Andrew would soon have more problems with the now incessantly cackling ghostly fiend ahead of him.

King Boo raised his arms and let all the extra shadow energy he absorbed flow outwards and around him. The shadows soon flew out to where Andrew stood as well and encircled him too before expanding out in a dome. Now, King Boo had trapped both he and Andrew in a dark cage of black, red, and green that contained almost no light whatsoever. The Shy Guy figure fazed his body through the dark dome and again stared at Andrew without ceasing.

Andrew and King Boo had yet to utter a single syllable to one another since the start of their battle, and neither had any intention of changing that. Though Andrew could see in the dark just as King Boo could, the Kruna of Shadow soon lost sight of the ghostly being. King Boo's body faded out completely. Andrew glanced around and only saw the Shy Guy mask of the deathly figure staring at him with his empty eye sockets.

Though he did not see King Boo, Andrew heard shifting in the darkness. King Boo lashed out behind Andrew and rammed into him low in the back. Andrew flew at the opposite side of the dome, but he immediately got hit again from that same side he neared. King Boo flew out from the side Andrew rolled to and smacked the Kruna of Shadow into the center of the dome.

When Andrew got up, King Boo once again vanished within the omnidirectional wall of darkness. Andrew could hear King Boo laughing almost as much as he could feel the piercing stare of the figure in the Shy Guy mask behind him. Without any idea of where King Boo would come from, Andrew repeatedly twisted around in place to get sight of every direction around him.

* * *

"Well then, shall we proceed?" asked Marissa.

Neva smirked. "Really, now that I got a good look at you, this transformation is almost senseless."

"Hah! _Senseless_ ," said Athelstan. " _Eyes_. Extra eyes at that."

"No, rock-head; I didn't mean that," said Neva.

Aiming her bladestaff's crossbow at Marissa's right shoulder Eye, Neva fired a string of ice arrows. All four that came out struck the targeted Eye dead on. The witch had not even bothered to evade or defend herself, but it was to make a point. The ice arrows bounced off the shoulder Malocchio, eliciting minimal damage.

"Nope," said Marissa.

"What was that, Neva?" barked Bowser.

"I swear, those arrows weren't blunt!" Neva responded.

"My eyes are no more vulnerable than the rest of my body," said Marissa. "What, do ya think I'm stupid? I've seen what happens to beings with eyes on their bodies. The extra eyes always end up being a weak spot. So, I made my five extra Eyes extra tough and keratinized. They are not only tough, but they are dulled to pain as well."

"That complicates things," said Athelstan.

"And since you just dealt out the first attack, I believe I own the next turn," said Marissa. She flared both her hands as open as they would go, generating flash explosions of sparkling red magic power in each palm many times the size of her own head.

"That's, uh...quite the power increase," mumbled Marut.

"Well before she does anything-" Bowser started to say, a fireball welling up in his throat. With a forceful exhale, he spat the fireball out in Marissa's direction. Though the speedy flaming burst came out fast, Marissa sidestepped even quicker.

"That's quite a speed increase too," Ramona said.

"Maybe not," said Warra. "Fire's not the quickest traveling element around."

Ramona paused for a moment to think. She then charged light power through to the blade of her swordstaff. The energy zipped through the air at Marissa upon release, only for the witch to shift out of the way of that burst as well.

"So she's a _little_ faster," said Neva. "Big deal."

Marissa laughed at the Kruna of Ice's statement. Holding up both of her arms, Marissa focused her energy to generate fire in one hand and magic power in the other. She combined the sparkling red mist with the burning scarlet-yellow flames, the process of which elicited reactions from both masses of power. The fires split into a revolving gear shape, and the magic power curled over the fire like a spiky, spiraling umbrella. With a flash of her main Malocchio Eye, the fire-magic combination expanded and stabilized. She now held and sustained the fused power mass with a single hand.

"Combining magic and elemental power is something I should have done more of," said Marissa. She hurled the melded burst at the Kruna, who got themselves set to defend and block. But as Marissa's fire-magic mass flew at them, it pulsed and sprayed out shimmering flames in a full circle. As soon as they noticed the intermittent outbursts, the Kruna scattered to either side of the power mass.

The burst kept churning power out and around itself even after it crashed into the wall behind One World Park's home plate. The Kruna and Marissa watched to see when the burst would die out; but it stayed active for a while. By the time it finally dissipated several moments later, it had left behind burn marks all around the point of contact and the surrounding area.

"What kind of freaky, possessed crap was that all about?!" Marut blurted out.

"Oh, did _that_ startle you?" said Marissa. "If you're worried about that little thing, then you _really_ won't like what's gonna happen next."

"I sure don't like the sound of that," muttered Neva.

"Oh, and you can cut that out, Kruna of Water," Marissa said.

The Kruna all flinched in surprise and glanced over at Warra to see what Marissa was talking about, only to find that Warra had vanished. They could not see their water teammate anywhere, but Marissa seemed to know Warra's exact whereabouts. The witch turned around with her hands raised and brimming with magic power at nothing in particular. Then, as if tracking something, she moved her aim back and forth in a controlled, calculated manner. Soon, Warra shut off his Alkemei Inpei and restored his visibility, now standing directly in line with Marissa's palms.

"She knew where Warra was?!" Ramona gasped. "He turned invisible and she could see him?!"

"Um, I only have, like, six Malocchio Eyes or whatever," said Marissa. "Nothing invisible is getting past the expanded infrared and ultraviolet vision I now have. And you can forget about most surprise attacks. I have omnidirectional sight."

"That's just wonderful," grunted Bowser. "She copied my Kracielle's power and rendered Warra's Inpei useless at the same time."

"Hey, ice wielder!" Marissa called out. "I don't see your Hien lighting up from that last technique, do I?"

Neva cringed and pulled on her Hien's gem. As an Alkemei that can copy most observed attacks, it holds a sustained illumination when it has stored the memory, structure, and composition of one. This time, the Hien produced no glow whatsoever.

"I think you'll be hard-pressed to copy _any_ of my upcoming techniques," said Marissa. "No way can the Hien handle the complexity and level of power involved, especially not with you as the wearerlimiting it. But just to be sure, we'll see for ourselves."

Marissa's feet left the ground, at which point her hands lit up with separate masses of magic and fire power. The two powers escaped and flowed around opposite hands this time around, growing in intensity while she inched higher into the blustery air. The Kruna spread out along the baseball field, each grabbing a distinct area to form a wide semicircle formation on the ground.

"Alright," Marissa said, slowing her ascent to a halt. "Let's get dangerous."

* * *

King Boo slashed, batted around, and knocked down Andrew several times; too many times to count. He drew blood from the Kruna of Shadow's arms and, most notably, his neck. Andrew tried timing the activation of his Alkemei Fwin to King Boo's attacks, but he had a low success rate in doing so. He also did not want to waste the amount of energy required to keep his Fwin active the entire time, for he had no idea just how long he would need the Alkemei's effects. And the few times Andrew tried to make a move out of the dark dome, King Boo cut him off and knocked him right back to the center.

Sustaining and recovering from another battering hit, Andrew had two options: either use his Fwin to remain intangible while he dashed out of the dark dome, or counterattack King Boo when he tried to lash out at him. Naturally, he opted for the latter option. To him, the former would have just been a way of giving up. Irrespective of that, King Boo would pounce on any sign of weakness.

Andrew cut to the side on the off chance that King Boo would attack him at that moment – something that the ghostly being actually did and then retreated with haste once he realized he missed. The Kruna of Shadow charged his bladestaff, picked a direction, and then dashed with the intention of a direct, deliberate approach towards the dome wall. King Boo popped out and swung one of his shadow claws when Andrew got close, but Andrew ducked underneath in time. Exposed and unprotected, King Boo took the swipe Andrew dealt from underneath and got knocked to the center of the dome himself.

Now able to escape, Andrew sprinted through the dark wall and out into the open. Unfortunately for him, the direction he went in put him right on track to drop into the lake. As he emerged into the daylight and realized his trajectory would put him in the water, he tried to hit the brakes on his speed. He tried to, but he was too quick. It only took a couple of steps for him to fall off the edge and end up in the water despite his attempt to stop himself.

Andrew sank into the lake, unable to figure out how to halt his descent. Never learning how to swim, he kept plummeting lower and lower into the water while his open wounds screamed at him. If he could not do anything soon to get back on land, he would drown and die on his own and of his own actions.

At a time when he was at his lowest, Andrew would have sank without any effort put forth to save himself. But this time was different. This time, he felt a drive to survive; a drive to survive and beat King Boo, not let some body of water end his heartbeat. He did not know if it would work, but Andrew began pulling his bladestaff through the water to try and propel himself up ahead. That elicited no effect on his overall depth, so he instead tried a more forceful method with what little air he still had left in his lungs. Shadow power exploded from the bottom blade of his bladestaff and gave him some upward push. Doubling and then tripling his output, Andrew ascended up into the higher levels of the water until he resurfaced. As he gasped for air, he angled his bladestaff out into the middle of the lake and continued firing until he hit against the side of the lake around where he had originally fell off.

Andrew had next to no time to react before King Boo grabbed his head and threw him back on land. The Kruna of Shadow smacked and rolled onto the hard pavement of the street, King Boo's dark dome now receding. The figure with the Shy Guy mask still stood there, once more staring at Andrew as the human shadow wielder sucked in as much air as he could.

Everything in Andrew's body hurt. His open lacerations in his arms and neck would not stop pestering him, his lungs assailed him with tightened burns as they tried to recover from his oxygen debt, and his taxed and gassed muscles twitched with numbness. King Boo could have forced Andrew down into the water if he so pleased, but he still had the Master Pendant to strip from the Kruna of Shadow's possession.

* * *

Now fully loaded with readied fire and magic, Marissa raised her arms overhead and created the fiery mystic cloud needed for her Star Galaxia attack. Flaming stars rained down from the cloud all over the baseball park in every direction, forcing the Kruna on the immediate defensive. The team regrouped from their spread formation when Marut and Ramona charged their elemental powers. With Bowser and Warra behind him, Marut spun around to erect the windy barrier of his Dome Rotation. Likewise, Ramona put up a thick, glass-like light shield for Athelstan and Neva to run behind. Flaming stars bounced all around off deflections from Marut's and Ramona's defenses, yielding mass chaos in the ballpark early.

Marissa's Star Galaxia kept hammering out flaming stars until her fiery cloud evaporated. Marut's wind dome and Ramona's light wall held up and protected everyone amid the scorching burn marks littered all over the stadium's field. The two defending Kruna dispelled their elements as Marissa hovered back and forth in the air, the witch seemingly daring any one of the elemental wielders to try and hit her.

"Yo, bro; we seriously did _not_ know what we were getting into here," said Marut.

"We sure didn't," Neva said, firing off ice arrows. Her normal pinpoint precision did not apply here, and all ten of her single-shot arrows missed. It was not by any fault of hers; it seemed as though Marissa's body shifted just out of the way of the arrows in mirage-like fashion.

"Such small projectiles from a tiny human," taunted Marissa. "If you keep shooting those from as far away as that, of course I'll have all day to evade."

"How did she..." Neva mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

"Don't worry, Neva," said Ramona. "We all saw that."

"Since you're all together now down there..." Marissa yelled, pumping magic power out her raised right hand. The power streaked and took the shape of an eight-sided white and red star. Her Dream Shuriken formed, Marissa added some revolution to it. The Dream Shuriken's spin speed increased until its eight points began to blur.

Marissa twisted her Dream Shuriken across her body to the opposite side and then whipped it down at the Kruna Yura. Charging since the end of Star Galaxia, Bowser had plasma brimming around the curved blade of his Pyro Scimitar. The Kruna of Fire shot off his plasma beam at the incoming Dream Shuriken, successfully pushing the attack back but not eradicating it. Once Bowser's beam ended, the Dream Shuriken's backward momentum ceased. Just moments later, the spinning mystic star regained its forward speed and continued its acceleration towards the Kruna.

Athelstan stepped to the front, his Alkemei Odina doubling his strength. With a mighty heave of his Obelisk Swordstaff, the brutish Kruna of Stone whacked the incoming Dream Shuriken into the air. Knocked into an uncontrolled series of several flips, the spinning star accelerated in a haphazard line of travel. It zigzagged through the air under the combined influence of its forward acceleration and the flips induced on it. When the Dream Shuriken regained its stability, it rocketed into the ground at the side of the Kruna and nearly took out Bowser and Warra in the process.

"I've never seen any attack behave in such a manner," said Ramona.

"Neva, can you copy either of those two crazy moves she just used?!" asked Bowser.

Neva's Hien was lit up. But when the Kruna of Ice aimed one end of her bladestaff at Marissa and activated the pendant, plasma came out of her tool. Marissa quick drew her Dominion Scepter and batted the burst of plasma up into the air, playfully giggling. Neva's Hien then dulled.

"It copied you, Bowser," said Neva. "I really don't think I can copy any of her moves, and I don't think I want to try with the amount of energy copying that plasma used up."

"You're always welcome to try!" Marissa shouted, bringing out more power. "I've got plenty more tricks in my hat!"

"Does she mean figuratively or literally?" asked Marut.

"BOTH!" Marissa replied.

"How did I know she was gonna say that," grumbled Bowser.

* * *

Back in Memory Forest, Dabi the Fortuneteller sat on her mat behind where Nova Daisy's unconscious body lay inside the candle-outlined octagon. A book of spells opened at her side and an octagonal healing talisman in her raised left hand, the Magikoopa focused her magic through the right hand she held over Daisy's chest. A golden, sparkling mist vibrated out from Dabi's right palm and smothered Daisy's body.

Dabi had amassed a large crowd consisting of many of Home's residents while she did her healing work. All of them paid their respects to the Magikoopa and did little to interfere or distract her from her concentration-heavy task, a task with critical importance attached to it. Though proving not nearly as fast compared to Peach and her divine healing powers, Dabi had sureness in her own effectiveness to finish the job Peach had started.

 _Almost time_ , Dabi said in thought. _You'll awaken soon..._

* * *

King Boo floated ever closer to Andrew as the Kruna of Shadow used his bladestaff to press himself back to his feet. The powered-up Boo monarch clearly held the advantage at this point. Andrew had sustained the most damage and used up the most power, not to mention the blood loss he suffered.

With a deep sigh, Andrew closed his eyes. He laid the flat of his staff's top-facing blade on his head, knowing the figure with the Shy Guy mask was waiting for King Boo to kill him. Collectively, Andrew did not have much power left; and the Master Pendant sure did not rush to assist him as it hung off the belt loop on the left side of his hip. If he was going to pull off some special comeback for a victory, he needed to do it now.

King Boo had gotten close. Spinning his bladestaff to his right side behind him, Andrew dashed at King Boo and smashed a punch into him with his free hand. The sudden vigor caught King Boo off guard, and he took that hit along with the subsequent kick Andrew struck with and his bladestaff swipe.

Three consecutive, strong, fast hits stunned King Boo when he least expected it and opened up Andrew's playbook. He dashed at King Boo and lowered his shoulder into the ghostly fiend; and chaining off of that hit, another bladestaff swing connected. Andrew's free left hand kept up the attack, initiating a more voracious and ferocious string of rapid jabs than Daisy's Flurry Punch.

Now he had his offense humming along thanks to successive, uninterrupted hits scored on King Boo. Andrew placed a high kick in a spot where his hit made King Boo spin backwards with most of the momentum going into the revolutions instead of launching the ghost entity high into the air. The subsequent ax kick out of Andrew's jump sent King Boo hurtling into a bounce off the pavement, a ricochet that set up for the elbow the Kruna of Shadow dished out not even a full second later. Stunned, King Boo could not defend against the hammering bladestaff swing Andrew unleashed.

Coming from down low, another swing walloped King Boo. With the ghostly being still in striking distance; Andrew adjusted his angle, backed up, wound up his bladestaff, and swatted King Boo away out in the direction of the plaza parking lot. The last thing Andrew needed was to get caught in a predicament near the lake again.

With King Boo reeling from the unrelenting string of attacks Andrew had dealt him, the Kruna of Shadow focused dark energy into his bladestaff. Purple blackness engulfed both of the staff's blades and increased in density with each passing moment. His opponent bound to recover soon, Andrew rocketed towards King Boo the instant he felt he had generated enough power in his bladestaff. Once within striking range, Andrew's shadows flared with jagged ends as he brought his bladestaff down on King Boo.

Or, he thought he brought his bladestaff down on King Boo. Andrew did not actually hit anything. His bladestaff passed through King Boo's unmoving body altogether as though the ghostly fiend was not there at all. By the time Andrew realized what had happened, the real King Boo had already teleported behind him. The illusory King Boo faded away.

From behind, King Boo struck and stabbed the claws of his powered-up form's shadowed arm extensions into the sides of Andrew's neck. He then pulsed a hefty amount of impure dark power through the wounds and into the Kruna of Shadow's body before retracting his claws. That alone did not satisfy King Boo, for he then slashed again and shredded gashes in both of Andrew's arms and down low at the unarmored area of his waist near the base of his spine. Because King Boo landed all of the hits from behind, Andrew could not even see them or brace himself against them. One final burst of corrupted shadow into the opened laceration in Andrew's lower back sealed the deal.

Contented, King Boo teleported and reappeared in front of Andrew a fair distance away. "I told you over and over that I'd get you. And you didn't believe me. You never took my word for it. Look what has happened now."

Andrew's body quaked and seemed ready to fall over, but he tried as hard as he could to remain standing. All the willpower in the world could not help him here. His bladestaff soon dropped out of his grasp. The grim Shy Guy figure kept the empty gaze through his mask on Andrew as he had ever since arriving.

"Damn..." Andrew muttered. "Damn it all... You've got to be kidding me... So after all this...everything...I die after all..."

King Boo did not say or do anything more. He just chuckled and grinned, knowing that his pesky adversary would not live on much longer. The Master Pendant now held almost all of King Boo's attention, and he intended on claiming the sealed Alkemei once Andrew took his final fall.

"I'm sorry, everyone...for failing..." grunted Andrew. "Ramona...Ramona, you're gonna have to learn to live without me now... Neva...Neva...Neeev..."

A little grin crept on Andrew's face as he continued trembling and leaking out of his wounds. Then, a mixture of chuckles and weak giggling escaped him. King Boo seemed confused as to why the Kruna of Shadow would be laughing in such a situation.

"If you think this is over, you're wrong," Andrew said. "Even without me, my friends'll still beat Marissa. And they'll definitely beat you, too! I believe in them! They'll stop you both. They have to. With Daisy on their side, they can't lose! You wanna be stupid enough to try and stand against them? Fine. You go ahead and see what happens... They'll free this world of both of you twisted creeps..."

He went down smiling. The gusting wind eventually pushed him over, blowing into the front of him at an angle and forcing him onto his back in an awkward fashion. Contact with the asphalt produced a thud.


	70. Chapter LXX

For Whom the Wind Howls:

Brimming in the air with shades and swirls of mystic and flame red, Marissa cast a bold, empty neon circle of the same tint down around the Kruna on the field of One World Park. A soft glow filled the empty circle with random stars appearing all over within the border – including under some of the six Kruna Yura's feet.

"You might wanna move," Marissa suggested to the Kruna.

Suddenly alert, the Kruna split and scattered throughout the circle just a couple of seconds before pillars of fire shot up from the circle's stars. The flame streams went off as new stars formed in new areas. In fact, none of the Kruna could stay stationary with the constant cycle of stars appearing and giving way to fiery pillars. The Kruna had to get evasive to dodge the ten rounds of random stars shooting their towering fires, though all of them ended up getting hit at least once due to the sheer unpredictability of the technique. While Ramona, Neva, and Marut just got clipped with glancing shots of the fires, Bowser, Warra, and Athelstan sustained direct hits.

Marissa let the circle of her Malocchio Torch attack fade away at the conclusion of its sequence. She then formed another Dream Shuriken and spun it down at Bowser, though this time with a slight curve on release. This made its track of flight erratic as it accelerated towards Bowser, therein complicating trying to dodge. Ramona and Neva could not even land a blast on the Dream Shuriken to knock it away because of its winding trajectory.

Faced with no other option, Bowser dashed forward and retreated into his shell for a defensive Whirling Fortress to try and slip out of the way with protection. By going in the direction opposite of the Dream Shuriken's mean trajectory, Bowser escaped underneath the spinning star's reach as it careened into the ground near where he formerly stood. The Dream Shuriken stuck into the artificial turf and shredded into it like a chainsaw blade until it ran out of spinning power and disbanded.

Marissa dodged the mini-tornado Marut ripped her way, but she ended up getting hit with ice arrows out of her aerial twist. Water bullets from Warra also struck her right after Neva's arrows. The projectiles that hit her body Malocchio Eyes bounced off, but the ones that hit her body pierced and stuck into her. Even with the harm dealt to her, the witch grinned and laughed.

Marissa powered-up and unleashed her Star Galaxia again. The fiery cloud from before reformed and dropped flaming stars onto One World Park like hail. While Marut and Ramona put up their respective defenses, Athelstan emptied the rocks loaded in his Stone Launcher and erected a wall against the incoming stars with them. Marut already had his Dome Rotation up around him and Warra, so Bowser and Neva ran behind Ramona and her light shields. From their cover, the fire wielder and ice wielder unleashed a barrage of flame and frost in Marissa's direction while Ramona kept their protection up. Their efforts had to burst through a bevy of the incoming flaming stars to get even close to Marissa, but their blasts eventually reached her and battered her enough to bring the Star Galaxia to an early end.

"Hey, this isn't too bad," Ramona said as she, Marut, and Athelstan terminated their defenses. "Her techniques are wicked barmy, but they're not completely outrageous."

As if in direct response to Ramona, Marissa held a finger up to her main Malocchio Eye. The finger crackled with increasingly dense mystic energy and shot off a thin, laser-like, red plasma beam when she thrust her arm down in Ramona's direction. The destructive appearance of the incoming beam made the Kruna of Light sidestep out of the way before it came near; a smart decision, for it burned a hole straight through the ground without kicking up any debris. After a few moments, charred earthy matter shot up out of the hole instead.

"Whoops!" Marissa said. "Maybe I shouldn't have used the Death Beam this early."

"Death Beam?!" whimpered Ramona.

"Watch out, Ramona!" Bowser yelled.

By Ramona's feet where the Death Beam had shot into the ground, magma began to ooze out. In a frenzied scamper, she fled from the bubbling molten rock. The magma soon cooled and plugged the hole it came out from, leaving a layered mound of smooth, solid stone.

"That went really deep," mumbled Neva, wide-eyed.

"Imagine what it would be like if it went through one of you," said Marissa. "I mean, if it _hit_ one of you. Um..." She giggled and gave a wink. "Ah well, I guess I already spoiled it. But then again, if you remember Mario and Luigi – er, Mr. M and Mr. L – then you would have already known that."

* * *

Umbra King Boo powered-down back to his normal state and floated across the lakeside street towards Andrew's dead body. Now with the Kruna of Shadow successfully slain, King Boo could take the Master Pendant from him. And with the sealed Alkemei, he could confront Marissa head-on.

The grim and foreboding Shy Guy figure strummed a distinct series of D-sharp minor chords on his harp, the last of which triggered a shift in his instrument's form. As his cloak and angel wings waved in the wind, his harp extended a staff-like rod under its base and curved blades on both of its top ends. In his free hand, an hourglass then materialized. All the sand inside of it sat in the bottom half.

"Now, this is finally accurate," the figure said as he followed King Boo. "I should not have to actively watch a mortal just to make sure they die."

In spite of the blustery gale winds of the afternoon, a thick haze developed around the area. The haze rose up and grew into dense fog. Soon, a shroud of gray surrounded Andrew's corpse, King Boo, and the figure with the Shy Guy mask. A giant bell sounded off and rang its tune, even though there was no discernible source. The bells of One World Capital had not rung all day.

King Boo shifted his eyes as far left as they would go to try and glimpse at the tall-bodied, slender Shy Guy figure tailing him. "I've seen you before. You handle the dead, don't you? Just who exactly are you supposed to be?"

"I am the power that exists at the end of all things finite," the figure replied. "I am as old as the one who created existence. My true name inspires fear and malaise in all who hear it. For your sake, refer to me as the Eternal Moderator. You put this mortal in his place. Once you leave, I shall take his body and soul. He will be erased from this world. The sooner you depart, the better. So hurry up and be gone."

"Alright, alright, cool it," muttered King Boo. "You don't have to be so bossy. Don't you have any patience?"

"There is no reason I should be out here in the first place," the Eternal Moderator said. "I should not have to stalk anyone. No one has produced this much trouble and disruption since the Demon God's abuse of power whole millennia ago. He has been far too lucky before now."

"Well, I just have one thing I need to do," said King Boo.

"Make it quick," said the Eternal Moderator. "Do what you need to do and leave."

Once King Boo and the Eternal Moderator got near Andrew's body, the fog around them increased in thickness and shrank its scope of coverage. King Boo hovered low to the pavement and gazed through the fog to eye the Master Pendant resting on the hard ground. All King Boo had to do was undo the pendant's necklace from Andrew's belt loop, and he would attain sole possession of it.

But something then happened the moment King Boo reached an arm out for the Master Pendant. For the first time since awakening the Giga Soul in Bowser, the Master Pendant lit up and glowed. A quick flash from the "eye" inside the Master Pendant cleared all the fog from the area, and the Master Pendant's vibrant pink and light blue glow grew and shrouded Andrew's entire body.

* * *

Much like before, Marissa floated around in the air in the same general location with the same mirage-like effect distorting the appearance of her movement. The ring for her Malocchio Torch appeared on One World Park's field again, and the flame pillars once more shot up when Marissa thrust one of her palms skyward. Out of the twelve rounds of fiery columns that rose from grounded, randomized stars, Marissa scored hits on Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, and Marut. Ramona and Neva were the only two that slipped past all the pillars that erupted near them. Bowser suffered the most direct of the hits and took the most damage, for the magic properties of the flames bypassed his natural fire resistance. Warra accrued the next most damage, having got hit twice.

The remnants of the Malocchio Torch faded away as Bowser, Athelstan, Warra, and Marut writhed and rolled on the ground to make the blaze on them go out quicker. Ramona and Neva watched Marissa drop out of the air and touch down in the outfield with a Dream Shuriken forming over each of her outstretched palms. Before the four downed Kruna recovered from the previous attack, Marissa threw a Dream Shuriken at Bowser and the other at Warra. Neither Ramona nor Neva could react quick enough, and Bowser and Warra both sustained critical, armor-denting hits. Bowser had the endurance to tough it out and rebound to his feet out of the long slide he tumbled in, but Warra just flopped face down in the turf. Marut and Athelstan did not even realize Bowser and Warra got hit until after the fact.

Marissa threw her hands up and shrugged. "I feel like one of you said not too long ago that this isn't too bad."

* * *

King Boo and the Eternal Moderator backed away from Andrew as the Kruna of Shadow's body left the ground and hovered. Before long, Andrew started to move within the Master Pendant's glow. His limp body regained muscle tone and rigidity.

As movement of Andrew's body increased, the Master Pendant set the Kruna of Shadow's feet back on the ground for him to stand under his own power. The wounds and gashes inflicted on Andrew closed up without any evidence of scarring aside from healing of preexisting scars. Soon, Andrew's head began to move.

"You mean this pendant is gonna make me fight a zombie now?" muttered King Boo.

When Andrew looked up, his expression revealed confusion and shock. Not even he himself thought he would so much as take another breath after he initially collapsed. He moved his arms around and pulsed shadow energy through each of his hands, demonstrating full control over his body. The pink glow surrounding him from the Master Pendant soon disappeared afterwards.

"What..." mumbled Andrew. "I'm not dead?!"

"You're not?!" screamed King Boo.

The hourglass in the Eternal Moderator's hand warped and disappeared. "You will soon be. And this time, there will be no resurrection for you."

"Resurrection? That's what happened?" asked Andrew.

"I can't believe the Master Pendant wasted its power to bring _you_ back to life!" King Boo spat out. "And it's not even possessing you?!"

"Huh...I guess not," said Andrew, fiddling with the pendant still hanging off his hip. He picked up his bladestaff and hooked it across his back before he decided to undo the Master Pendant from his belt loop, all while King Boo trembled in rising fury.

"Are you going to kill him again?" the Eternal Moderator asked King Boo. "Or do I have to step in and take over?"

"Oh, I'm killing him alright!" King Boo yelled. "I'll be glad to do it again! And this time, he'll stay dead!"

Andrew paid little attention to King Boo, instead putting most of his focus towards examining the Master Pendant. It was because of that particular Alkemei that he now had life once more, and he could not figure out how or why. Scowling and growling, King Boo raised his arms and pumped impure shadows out of each of them. The dark masses formed two irregular, violently erratic spheres.

Just then, the Master Pendant yanked on Andrew's arm to position itself with its gem facing King Boo. A potent burst of pink energy erupted from the gem and struck King Boo, who failed to react in time to the unexpected attack. A second burst flew at King Boo the moment the first one hit. Then a third one came out. Then a fourth blast followed. Ten more blasts shot out in succession, all of them aimed at King Boo and all of them scoring. By the end of the onslaught, King Boo had collapsed onto the ground in a deflated, withered slump.

"You should not be in control of such a powerful Alkemei," said the Eternal Moderator.

"Hey, I ain't even doing anything to it!" snapped Andrew. "I'm just holding it! It's doing all that on its own!"

With King Boo all but incapacitated, the Master Pendant charged its strongest blast of energy so far. Just to make sure Andrew did not try anything against its intentions, the Master Pendant latched its necklace onto his wrist and held his arm steady to keep its line of sight directly on King Boo. Once the Master Pendant had amassed enough of its power, it released the pink burst at the downed ghostly fiend. Among the screams from King Boo, Andrew saw King Boo's body tear apart and erode in the pink explosion; an explosion that made the Eternal Moderator leap away in evasion. King Boo's energy signature did not linger for very long after the Master Pendant's final blast obliterated his body.

The next thing Andrew knew, the Master Pendant undid itself from his wrist and dropped down to latch itself back into its spot off his left hip. At no point did Andrew exhibit any conscious control over the Master Pendant. As he stared at the sealed Alkemei in utter disbelief, the Eternal Moderator hovered towards him with his dual scythe-bladed harp up and pointed at the shadow wielder. Andrew soon had one of the blades just inches away from his nose.

"I swear, if you don't get that thing out my face..." muttered Andrew.

"You are finished," said the Eternal Moderator. "You shall avoid demise no longer. Surrender, or face a forceful return to death."

"Try me," said Andrew, his Fwin lighting up.

The Eternal Moderator swung at Andrew with minimal windup, only for the quick attack to pass harmlessly through him. In a counterattack of equal swiftness, Andrew put up a hand and shot off a dark energy blast at the Shy Guy figure. Forced a veritable chunk of distance away, the Eternal Moderator skidded to a stop on the dead grass. Not two seconds after stopping, Andrew leapt at the Eternal Moderator and threw a shadow orb at him at point-blank range. The Eternal Moderator toppled and tumbled well into the plaza parking lot.

Andrew stood his ground and refrained from executing any further attacks. When the Eternal Moderator recovered and got back to his feet, he did not attack either. Though a Shy Guy mask hid the Eternal Moderator's face – assuming he had one – Andrew had a feeling his defiance only further incensed the foreboding figure.

"You can't defy what I stand for forever," the Eternal Moderator said.

"That's fine," said Andrew. "But I have a duty for this world and its people, a duty that I need to stay alive to accomplish. I'm not dying now."

The Eternal Moderator said nothing more. He backed away some before his form faded in its entirety, leaving Andrew by himself. The Master Pendant had once more resumed its benign inactivity; which, paired with reviving him, made Andrew wonder just what purpose it had in helping him.

Andrew once again looked at his body, still shocked to find himself alive. But because he was needed elsewhere, he did not spare more than a handful of seconds pondering what had just happened. Passing by the few ectoplasmic, semisolid remains of King Boo, Andrew sprinted up the street to track down the seven other prominent energy signatures he sensed grouped together in One World Capital.

* * *

While the six Kruna Yura reassembled – including the beaten down Kruna of Fire and the wounded Kruna of Water – Marissa stood not too far away with more magic and fire power shrouding her arms. Ramona, Neva, Athelstan, and Marut positioned themselves to the front in defense of Bowser and Warra, anticipating something especially formidable from the demon witch.

Drawing her Dominion Scepter, Marissa channeled her gathered power through the tool and out at the Kruna as a rapid fire flurry of mystic stars. Athelstan pulled the rocks from earlier together into another wide wall that Ramona shielded with a thick light layer, all of which Neva put a barrier of ice ahead of. Marissa's Berserker Star attack fired the five-pronged projectiles with so much force and velocity, they crushed the ice, crashed through the light slab, and pummeled the stone wall.

After all the defenses for the Kruna failed, Marissa's Beserker Star still had plenty of ammo left to pelt all six of the Kruna. Hundreds of stars flew out of Marissa's Dominion Scepter before the end of her attack, a technique that chipped away health from the Kruna with ease once it demolished their defenses. The Kruna got up just as Marissa charged up another Berserker Star.

"Aw man, she's gonna do that again?!" groaned Marut.

"Defend again!" Bowser demanded. "Defend again!"

"But she'll just bust through it, won't she?" asked Neva.

"Combine elements and defend!" Bowser yelled the moment before Marissa thrust her scepter at them.

Athelstan reformed his rock wall, then Ramona charged the rocks with light energy, then Neva cast ice over the rock and light both; finishing up the combo defense just as the first of the Berserker Star projectiles came at them. Though the stars still damaged the wall, it held up this time for the duration of the technique. Athelstan, Ramona, and Neva dispelled their combined barrier once they noticed the ceasefire of the stars and split to the side to make a lane for Bowser, who had a Tavado ready for release. An instant later, the Kruna of Fire blasted his flaming torpedoes ahead. Although the witch shifted out of the way of a few of the incoming bursts with her illusory movement, a few others hit her as a result of the angled, curving trajectory they flew in.

Bowser added to his attack, exhaling successive fireballs at Marissa in her hitstun. Nine consecutive fireballs struck the witch. At the conclusion of the last hit, Bowser refocused his flames and powered-up in a fiery aura. Marissa watched a portion of Bowser's flames turn green and then went skyward when he threw his Fanning Torch at her. While airborne, the landlocked green fireball could not reach her or explode; but Bowser could. His jump had enough height and reach for him to launch an up-close fireball off his Blazer Claws at Marissa, who did not defend herself quick enough. She crashed back onto the stadium turf, her body twisting into a roll off the rebound. With the flames he had available upon landing, Bowser shifted them to his front and crossed his arms in defense.

"Woah, now that's some serious burning you did there, bud!" said Athelstan.

"Excellent run of offense, Bowser," said Warra. "Precisely placed and with enough force to damage Marissa."

"Why you have to make it sound fancy, dude," Marut said to Warra. "He put the whoopin' on that witch! That trippy weave game she got didn't help her this time!"

The good vibes from the Kruna of Fire's string of attacks ended there. Marissa returned to her feet, chuckling and grinning. Again, the harm dealt to her did not bother her as much as the Kruna would have expected.

"Look at you, all inspired now," said Marissa. "You're really buying into being a hero, aren't ya? Koopa? You really wanna prove yourself, huh?"

In one smooth motion, Marissa charged and shot a Death Beam straight at Bowser. The Kruna of Fire spun out of the way, the speed of the beam thoroughly unsettling him almost as much as the hole it burned through the stadium wall behind him.

Marissa then got hit herself instead; not from a Bowser counter, but from an ice blast Neva sent at her. Though Marissa had enough time to get a wave of fire up that protected her from the brunt of the ice, what frost got through struck her and stunned her long enough for Neva to get a second blast off for an unhindered hit. Bowser's incoming fireball connected next, which set up for another followup ice burst from Neva. Both Bowser and Neva kept trading off blasts with one another on Marissa, their combined efforts beginning to rack up considerable damage on the witch. Steam, smoke, and water exploded all around Marissa as fire and ice landed alternating blows on her.

"Wow, look at those two go!" said Marut.

"Sh-should we...jump in?" asked Ramona.

"I don't know," said Athelstan. "Too much coming at her, and we might knock her out of the way. At least as things are now, Bowser and Neva seem to have her trapped."

"Then let's just go around and attack from behind," said Warra.

The four of them circled around Neva at an angle to where her and Bowser's blasts made contact. Once behind the flaming and frosted explosions; Warra, Athelstan, Ramona, and Marut spread out and focused their energies through their Ultima Staffs. They ended up not initiating any attack, for they saw something truly heinous developing in the onslaught of fire and ice.

As Bowser and Neva continued pummeling Marissa, the Malocchio Eyes on her shoulders, hands, and waist glowed with increasing amounts of red magic power. Suddenly, a crimson force field pulsed out from her Malocchio Eyes and put an end to the effectiveness of Bowser and Neva's offensive. All the blasts the two Kruna shot at Marissa after the force field came up bounced off of it. Bowser and Neva soon stopped their assault, huffing and puffing to catch their breath. Marissa too had a chance to get a breather and recollect herself. Her Eyes stopped glowing, at which point she raised her arms out to her sides. Her force field remained up.

 _That's interesting,_ Warra thought. _She must be able to focus power through her Eyes without any direct gesture. And she maintained her concentration through each one of those hits..._

"I see you all with your pointy sticks back there," said Marissa. "You wanna try and bust through my Ultimate Barrier, you go ahead. See what good it does you."

After a few moments; Ramona, Warra, Athelstan, and Marut all relaxed their powers and eased up on their staffs. Marissa's hands went down, and the Ultimate Barrier force field dissipated. A standoff then ensued with Marissa standing in the middle of the spread Kruna Yura.

"It was a good effort, but in the end, it amounts to nothing," said Marissa. "So you got in a string of elemental blasts on me; whoop-dee-fri-ckin'-doo. Even though you hurt me now, you're still a long way from victory. You don't even realize how far from it you are."

Marissa's hands began to glow again as she raised them to eye level. Red flame and magic power jumped back and forth between her fingers and her forearms until she lashed them both out in two different directions. One arm fired her Berserker Star at Bowser, and the other arm shot off the same technique at Warra. While Bowser and Warra ran and dodged the streams of stars flying at them, Marissa fired another pair of Berserker Star attacks at Neva and Athelstan.

Marissa kept switching between her targets as she released sprays of stars one after the other. Their teammates' evasive maneuvers and Marissa's aim on the dodging Kruna forced Ramona and Marut onto the defensive as well to make sure they did not get hit in the mounting chaos. But from having to pass by and crisscross one another in their movement around the witch, some of the Kruna got hit anyways. Dozens of stars struck Ramona, Athelstan, and Warra in turn. In her full range of view, Marissa saw Warra collapse to the ground.

The demon witch capitalized on the vulnerable Kruna of Water and ceased all Berserker Star attacks to fly at him. Fire and magic built up around her for her Hellhound Barrage as she flew. She moved too quick for anyone else to catch her in time aside from Marut, but he ended up getting himself caught in the witch's subsequent attack too. Once Marissa got near Warra, she touched down on the ground in a stance resembling a canine pounce. From there, she leapt forward and shot out from her hands a massive wall of flaming mystic power right as Marut tried to fly in and save Warra. Marissa's vicious attack blasted Marut and Warra all the way into the left field bleachers and effectively put them both out of the fight.

"Two for one," Marissa said, charging a Death Beam in her fingers. "I must be in the bargain aisle."

Just as Marissa tried to fire her Death Beam into the bleachers and finish off one of the downed Kruna, a boulder hit her in the back and knocked her blast off course into the sky. The sheer blunt force jarred her, but then she had a fireball smack into her directly after the hit from the rock. Before anything else could get her, Marissa went airborne in a flip and drifted for a while until she regained her bearings.

"Guess you didn't see any of that, did ya?" Bowser shouted up at the witch.

"Ha ha ha," grumbled Marissa. "You think I didn't see either one of those attacks? I can see all around me in every direction! Of course you Kruna would try to do something heroic to save your friends. I let you hit me."

"Why?" asked Athelstan.

"For dramatic effect!" Marissa snapped.

Bowser laughed. "Yeah right! I know just as well as you do that omnidirectional vision doesn't do you any good if you're not paying attention, so don't act like you didn't zero in on Marut and Warra."

Marissa grimaced and grunted on her descent back to the stadium floor. "Yeah, and your point? Like I said already, I can afford to spare some hits on my end. You're still a long way off from beating me, as you'll realize soon enough."

Ramona got off a light burst at Marissa from behind, only for the witch to evade to the side in another surreal optical illusion. Bowser ran at the light blast and swung at it with his swordstaff to deflect it back at Marissa; but again, Marissa dodged. Ramona shifted and batted the light burst back at Marissa again, her swing adding more speed to blast. When Athelstan launched a sizable rock at Marissa, the witch twirled out of the way. Ramona's light blast hit Athelstan's rock instead of Marissa, shattering it to pebbles in a bright explosion.

Neva shook her head, grumbling to herself, "Idiots."

"Athelstan!" barked Bowser. "Watch where you're throwing those!"

"My bad!" replied Athelstan. "I thought I could get her at her side."

"Well you timed it bad!" Bowser snapped.

"Your number is down to four," said Marissa. "Is trivial arguing really a smart choice in this situation?"

"Yeah, you guys!" Ramona said, her voice shaky. "We have to, uh, focus...okay? So that we can beat Marissa...right?"

Marissa chuckled as she eyed the Kruna of Light. "You're one who's quick to fear, aren't you?"

"I'm not...scared," Ramona mumbled. She inched a few steps back, her knees wobbly with an inward twist.

"Poor, poor baby," said Marissa, charging a Death Beam again. "I guess it can't be helped when you're facing a demigod. Don't worry, sweetie. You won't have to live on in terror any longer."

A fireball flew at Marissa right as she got set to release her beam, but the witch slid out of the way and got her attack off afterwards. The blood red Death Beam sailed at Ramona, cutting through the gusting winds on its way to the Kruna of Light. Ramona put up a light shield but instantly realized the beam would likely burn straight through it – which it inevitably did. If not for Neva rushing at Ramona and tackling her to the ground, the Death Beam would have no doubt pierced through the Kruna of Light as well.

Instead, the Death Beam cut through Neva's armor and singed her across the middle of her back. Upon hitting the ground, Neva cried out in agony over the third-degree burn the Death Beam traced on her. Ramona gasped when she saw the mark running the width of Neva's mid back area.

"Neva!" Ramona screamed. "Oh no! I shouldn't have tried to block that! I'm so sorry!"

"Oh, whatever," said Neva, trying to get up. "I...I can't really feel it much now...so shut it."

"But you got hurt saving me," mumbled Ramona.

Neva grunted and hobbled over to retrieve her bladestaff she dropped before she had tackled Ramona. "So? Just get up already and quit being so soft-"

Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing sensation of pain shot through Neva; one so strong, it made her flop face down on the stadium turf. Ramona covered her mouth, cringed, and hunched over at the sight of a certain spiked bone protrusion now sticking out from the wound on the Kruna of Ice's back. A few moment's later, a muscle-tightening shriek from Neva tortured everyone's ears.

Even in their dazed state, Marut and Warra could hear Neva's tormented scream. Their minor burns seemed like nothing compared to what Neva sustained. Her cry sounded off beyond One World Park and into the surrounding areas and neighborhoods, becoming more primal and harrowing as time went on. As she clawed at the stadium turf, Neva screamed and cried until her throat fatigued and would not let her scream anymore.

Marissa sighed, her smile fading. "Damn it, little girl. That didn't feel good for me at all. Did you have to cry out like that?"

Neva could not pay any attention to Marissa, the nerve pain distracting her and deterring her from moving. Ramona scuffled towards Neva, careful in her approach. Marissa did not attack either one of them.

"Please, take this," Ramona urged, shoving an Ultra Mushroom near Neva's mouth. Neva's gritted teeth prevented her from eating the healing item for a while, but she did get it in her mouth at some point. Marissa even waited for Neva and watched to see what the item would do. Ultimately, the Ultra Mushroom offered little relief for Neva. It quieted her down and had some positive effect on the egregious, graphic injury on her back, but it failed to do much else. For all intents and purposes, only three able-bodied Kruna remained: Ramona, Athelstan, and Bowser.


	71. Chapter LXXI

Knights of the Elements Attack!:

Neva clawed at One World Park's artificial turf, processes of the couple of exposed mid-lower vertebrae still sticking out of the horrendous burn across her back. Her tormented wailing and shrieking haunted everyone in the ballpark; Marissa included. The witch stared at the shaking, shivering Kruna Yura of Ice not with pride or content, but with a stern, muted look that disguised despondent melancholy. The Ultra Mushroom Ramona gave Neva provided minimal relief. With Neva, Warra, and Marut out of the picture; and Daisy and Andrew both absent; only Bowser, Athelstan, and Ramona remained to stand in Marissa's way.

Ramona clutched her own neck in nervousness as she glanced at Neva. _Oh, thank heavens this isn't Kokoro we're fighting here_ , she thought. Unpleasant images of the sadistic demon filled her mind.

"I'm sorry I made that so painful," said Marissa, unable to avert her gaze from the suffering ice wielder. "And I'm not trying to taunt. This is just sickening to watch and listen to. I'm sorry for this."

"You're what?" Bowser grumbled. The witch's remark seemed to have set off the Kruna of Fire.

"I said I'm sorry," Marissa responded.

"What do you even mean by that?" asked Athelstan.

"Are we not fighting anymore now?" asked Ramona.

"We're still fighting," replied Marissa. "I'm just a little shaken from that hit on the ice wielder. I already said I take no delight in killing any of you. Not anymore, and especially not now... Truthfully, I'm sorry for a lot of things. If you can't already tell how confused I am-"

"Shut the hell up!" Bowser yelled. "Are you frickin' kidding me? _You're_ sorry?! How can you be sorry about any of this? If you were sorry, you would've stopped it all long before it even got anywhere close to this point! Don't talk to me – don't talk to any of us – like you're feeling any regret or remorse! You made your choices already! And they're irreversible! There was a point of no return, and you've long since passed it. There's no going back, and there's no redemption for you."

Marissa sighed. Intense strain showed on her face for a moment before it all eroded into a relatively emotionless, dour expression. Her vocal volume lowering, she said, "I know."

"Then why even go through with any of this if you 'know?' " asked Bowser. "I'd say you either don't know, you're being selfish, or you just don't care; and none of them are good excuses."

"You listen here, koopa, and you listen good," growled Marissa. "At some point in the future, should you somehow get past me, you'll see what the world really thinks of you. You'll realize what you really are. Even before I took power, elemental wielding has been on the decline for a while now as the world has been looking increasingly more at technology and weaponry to meet their domestic and self-defense needs. No matter who wins here today, no matter how the world will go on, elemental wielding will be a thing of the past. No one will need people like you; and then, if you survive long enough or are quick enough in looking past your brainwashed bias, then you'll realize how many of these 'people' – the beings you fight for and protect and uphold order for – actually care about any of you. It doesn't matter how little or how much you do, how few or how many you help... When you can't do anything for them, they won't even remember who you are. You're nothing but tools to them. I've watched, observed, studied, and stalked more than long enough to know this to be true for anyone who wants to be a heroic paragon. Law enforcement, military, Kruna, vigilantes – whoever."

Marissa unlimbered her Dominion Scepter and readied more mystic fire power through it. "So why should I give a damn about whatever happens to this world? What's your excuse for being 'good' and upholding what _they_ want? Is that what true masochism is? Protect and preserve those who are quick to discard you when you're no longer useful? You're far too trusting towards society. You must like being a doormat that the world wipes its feet on until they've worn holes in you and throw you away. Just look at your ice wielder friend. She'll likely have lasting complications from that beam to the back. If you beat me here, Rosalina and her assistants very well may replace her with someone who does not possess whatever limitations she'll have. Maybe she'll get a little memorial or award or an honorable mention in some history book no one wants to read, but no one's going to be hard pressed to see how she's doing apart from maybe you lot. The world won't care, and it'll go on just fine without her, not paying her any mind. She won't hear from anyone her efforts helped. The sheer amount of unaware people that carry on through life without any knowledge of what goes on beyond their small little milieu only solidifies my point."

"But that's a sweeping generalization," said Athelstan. "There's people who do care and are both aware of and grateful for what's being done to keep their communities safe. And there's some pretty cool guys you can come across too! You just gotta be personable! And some charisma helps!"

"I can't deny that, but they are few and far between," said Marissa. "A handful of people in a world filled with billions? I tried to tell my old teammates the same thing. They never listened. They only grew skeptical of me instead of questioning everyone else like they should have."

Though scared and distressed, Ramona smiled. "Aren't those few people worth the effort for the world in the end?"

"You're looking at heroism from all the wrong angles!" Bowser snapped at the witch. "You fight for the common good; for the innocent that just want to live peaceful, meaningful lives!"

"You're fighting for self-absorbed, greedy, lustful sloths who have self-preservation as their number one priority," said Marissa. "That's what made killing and torturing feel so liberating and justified. And though there's no more satisfaction behind killing, just thinking about all who live on this planet still makes me grow evermore hateful."

Neva finally managed to get to her feet, though standing on her own required a great amount of effort from her. She leaned on her bladestaff to help her balance herself, the stabbing pain in her back making it beyond difficult for her to move. Tears covered her grimacing face when she looked up.

"There's a world...that I want to see and live in," Neva said with immense struggle. "And it's _not_ this one! Not the way you have it! So independent of whatever the people of the world really are altogether or deep down or whatever the hell you're talking about, I know I'm fighting for myself, my friends, and for someone I love. I'm fighting for those that saved me from myself. And that's all I need to decide how I'm gonna make my decisions from here on out!"

"Fine. Do as you will," said Marissa, increasing the flow of power through her scepter. Her tool now glimmering with a dense shine, she aimed it at Neva. "Not like I can persuade you to do otherwise. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

A thick spray of magic stars flew from Marissa's scepter at Neva and Ramona. Bowser and Athelstan jumped in front of their two teammates, pulling fire and rock along with them and raising their elements in a protective flaming wall. Their timely defense kept both Neva and Ramona safe from Marissa's Berserker Star.

As their fiery rock wall crumbled apart, Athelstan undid his Grip Pitons from his swordstaff and snapped their chains together to link the two hooked tools. "Bowser, think we can take her ourselves?"

"Oh yeah," Bowser replied, igniting his Pyro Scimitar. "The more this witch talks, the more I just want to be done with her already!"

"Foolish Kruna," murmured Marissa, putting her scepter away. "Ignorance doesn't change reality. And it sure doesn't change death."

"It doesn't change how dangerous this fire is either," Bowser said, releasing flames from his staff. The flames sped straight at Marissa, who stayed stern and muted. Just a swipe up in front of her with some magic power blunted the fire, but only after she deflected the flames from her sights did she see Athelstan halfway towards her with one of his pitons flying at her. Marissa ducked to her right, and Athelstan went to his left. The chain connecting the two pitons then wrapped around Marissa's waist and legs.

"It's a Chain Chomp, but with a witch instead!" hollered Athelstan. He yanked on his Grip Piton and snatched Marissa off of her feet. She hit the ground on her back, at which point she twisted around and dug her hands into the turf to resist the Kruna of Stone's titanic pulling strength. Athelstan tugged on his piton and chain from various angles to try and dislodge Marissa. Each time Marissa's hands lost their grip, she clawed at the turf again. Athelstan had to keep reeling in chain slack to maintain the tautness of his hold on her.

"Hey, Bowser!" Athelstan said. "How's this for land fishing? Or should I say, ' _witching?_ ' "

"Oh, bro, do you say bad jokes on purpose?!" said Bowser.

"Somebody's gotta tell the bad ones!" replied Athelstan. "Marissa! Were you a good kid in school, or did you get _ex-pelled_? Or were you bad at essays because you couldn't _spell_ properly?"

"You're one dead comedian when I get out of this!" grunted Marissa.

"Hah! _Witchful_ thinking!" yelled Athelstan.

In spite of the situation and her painful injury, Neva laughed. "I hate...everyone here."

"We love you too," Ramona replied, laughing as well.

A powerful Kruna of Stone heave later, the chain yanked Marissa off the ground entirely. Athelstan grabbed hold of the witch by her collar when she got near and waited for Bowser to finish charging more fire around his swordstaff. Marissa tried swiping at Athelstan, but he just held her out at a distance where she could not reach him. That did not save him from the blast Marissa hit him with, though it was not a smart move for her. Upon striking Athelstan, she went to the ground too on account of her lower body still being bound to his chain.

Annoyed, Marissa rose up from the ground and tried to fly out of reach. Athelstan latched on to his Grip Piton and reestablished his footing to keep her from escaping. The whole time Athelstan pulled, Marissa fiddled with the chain around her to get it off and release her legs. And while Marissa and Athelstan struggled, Bowser took aim with his Pyro Scimitar.

Seeing Bowser ready to attack made Athelstan change his course of action. With a forceful pull on his chains, he spun Marissa around and slung her free in a wild, dizzying whirl. Bowser shot his fire off at the airborne witch during her spin, striking her and sending her hurtling into the distance.

"Fly witch heading down left field!" Athelstan hollered. "She's going back, way back, she's out past the billboards – WAVE her bye-bye! That's a home run!"

"Don't get too excited," said Bowser. "That blast wasn't enough to beat her. We all know this."

"Yeah, but I think we're getting close!" said Athelstan, retracting and putting away the chains of his pitons. "We can win this! Daisy and Andrew will be here soon, and we'll finally get Marissa sealed away. Then, vacation time'll be here. I can see it now...a nice outdoor barbecue with some homestyle grilling. Yeah, we can sit back, relax, and chill with some burgers, chicken strips, steaks, brats, pork loin, brisket, some good beverages, some of those reclined lawn chairs, a fire pit-"

Athelstan's spoken muse trailed off when he saw Marissa rocket back into the One World Park boundary. With her arms folded in her descent to the outfield ground, she looked utterly disgruntled.

"Okay, you wretched vermin," Marissa grumbled in an ominously low tone. "You only get a few more of those before it's lights out for you, so you better use them wisely."

Athelstan reattached his Grip Pitons to his swordstaff. "What's that even supposed to mean?"

"Have a modicum of patience," said Marissa. "Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, there's no getting it back in. You'll see soon enough why you can't win today."

"Aw man, now she's starting to get real creepy again," said Ramona. The Kruna of Light dug in her pockets and pulled out an Ultra Mushroom for Neva to use. "Take this, please."

"You're really gonna give me a second one?" asked Neva.

"Of course I am," said Ramona. "We look out for everyone here."

Marissa's expression darkened just a few moments before she disappeared in a hazy warp. Athelstan saw a red and purple blur dance around in front of him before it got near and slammed a fist into his abdomen. Bowser kicked at Marissa before she could hit Athelstan again, getting her to sidestep away in a dodge. The koopa swiped at Marissa with his swordstaff, only for her to twist out of the tool's track. Marissa demonstrated dancer-like elegance and agility in evading each of the successive swipes Bowser made until he stopped to catch his breath. The moment Bowser charged at her again, she blasted him back with a magic burst.

Bowser stopped his backwards stumble just as Marissa leapt at him for a Hellhound Barrage. A fast move of his massive body got him out of the way of the thick wall of mystic fire that came out when Marissa pounced and thrust her arms at him. The witch turned around and fire-palmed the boulder that came her way to pieces, leaving her wide open for Bowser to take advantage. He quick-flared a fireball and threw it at Marissa, who took hits from both that attack and another rock Athelstan launched her way.

Marissa flipped out of the previous strike just to body catch another fireball in her waist from Bowser. She recoiled and rolled out of that hit and got set to counter, but she changed her mind and went into the air upon noticing Athelstan lumbering at her and dribbling a bulbous rock between his feet. After dodging the rock Athelstan kicked at her, Marissa raised her hands and gathered magic power once more for a Berserker Star release. One hand targeted Bowser, while the other hand aimed its projectiles at Athelstan. Neither one of the two Kruna could evade in time, though they did not endure the star pelting for long. Marissa had to cut her attack off early to shift out of the way of the light burst Ramona released. Then, the witch had to duck under the quartet of ice arrows Neva shot at her.

Drifting close to ground level, Marissa spun and curved her momentum sideways. More light bursts flew at her and forced her on the defensive, all while flames churned in Bowser's throat. Soon, the Kruna of Fire had an insanely concentrated inferno ready to exhale for attack.

Just after Marissa dodged another in a series of a few dozen light blasts, she felt the heavy pound of Athelstan's Boot Clubs hit her in her side and knock her out of the sky. The witch crashed hard onto the artificial turf, at which point Bowser aimed her way and unleashed the red and orange cyclone that made up his Super Flame Breath. As soon as Athelstan landed from his jump, he saw the pump of fiery power engulf Marissa while the witch tried to pop to her feet. Bowser's special technique barreled over Marissa with the utmost level of intensity and pushed her away with great velocity, but the Kruna of Fire soon felt resistance.

Marissa got up her arms to guard and mitigate the damage Bowser's Super Flame Breath inflicted on her. While she blocked, her Malocchio Eyes readied power for her Ultimate Barrier. Bowser's attack pressured the witch the most she had been pressured all afternoon. He channeled more power through his fiery beam when he found difficulty in overcoming Marissa's resistance, but she held her ground and refused to yield. Marissa's audible grunting and screaming told everyone there how much effort fending off Bowser's attack drew out of her.

Now with their feet once more under them, Marut and Warra leapt out of the stadium seats and onto the baseball field. Their movements gingerly slow but their Ultima Staffs glowing, they viewed the power struggle between Bowser and Marissa as they regrouped with Ramona and Neva. The flaming funnel from the Kruna of Fire split and splattered at the point where Marissa blocked, her defenses spreading the attack around her without it running straight into or through her.

Bowser kept urging his attack on, but he ultimately took too long to overpower Marissa. The witch's Ultimate Barrier formed and deflected the flame breath skyward. Seeing his fire diverted into the sky, Bowser cut off the flow of power to his throat and ceased his technique altogether. It was the biggest display of raw power any of the Kruna there had seen from Bowser, and the effort left him gassed.

When the smoke and sparks cleared, Marissa stood with her energy shield up. She disbanded the shield soon after the end of Bowser's attack, sweating and gasping with burn marks littered all over her. For as much as the Super Flame Breath took out of Bowser, it took just as much out of Marissa.

Now, as she stood hunched over with red patches scattered on her skin, Marissa found herself with six Kruna to fight against once more. Though every one of the Kruna there dealt with varying degrees of damage and harm, all of them aside from Neva began marching towards Marissa. Despite having just sustained a brutal attack, the witch did not seem worried or bothered with her status or the current situation. Her gravely dour expression inspired unease to those who noticed it.

"Alright, you've had your little fun," said Marissa. "Now let me enforce a friendly reminder of who's truly in control of things here!"

Marissa's five body Malocchio Eyes lit up along with the main one on her forehead, all six of them emitting needle-like fires. A flaming whirlwind doused in shimmering crimson magic power flared around her from her feet up to her hat. The fires from the Eyes pierced through the flaming shell around Marissa and intensified.

All the Kruna that had made a move towards her stopped in their tracks and backed away; or rather, they tried to back away. The technique that was her Malocchio Blazing generated a vacuum effect that pulled in Bowser, Ramona, Athelstan, Marut, and Warra with a potent counterclockwise suction. Neva stayed out of range, but her teammates got caught in a fiery revolution that soon exploded and sent all of them flying outward from the epicenter. The five of them fell scattered in front of Neva and failed to make a quick recovery.

"There's no mistaking you've become more powerful since our fight years ago," said Marissa. "Yes, the wielders you were then could in no way do to me what you have done now. But even so, I have a secret that is keeping you from victory."

"What are you going to do?" grunted Bowser. "Mess with time again?"

"There's no need," said Marissa. "No matter how hard you try, you will never beat me. We could repeat this cycle over and over. I can send you into the future again, and you could emerge from some new hideout stronger than you are now, but I would have grown stronger myself in the time gap. Such a scenario is senseless for us both. Rest assured, I intend on destroying you today, not tomorrow."

Marissa held up an index finger glowing in the same manner it did before for her Death Beam. She pointed her finger at each of the hurt and wounded Kruna in turn before settling on her target. The glow of her extended digit amplified once she got her sights locked on Ramona, who still sat on the ground.

"And I think I'm ready to start," said Marissa.

The Death Beam fired, zipping straight at the Kruna of Light in a hurry. Every one of the Kruna were too hurt and beaten down to do anything. Ramona panicked and just put her hands up to try and block instead of deflect or evade, forgetting the penetrative properties the Death Beam possessed. Marissa stared at her target with apathy until it struck.

A booming crash sounded off with a scream escaping Ramona's lungs. But the Kruna of light experienced no injury or harm from that blast. Andrew stood just inches in front of her, his left arm up across his body and the Death Beam tracking off into the upper level bleachers past the third base line. All the other Kruna exhaled a sigh of relief. Marissa cracked a smile upon seeing the Kruna of Shadow, not at all concerned with him deflecting her attack. Andrew simply stared back at the witch with a fierce, stern frown.

* * *

Dabi the Fortuneteller sighed, put away her talisman, and closed her book. She remained in her spot on her mat amid applause from the Home crowd of Memory Forest, for Daisy had finally begun to stir. The Nova Form earth wielder opened her eyes and sat up, wide awake and alert to everything all around her.

Daisy glanced at the gathered people by the downed, busted tree from earlier. Then, she looked back at Dabi before focusing on the lone portal left out in front of her by itself. She did not see any of the Kruna, Peach, or Giga Bowser anywhere; but she did notice how bright the world had become now that the Nirvana Barrier had vanished.

"Listen, Kruna of Earth," said Dabi. "You are no doubt confused about what has happened and why or how things are the way they are now. That is fine. But right now, your teammates need you. They are no doubt locked in battle with the demon witch as they speak. I have healed you so that you may assist them to the best of your ability. You must go through the portal ahead of you to get to where they have gone."

It took a few moments for Dabi's words to sink in, but Daisy soon nodded and jumped to her feet. "Thank you, Dabi."

Beyond intense in the face, Daisy checked to make sure she had everything of hers and ran for the portal Ramona and Andrew had left behind. She dashed inside of it without a moment's hesitation. Once Daisy had passed through it, Dabi concentrated more of her magic power and released it at the portal with violent force. Following a brief reaction, the portal jolted and disbanded.


	72. Chapter LXXII

The Hero of Shadow Makes a Stand:

Andrew lowered his arm, his hand just brushing past the dull Master Pendant hooked to his pants belt loop. He helped Ramona up, who stared at him in shock. Everything happened so fast when Marissa had fired off her Death Beam. Ramona saw the crimson red, laser-like burst fly straight at her; only for Andrew to come out from behind her, step in, and deflect it into the One World Park stands. If not for his intervention, Marissa likely would have killed Ramona.

"Andrew, you don't know how glad I am to have you here," said Ramona. "Especially after you just defended me from that blast. Thank you so much."

"Hey, you've saved me plenty of times enough," said Andrew. He clenched his left fist, not realizing that some of the burning power from the Death Beam had transferred to his hand during the deflection. Though no more severe than the burns of the other Kruna sans Neva's horrible back injury, it still proved noticeable. But he was not going to let that deter him from making his stand.

As the Kruna came together, Andrew stepped forward from the group. "You guys need to get to steppin'."

"Wait – what?!" exclaimed Warra.

"You heard me," replied Andrew. "Go find someplace where you won't get caught in whatever crossfire's coming."

"What are you saying?" asked Bowser. "You think you can take her on by yourself?"

Andrew nodded. "You guys look almost as bad as she does. Surely I'll have weakened her enough by the time Daisy gets here. You see what I have on my belt."

Ramona gasped. "You're not planning on using _that_ are you?"

"It's how I beat King Boo," said Andrew.

Neva went wide-eyed. "You used that on him?!"

"Yup!" Andrew replied.

"You can't be serious," said Warra, sure to keep his volume down. "Are you telling us it bent to your will and you gained control over it?"

"Ehrm..." mumbled Andrew. "Anyways, I'm facing her by myself; and for your safety, don't jump in _at all._ Even if it looks like I'm about to get slaughtered in the most gruesome way possible, don't help me. You may well be in a lotta danger if you do. Only come in when Daisy's here and we have a chance to make an Elemental Seal. I know that sounds weird – well, all of this does – but just trust me on this."

"How do we know the Master Pendant's not controlling what you say at this very moment?" Warra murmured.

"Andrew, do you have a thing for red hair?!" asked Neva.

"Do I what?!" Andrew screamed, his whole body flushing. "How did yo- RAMONA!"

"Okay – that's him alright," said Bowser. "He checks out."

"Sorry, Andrew! It just kinda slipped out, I guess," said Ramona.

"How did _that_ even slip out of all things?!" snapped Andrew.

"You don't wanna know," replied Bowser. "Take my word for it."

Andrew sighed, his stern expression reforming. "You know what – whatever. Like I said, I have to face her alone. Don't even try to interfere. If I end up using this pendant on Marissa, or if it does something weird or uncalled for, I don't want any of you guys to get caught in it too. In fact, if you see anything bad happen, just run from this stadium altogether. This pendant is completely unpredictable."

"Andrew, you're scaring me a lot right now," said Ramona. "Just what happened with King Boo?"

"Can't say," Andrew replied, looking ahead at Marissa. "But in any case, 'eight eyes' is getting impatient right about now, so I'm gonna go up to her."

With Marissa standing and swaying her weight back and forth on either leg, Andrew advanced her way. He smirked at the demon witch, who now had a blank expression that soon degenerated into a frown. Marissa's main two eyes fixated on the Kruna of Shadow, but her Malocchio Eyes tilted and peered at the dangling Master Pendant on the side of his pants.

"Well, I see Kokoro's dead," said Marissa. "I wonder who did that."

Andrew chuckled some and took a few more steps before coming to a stop with a moderate gap of space between him and the witch. The other Kruna backtracked into One World Park's infield and gathered behind home plate. Marissa got flustered and unsettled the more she glanced at the Master Pendant, which remained calm and inanimate in its hanging state.

"Just what do you plan on doing with that pendant?" asked Marissa.

"I don't know," Andrew replied. "I'm not much of a planner."

Marissa smiled, now feeling more relaxed. The other Kruna looked on and held their breath while the gusting wind threatened to take it away from them. The prospect of Andrew beating Marissa by himself seemed increasingly realistic considering how fatigued the witch appeared compared to him.

"I'm a little disappointed," said Andrew. "You're looking pretty tired. I would've liked to beat you when you're fresh."

After a short pause, Marissa murmured, "Is that so?"

"Oh yeah," said Andrew.

"That's funny," said Marissa. "The last I checked, you had a particularly potent curse mark restricting you."

"I did. But now I don't."

"What do you mean you don't? The Gatekeeper's Seal is not meant to come off. Not even I know how to undo it, and I don't even think Dark Siren knew either."

"Yeah. Too bad. You can't keep me contained for long."

Marissa stifled a laugh. "Don't act so tough just because you've got the Master Pendant. You wouldn't feel so confident if you didn't have it with you. You're thinking you can overpower me with it, huh? King Boo thought the same thing, and he didn't get very far." She closed her eyes, her smile deepening. "Apparently, he thought the same thing _twice_... That's the definition of insanity right there in a nutshell, isn't it..."

"Actually, I'm hoping it doesn't do anything for me at all," said Andrew, lowering his stance. Shadows rose up around him, appearing almost entirely black against the bright sunlight. With fierce passion behind his will, the density of his shadows shot up. Jagged spikes formed out of the dark aura.

* * *

Nova Daisy leapt out of the portal at the top of the tall cliff overlooking the eastern outskirts of One World Capital. Once she set her feet down on the dirt and browned grass, she tried to feel out where she could pick up her friends' energy signatures. She noticed her own power before that of anyone else, and the revelation that followed astonished her.

 _Man, this is new..._ thought Daisy. _Somehow, I've gotten a lot stronger compared to before I blacked out. It's incredible! I don't know how it could have possibly happened, but I can feel even more power surging through my body than I had at the start of today!_

Daisy continued trying to sense other powers in the region. She could not pick up anything right away, possibly from being too far out. But even the immediate area felt uncomfortably empty.

 _I don't know what happened while I was out or what tore through here and turned the kingdom into a ghost town,_ Daisy thought. _Whatever questions I have, I'm sure to figure out on the go at some point. I just hope everyone's okay and that I'm not too late. If I could just pick up on_ something _out here already..._

While she focused, the portal behind her broke apart and dispersed. Now, she had no way back anywhere unless the Kruna emerged victorious. She had only one place to go; straight for Marissa.

Suddenly, Daisy's eyes flared wide open. _I think I got something!_

The Kruna of Earth dashed off the side of the cliff and entered a furious downhill sprint into One World Capital. Her dash received a blustery tailwind boost to urge her on that much quicker.

 _I should get a better idea of where they are soon,_ Daisy said in her mind. _Alright, this is it! Just hold on, guys!_

* * *

Andrew continued elevating the intensity of his dark power. The ferocious shape of his aura contrasted against the shadowed swirl that emanated from his feet. Dark streaks lashed out from Andrew as if magnets ripped them apart.

"What a frickin' flying frittata this is going on here," muttered Athelstan. "First Bowser has his outburst of power, and now Andrew too?"

"Oh man, he's really getting crazy now!" exclaimed Marut.

"He didn't even ask for a Mushroom..." mumbled Ramona.

The furious focus showing through Andrew's straining face drove the shadows around him to amplify in power. The magnitude of the dark energy rising within him and cycling around him reached a new zenith that he continued to push higher.

Marissa smirked. _So the pendant's not granting him power_ , she thought. _He's just pumping out his own energy... But still, this is a lot more than I expected. He might be an issue if I let him get a hand on me... Hee hee, this anticipation is an exhilarating feeling. I'm going to miss it after they're all dead._

"I'm gonna level with ya, Marissa," said Andrew. "I really shouldn't even be here right now. Several times already, I should've been dead. And yet despite it all, I'm still standing here. So you know what? I'm gonna make the most of what I can out of the borrowed time I'm living on."

Andrew proceeded to make a slashing motion with his hands, flaring a rippling mass of darkness in his open left palm. "I'm more alive now than I have _ever_ been!"

The Shadow Ripper Andrew created burned black and purple through the space it occupied. Seeing the powered-up Kruna of Shadow shrouded in darkness under the sunlight with the result of his ace technique crackling in his hand, Marissa shifted to a defensive stance. The other six Kruna Yura stared on at their teammate in awe.

"That's it?" said Bowser. "He's just gonna use his strongest attack now? Right off the bat?!"

"At what better time to do it?" said Athelstan. "He's got all his power now, and Marissa's tired; so why not?"

Andrew dashed at the witch, Shadow Ripper up and ready to strike. Marissa shifted her weight on her back foot to ready for a counter; but just as Andrew got near, he turned his back to her and cut to the side. Out of the maneuver that Marissa did not anticipate, Andrew twisted on a single foot and thrust his Shadow Ripper at her. Marissa stumbled backwards to just narrowly avoid getting hit. As he thrust at her again, she kept backpedaling and shifting out of the way. Her evasiveness did not deter him from attempting to land his hit.

Andrew felt he had the witch after the twelfth miss. He jumped and slammed his Shadow Ripper down on Marissa, only for her to make an illusory dodge at the last instant. The Kruna of Shadow again caught nothing but air with his attack. Just when Marissa thought she could land a clawing palm strike on him, he contorted his body out of the way. She struck the turf while Andrew had his balance on his split, flexed legs and his free hand. He had his Shadow Ripper extended upwards and perpendicular to the ground, but Marissa jammed an elbow into him before he could do anything with it. Though he skidded a short distance along the turf, he still maintained the technique and stood up with it active.

"Nice flexibility," said Marissa. "But no amount of limberness could have covered up how wide open you made yourself."

"The same goes for you!" Andrew thundered. "Don't go thinking you can get comfortable with me! You just wait until I get a hold of you!"

"Hmm, that sounds...very tempting..." said Marissa. "But I can't help but feel comfortable with the situation."

Andrew lashed at Marissa again. "How's this for comfort?"

Marissa sidestepped away from his Shadow Ripper and countered with a knifehand to his back when he stumbled forward. He still kept the energy technique going as he went to the ground, even after Marissa stomped a foot on his lower back.

"I don't think you're hitting me with that thing anytime soon," said Marissa.

Effectively pinned down, Andrew dispelled his Shadow Ripper. Marissa folded her arms and pressed her foot harder on Andrew as he tried to push up off his hands. Despite Marissa's advantage, Andrew forced himself off the ground and flexed his right thigh to get a foot under him.

"No no, petulant tiger – stay down!" Marissa grunted. As soon as she lost her balance and foothold on Andrew, she grabbed him by the throat and slammed him face-up back onto the ground. She got all her weight on him this time and proceeded to squeeze his neck. His hands still free, Andrew blasted her off before she did more than just restrict the airflow to his lungs. Before he even caught his breath; he curled up, rolled back, and propelled out of the reverse somersault to his feet.

"Let's try this again," growled Andrew, reforming his Shadow Ripper.

Andrew dashed at Marissa as the witch steadied herself, but he still missed his thrust. She twirled around him to his rear and grabbed him by the curls of his hair. With her free hand, she latched onto the wrist that sustained his Shadow Ripper.

"You don't want to use that on me, do you?" said Marissa. She pulled him close and tried forcing the wrist holding his technique inwards. Andrew realized she was trying to get him to use his own attack on himself and cut off the power flow entirely before she got his hand on his waist. Marissa scowled and kneed him in the back as she let go of him.

"If only you were slow-witted, boy," said Marissa. "This could have ended quickly and easily for us both."

Andrew cracked his body around out of his forward stumble to face the witch. He extended his arms out in front of him, hand over hand, and raised them overhead as they collected shadows. The amount of dark power he put into the charge for his unique stance signaled a Gemivado blast in the works.

"How about I just end things now anyways?" said Andrew.

"Don't tell me you really think that'll take me down," said Marissa.

"This is stupid," grumbled Bowser. "He's going to build up that burst of power just for Marissa to dodge it?"

"Wait a minute..." mumbled Warra. "Look at Marissa..."

The Kruna Yura glanced from their spot at the demon witch and saw her spread her legs and cross her arms in front of her. The palms of her hands faced Andrew.

"I can see I'm going to have to show you since you're so headstrong," said Marissa.

"She's not going to dodge?" said Bowser.

Andrew's gathered shadows pulsed like a heartbeat as he continued shuttling more power into his hands. Marissa stayed patient and let the Kruna of Shadow ready his Gemivado.

"You know what," muttered Bowser. "Actually, no. No... No, he couldn't have..."

"What?" asked Ramona.

"If he intended for Marissa to dodge all his previous attacks so he could bait her into blocking now..." Bowser started to say. "Wait; no, I'd expect that from Warra, not him..."

"Whatever his intentions, Andrew must seriously believe he can overpower her," said Warra.

"Marissa!" Andrew yelled. "You're looking really dumb right now thinking you can stand up to this blast!"

"Such gallant poise!" hollered Marissa. "You are sorely overestimating yourself, but if you really want to try it, go ahead! Fire away! See what happens!"

"Hold on," said Neva, confused. "I'm not following any of this."

"This is..." mumbled Bowser. "No. This is crazy. He's not that powerful."

"You asked for it!" Andrew roared. His crossed arms thrusting ahead, he released the continuous dark beam at Marissa. She stood her ground and tightened her guard for the incoming black and purple wave heading her way.

The Gemivado clashed with Marissa's crossed arms and pressed its power into her. Though she could have used her Ultimate Barrier for defense, she opted not to. She did not feel the need to at all and did not expect Andrew's attack to cause her any significant trouble.

But then, Marissa noticed an increasing amount of pressure from the wave of shadows pushing into her. The demon witch soon found herself having to put up more and more resistance with each passing moment. She peered at her feet when she felt herself sliding backwards.

Marissa pushed against the Gemivado, letting her energy flow out to her arms to give her an extra boost. That bolstering stopped her momentum. The moment Andrew felt his wave encountering more resistance, he opened up his floodgates and siphoned more power into it. The other Kruna could hear his booming yell almost all the way across the field.

Again, Marissa slid backwards. The force of Andrew's Gemivado continued one-upping her every time she focused more power through to her defending arms. Andrew kept the pressure on and unrelentingly pushed on her. Marissa kept resisting as much as she could, the power he put into his technique baffling her. In her full circle of sight, she noticed the left field corner of the stadium getting ever closer.

"He's...he's actually doing it!" said Bowser.

"This dude is a beast, man!" cheered Marut. "Can't wait for Daisy to get here so we can seal Marissa up after this attack's over!"

"Yup! Vacation time, here we come!" said Athelstan.

"Oh my gosh – don't jinx it!" grumbled Neva.

Marissa felt her arm guard give way, at which point the full fury of Andrew's shadow blast assaulted her. She felt her power get suppressed and her senses get scrambled under the attack's effects in addition to the damage it caused. Her arms sprayed out to her sides, and her backwards momentum only increased as a result.

Clearly struggling, Andrew boosted his power output even more. His black and purple cannon brought Marissa to within a dozen feet from the wall behind her. Marissa refused to give up her antagonistic push. And yet, she could not stop the Gemivado from forcing her further back.

The instant Marissa felt her hat brush up against the outfield wall, she panicked. Taking on a more irate attitude regarding the situation, Marissa stabilized herself and continued exerting more force. Suddenly, Andrew felt his blast stagnate. It failed to push Marissa any further. Andrew spent the next handful of moments trying to overwhelm someone who had now ceased even getting pushed back, but the Kruna of Shadow's efforts gained no more ground. The Gemivado wave distorted at the point of contact with Marissa.

Putting up a mighty heave, Marissa lifted the dark wave and curved its trajectory overhead. Now firing off her own mystic power with the time granted from her maneuver, Marissa overtook Andrew's Gemivado and forced it back. Andrew amplified his wave once more, the extra energy coming just to offset Marissa's sparkling crimson burst. Her single-shot blast continued to cut into his continuous wave until it disbanded in an explosion under his attack's force; but not before her blast came eerily close to striking him.

Andrew cut off the flow of power to his Gemivado altogether after Marissa's blast had finished mangling whatever was left of the wave. When the explosion of magic and shadows disappeared, he saw Marissa hunched over and panting as much as he himself gasped for air at that very moment. Marissa looked taxed, drained, and beat-up; overall in the worst condition she had been in all day.

"Guys, Marissa looks like...like we do!" hollered Marut. "Wait, is that right to say?"

"No, I'd still say we're worse off," said Warra. "But Andrew did bring her health down a lot."

"This dude is for real though," said Marut. "He ain't playing around!"

"He shouldn't be," said Bowser. "He definitely didn't hold anything back with that blast. I mean...I _hope_ he didn't..."

"That wasn't the Master Pendant doing any of that, was it?" asked Neva. "That was all him?"

"That was all him," said Ramona. "The Master Pendant did not light up at all."

"But how?" said Bowser. "Is he seriously about to defeat her all by himself?!"

Athelstan crossed his arms and smirked. "No! We softened her up for him!"

Marissa scowled at Andrew, who welcomed the gusting wind to cool him off after his vehement assault. _How strange,_ she thought. _He wasn't near this level at all back in Sarasaland. But then again, neither were those other six._

The witch gazed at Andrew a little while longer. She then glanced all the way over at Bowser. _It's just as I thought,_ she affirmed in mind. _These two have taken a pronounced leap...but I did not foresee just how much they would strengthen. They're starting to seem reminiscent of past Kruna. All of them have, but what is it with these two? And the ice one too – I'm sensing something unique about her as well. I suppose it's a good thing I crippled her before she got going... Maybe I was a little too gracious in giving them time to get stronger. I didn't actually expect this much trouble from them..._

Her gaze shifted back to Andrew. _And if the Master Pendant really isn't helping him, I've got my hands full. This boy has harmed me the most out of all of them so far. In no way should he be generating so much power. I better pay close attention to him._

Marissa gritted her teeth and grunted. _In fact, you're not catching me off-guard like that again. Before anything stupid happens, I need to take you out first._

"Maybe we've been looking at this the wrong way," said Athelstan. "What if we've actually been underestimating ourselves this whole time?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Bowser.

"Marissa's power right now is ludicrous and higher than anyone we've ever faced," said Athelstan. "But that may be why we're not giving ourselves enough credit. Because we don't _feel_ like or _expect_ anyone to be as powerful as her or in the league that she's in now, we can't see our own selves rivaling her. But that might just be a limiting way of thinking."

"You mean, we're actually better than we thought?" asked Ramona.

"That may well be the case," said Athelstan. "We can't just let her intimidate and discourage us. That just makes it easy for her to exaggerate her strengths and diminish our own opinion of ourselves. But the gap in power might not be what Marissa has been making it out to be. I mean, look at what Andrew just did. If he can do that, and if we hurt Marissa as much as we did, then what are we in comparison to her from an objective standpoint?"

Marissa let out a long exhale. _Yes...this is it. I can't risk it any longer if this shadow wielder is going to keep up his pace. No more playing around. I'm actually in legitimate danger..._

The witch kept her gaze fixated on Andrew. She straightened out her posture to stand upright, her hands on her hips. Though initially frustrated, she gave a small smile after a while.

"Nice job blowing off steam," said Marissa. "But if you honestly thought you were about to have your way with me, you're about to get a friendly dose of reality when I remind you just who and what you're dealing with here."

Andrew did not respond. He got back into stance to continue fighting, unfazed and undeterred.

"Still, you've certainly surprised me," said Marissa. "This boost in power of yours has no doubt proved impressive...even though you haven't done anything with it."

"Sure looks like I did something," Andrew grunted. "You can rest assured you're about to be more than impressed."

Marissa giggled and turned her nose up. "Fool. You don't know. So I suppose I should just tell you now before you get any more ideas crazier than I am."

"What are you saying?" asked Andrew.

"To be real, I must confess something to you," said Marissa. "It's something I've been holding back for a while now, and I can see that there would be no better time than now to share it with you."

"Wow, I'm so excited," Andrew grumbled.

"Oh, you will be," said Marissa. "See, keeping in mind your display, I still have quite a bit of leeway on my side..."

Andrew's expression turned dark. He did not like the way that sounded coming out of Marissa.

"You heard me right, my friend," said Marissa. "I could let you keep taking shots at me when I'm only using fifty percent of my full power, but that seems like a pretty hollow and dishonest waste of time, doesn't it?"

"You what?!" grunted Andrew.

"Don't act like you're deaf all of a sudden," Marissa said. "Up until now, everyone has faced just a meager half of my true potential. But no more. You will be the first to get the full brunt of my Eternal Malocchio Form."

Marissa spread her stance and raised her arms, palms supinated. The wind gusted from her left at that moment, blowing into her hair and dress. Not a single one of the Kruna had any idea of what to expect from the witch other than her maxing out her power. They each remained still and waited in silence.

The main Malocchio Eye on her forehead took on a red glow, followed by the Eyes on her shoulders, hands, and waist. The five body Eyes then expanded and became more prominent, almost doubling in size. Her main Eye gained a deep red hue around its iris after its glow faded, and the vascularity under and throughout her pale skin multiplied; particularly in the areas surrounding each body Eye.

"Let's see now just how badly your misguided valor has screwed you over," Marissa then said. "I'll even give you the first move since you like to take the initiative."

"You're too kind," grumbled Andrew. "You just made yourself an easy target with those pumped up Eyes."

Andrew flared a shadow orb and hurled it at Marissa. It struck the Malocchio Eye at the center of her abdomen. Aside from a few backwards steps from the hit, nothing happened.

"Oh, and since you missed it earlier, my Eyes are not weak points," said Marissa. "They're no weaker than any other point on my body. Well, I have _one_ weak point, but it would be indecent to talk about that in public. Anyways, nice use of your free hit."

Marissa's body moved towards Andrew in a total blur. She had no detail or definition to her form and just looked like a mass of color as she shifted across the gap between her and Andrew. Upon nearing him, her blurred form expanded width-wise up until she got in front of him before splitting and sneaking around either side. Converging back again to its singular, original size, the blur then revealed Marissa's body directly behind him. Andrew froze, trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed much like the other Kruna from their distant point of view. It was as if the illusory mirage-like effects to Marissa's movement earlier now appeared even more distorted and surreal.

Andrew just barely got out of the way of the punch Marissa aimed at the back of his head. But as soon as he got all the way around to face her, she slugged him across the chest. Andrew found himself forced into a frantic backpedal just to keep from falling down, only for Marissa to fly at him and stomp him down. The witch jumped off him and hurled a burst of magic power at him before he could get back up.

Out of his tumble along the turf, Andrew popped off the ground just for Marissa to fly at him again and ram him with her lowered shoulder. Marissa then flew behind where his momentum was taking him and blasted him in the back. No further attack came after he hit the ground again. She let him get up without interference.

Marissa formed her Dream Shuriken and flung it Andrew's way. He jumped over the accelerating eight-sided magic star, left open for attack in the air. Marissa zoomed at him in a blurry hurry and smashed him down using two hammer fists. He flipped and caught himself on the turf with his hands, springing right-side up with some backwards momentum and dodging the Death Beam Marissa shot down. With a heavy exhale, Andrew planted his feet on the ground and eyed the floating, smiling demon witch overhead.

"And now, the real fun begins," murmured Marissa.


	73. Chapter LXXIII

The Eternal Malocchio Form's Terrible True Power! Hurry Up, Daisy!:

Nova Daisy sprinted through the streets, towns, and suburbs of One World Capital, closing in on the energy signatures she sensed in assumption that they came from her teammates and Marissa. Everywhere she looked around her, she saw Skalfer corpses and Boo remains.

 _Geez, what blitzed through here?_ Daisy wondered. _I mean, seriously! They're all over the place, everywhere I look! My team didn't do this. They couldn't have. Especially not on so large of a scale...unless...Ramona? Did she go off again? No, she couldn't do that_ twice _! Oh, please don't tell me she'd do it twice!_

Upon coming to a curving road near a shopping center on the right and a lake on the left, she hit the brakes. The area looked like it had been rocked with the blasts of battle. There on the street, she saw King Boo's crown broken, faded, and left alone. Even with the sunlight beaming on it, the crown had no shine.

 _Looks like something big went down here,_ Daisy thought, grabbing the abandoned crown. She inspected it for just a quick moment and recognized it as King Boo's before she tossed it into the dead grass. With extra urgency, she resumed her run to find the other Kruna Yura.

 _I really need to hurry up,_ Daisy said in thought. _I've got to be getting close now. I can feel the distance from me to them shrinking._

* * *

Bowser, Athelstan, Neva, Ramona, Marut, and Warra stood in wait back behind home plate in One World Park, all of them in poor condition but doing at least somewhat better with the Mushrooms they all took. From their spot, they surveyed the scene unfolding between Andrew and Marissa. In the short exchange she just displayed, Marissa's Eternal Malocchio Form at full power had nullified whatever momentum Andrew had created with his earlier, monstrous Gemivado blast.

"You've all progressed far since Sarasaland," said Marissa. "It's such a shame your talents have to go to waste."

Andrew did not respond. He stayed stern and determined against his dangerous adversary, who now floated down to set her feet on the stadium turf. She did not take up any special battle stance upon landing.

After its actions on the Kruna of Shadow and King Boo earlier, the Master Pendant had remained dormant and irrelevant ever since. Andrew would have forgot he had it if not for its constant dangling on his left hip when he moved. Marissa had made no moves for the sealed Alkemei as of yet.

And now, Marissa did not make any moves at all in general. Despite her recent power-up and aggression, she now showed hesitance in continuing the fight. Even when Andrew drew his Umbra Bladestaff, Marissa appeared reluctant to carry on their battle. She closed her eyes and smiled as the wind gusts raged on.

"This may sound crazy..." said Marissa. "I know it will...but...is it too late to reconsider things?"

Andrew's stare relaxed some. "Huh? What do you mean? Reconsider?"

"Yeah," said Marissa. "This fight...maybe it doesn't have to continue on at all? Maybe...maybe...we could do anything but fight?"

"Why now, all of a sudden, you don't want to fight?" asked Andrew. "I thought this was something you were looking forward to."

"Yes, but, I am a very unstable, scared, depressed person who's terrified of the future because it will just be an unending, fruitless existence for me that I'll never be able to escape. This fight isn't going to last forever. And when you die, there'll be nothing for me here. So...I just thought...what if you don't die? What if you eight all stayed alive with me? The nine of us could then be in charge over this planet as a combined team. You guys would be able to do whatever you wanted. However you would want to see the world, we could make it a reality. You would have total control and everyone would be more or less subservient to us. And maybe, we could even...I don't know...have fun together?"

Andrew on impulse wanted to snap hard at her, but he held himself in check and refrained. Because of their low volume and tone of voice, the windy noise of the blustery afternoon, and their position in the outfield, the other Kruna Yura could not make out any of what their shadow teammate and the witch were saying.

"C'mon, buddy," said Marissa, opening her eyes. "I know you guys have got to be tired of all this. I know I am. I'm tired of a lot of things. I'm an immortal demon witch full of regrets and remorse. I think you – especially you – already know what I would have done by now if I wasn't immortal."

Andrew felt a surge of internal pressure rock him, for he knew what she meant. "I'm...certainly taken aback by such a proposal... But, we can't agree to those terms. The type of order that you've instilled is not how this world should work. And we promised a lot of people that we'd remove you from power. We can't let them down."

"Then maybe I can speak to you specifically," said Marissa. "Because I know you...at The Northernmost West...I stopped you...and I'm willing to bet you haven't told anyone anything about it."

Andrew winced and gave no reply.

"Man, what are those guys talking about?" asked Athelstan. "They're speaking way too quietly for anyone to hear 'em!"

"Maybe Shady's just stalling until Daisy gets here?" said Neva.

"Would _he_ do something like that?" Bowser wondered aloud. "Come on."

"You don't know how they'd react if you did tell them, do you?" said Marissa. "I won't judge you. I can read you like a book. I could tell almost right away what was driving you towards your decision at The Northernmost West. I understand such feelings...having so much internal pain choking you that you just can't always hide...maybe wishing certain things had happened differently from how they actually did...wondering why you're even alive...feeling lost, aimless, faceless, not good enough...longing for some meaningful purpose...yearning to feel needed...wishing someone would love you...and that that love was something you wouldn't ever have to doubt... I know it must be a hefty request to ask you to side with me over your friends-"

"You're right," said Andrew. "It's totally out of the question. I'm not turning my back on them. You think I'd really do that? And after seeing what a partnership with you did to King Boo, at that?"

"King Boo was treacherous from the start," said Marissa. "He was untrustworthy and schemed behind my back. With you, I don''t have to lay down the law. No, you're too innocent. I can trust you with a lot more than I could with him. And I know I'd have a true companion. It'd make living on forever feel a lot less lonely."

"What – why...why me?"

"You just...you really remind me a lot of one of my old teammates," said Marissa. "Don't get any wrong ideas like I've secretly been fawning over you or anything like that. You're an idiot if you do. I had asked something similar of Daisy before I even sent you all to this time. But of course, she declined."

Andrew sighed. "And I have to decline too, Marissa."

"I thought so," said Marissa, still smiling. She shrugged and added, "Welp, I tried. I guess it can't be helped. There was a point of no return, and I obviously passed that a long time ago." She pulled out her Dominion Scepter and held it down and out from her side. "But now...now, this is the end of an era. There are no more elite elemental wielders. Elemental wielding will soon become even more of a niche art than it already is. Fail to stop me now, and I will rule unopposed forever."

"Well, let's get on with it then," said Andrew. With a widening of his stance, he leaned forward and braced his bladestaff in front of him along his forearms.

Marissa's smile now faded away. "This is the finale, Kruna of Shadow."

Andrew tightened his hold on his bladestaff as Marissa focused power into her scepter. Mystic fire flowed out and around her scepter's head, rising in thickness and volume. Anything the witch did, Andrew had to react quick to. He had a feeling that she had not shown all that she was capable of, even taking into account her now fighting at full power.

"Kids like you have no business trying to play hero," murmured Marissa.

Initiating a modified version of her Hellhound Barrage, Marissa leapt at Andrew and slammed her scepter on the ground upon landing in front of him. Andrew slipped out of the way of the column of flames that cascaded from the Dominion Scepter's head and fired a retaliatory shadow burst off his bladestaff. Marissa took the hit, but she recoiled quick and charged at him with her tool up and across her body. She rammed into Andrew and then spun around into a fiery swing of her scepter to notch a hard connection on the shadow wielder.

After several backpedaling steps, Andrew then felt the rapid-fire pelting of Marissa's Berserker Star. Two rounds of mystic star flurries smothered Andrew, each hit feeling like a hot rock banging him. He went down, stunned from the pummeling that numbed his body.

The Kruna of Shadow took a while to get up. During his recovery, Marissa focused more of her mystic power through her scepter and let the energy bounce out and around them. Andrew saw a sheet of magic fire form over Marissa and expand in all directions. The power stretched past Andrew and then curved into the stadium turf, encasing him and Marissa inside at the exclusion of the others.

"You're too shifty," said Marissa. "So now, you'll be caged just like a feral animal. That way, we can truncate the time this will take now that you have less space to move."

Andrew grimaced. "For how long?"

"Until I deem it necessary to let you out," said Marissa.

Andrew glanced left, right, up, behind, and ahead. The electronic appearance of the semi-opaque crimson barrier around him glossed and shined with flickering flames.

"This fight will continue under the Malocchio Force Field," said Marissa. "I don't recommend going anywhere near the walls or ceiling. I surely don't want to."

"Hey, what's that dome for?" Neva asked. "I can barely even see them now!"

"Oh dear," mumbled Ramona. "It looks like some sort of prison or cage."

"Looks like something you'd find in computer circuitry," said Athelstan.

"If you lit the computer on fire, yeah," said Bowser.

Andrew flared shadows around the blades of his staff. He maintained his aggressive forward lean as he sidestepped the magic burst Marissa sent his way. Once the blast hit the wall behind him, it exploded in a sizzled splat. Noticing and hearing the reaction, Andrew devoted more of his internal energy to bodily defense to lessen whatever damaging effects the wall would cause if he did end up touching it for whatever reason.

Marissa's body then flashed and warped into its blurred, illusory movement again as she danced around in front of Andrew. He could feel his eyes straining just from staring at the moving blur. Eventually, his eyes got too fatigued to keep up. Andrew had to look away, but that only made Marissa's scepter swipe that much easier to land on him.

His body bouncing off the ground, Andrew flipped right-side-up out of his roll just to have a blast of Marissa's mystic power strike him further back. He came way too close to the Malocchio Force Field wall by the time his momentum stopped. As soon as he got back up, he had to dive out of the way of a Death Beam Marissa shot at him. The force field nullified the beam on contact.

Now with a loose hold of her scepter at her side, Marissa just pointed the index finger of her free hand at Andrew and fired off Death Beams. His frantic dodging saved him from the automatic critical hit such a precise and pinpoint-type attack would inflict, but he now had no opportunity himself to attack. After using his bladestaff out of a roll to deflect one of the Death Beams, he put the tool away so he could devote more focus to his maneuverability.

Marissa continued firing her special, penetrative energy lasers one after the other at her evasive opponent, who now began using darkness to make his own movements a little more difficult to track. Unfortunately for him, the random, scattered dark clouds he created did not affect Marissa's all-around enhanced vision. He did not sustain the darkness for long once he realized it did not provide any extra difficulty for Marissa.

The Death Beams continued to fly from Marissa's erect finger without any drop off in firing rate, but Andrew started slowing down. Her shots got closer and closer to the Kruna of Shadow. At one point, she scored a hit on the Master Pendant. The Death Beam merely bounced off the sealed Alkemei with a sharp, circular, harsh-sounding clang.

Surprised, Marissa stopped her assault altogether. Andrew had a chance to catch his breath, but the witch felt more concerned over the Alkemei dangling off his hip. She squinted hard at the Master Pendant, now in wonder over whether or not the pendant had been dormant the whole time. With its defense against her attack, the Master Pendant now seemed as if it had been awake and aware of everything that went on and just _chose_ not to do anything or exercise any influence. In the time since its deflection, the Master Pendant once again returned to its passive, inanimate state.

"Boy, I seriously think you ought to remove that pendant from your person," said Marissa. "You don't know just what that Alkemei really is."

"I believe I know enough," said Andrew. "What, are you afraid of it or something? Or do you just want me to give it to you?"

"You _can_ give it to me," said Marissa. "But really – Kruna, dude, bro, sweetie – I'd just prefer you got rid of it. I don't trust that pendant, and I definitely don't trust what it holds."

Andrew said nothing. Marissa waited for a response from him, the witch now conspicuously uncomfortable. He glanced at his hip and observed the sealed pendant, understanding why Marissa was getting worked up over it. But because of how unpredictable the pendant had been for as long as the Kruna Yura have known of its existence, he also could not just toss it aside with any certainty that it would not start acting on its own and turn hostile once again.

"I'm just gonna keep holding onto it, actually," said Andrew. "It's pretty much been totally benign for as long as I've had possession of it. I feel like it's fine with me. Besides, where do ya want me to get rid of it when we're stuck in this force field?"

Marissa gritted her teeth and grumbled. "You sassy little frickin'... Oh, of course. I get it... That pendant really _has_ been helping you this whole time, hasn't it? No matter – once one of you eight are dead, I shouldn't have anything to worry about."

With a hard thrust of her arm, Marissa fired off a Death Beam straight at Andrew's neck. She missed, for he bent backwards and let the magic laser pass over him. The moment he returned to standing upright, he had Marissa directly in front of his face. He only just barely caught the Dominion Scepter at its shaft before Marissa stabbed him with it, but she jerked him off of her tool and smacked him with it off to the side. He rolled up against the Malocchio Force Field and recoiled the instant his body made contact with the hot wall.

Andrew got up just to see a Dream Shuriken fly at him. He leapt ahead and over the accelerating magic star and let it repeatedly bounce off of and into the same spot on the force field until the attack ran out of power and disbanded. While in the air, Andrew pulsed dark power out to his hands and brought down a two-handed smash on Marissa. His offensive attempt encountered her defending scepter and knocked the tool free from her grasp. The scepter dropped to the turf on the opposite side of their enclosed arena.

Angered, Marissa slugged him across the face with a left and right hook in succession and blasted him low coming out of his hitstun. He again went back into the force field wall behind him, another burning thud of contact the consequence. While he picked himself up off the ground, Marissa opted not to go for her scepter and instead focused magic fire into each of her hands. The flames morphed into a lion head around each fist that arced and curved into crescent-shaped fire blades.

"I don't need my scepter for this," said Marissa. "I can get up close and personal to do my dirty work."

Andrew forced shadow power into his hands again. Though dissimilar to Marissa's Lion Crescent, he formed a mass of shadows and dark energy around each of his fists for a somewhat comparable counter in response to her technique. As soon as he got his shadow fists ready, he rushed at Marissa.

Andrew must have thrown close to a hundred strikes with his shadow fists without any break, but none of them made contact. Marissa dodged every last one of his punches, her blurred movement pairing with her increased speed to make her untouchable. The Kruna of Shadow burnt out quick, yet Marissa experienced no such fatigue.

Andrew knelt for an uppercut and devoted just an extra second or so to ready his attack. Much like the other punches, the uppercut failed to even touch Marissa. But with how open he left himself, the witch did not feel content with just evading his strike. She slipped right past him, her hair brushing up against his back as she whipped around and struck him with one of her lion head fists. Almost immediately on contact, Andrew's shadows went out.

Several of Marissa's subsequent Lion Crescent punches slammed into Andrew and forced him up against the Malocchio Force Field. From there, Marissa smashed her charged fists into Andrew off of each bounce he made off of the fiery wall. The heat from her Lion Crescent and the Malocchio Force Field got to him and made him wilt in just seconds. Soon, he was nothing more than a punching bag for Marissa to take out her aggression on. The other Kruna looked on outside the force field from home plate, helpless.

"He's...losing," Neva said under her breath.

"Oh man, we're not winning this at all, are we?" Marut whimpered.

Marissa continued banging Andrew against the force field with fist after fist of her Lion Crescent. He could do nothing to escape or defend himself. The witch had him caged and trapped.

"No," Ramona grumbled. Her hair shadowed her eyes as her swordstaff lit up and grew brighter with each passing second. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!"

A monstrous burst of light power erupted from Ramona's Luster Swordstaff and sped towards the Malocchio Force Field. The insanely high amount of energy behind Ramona's burst clashed with the force field in a huge explosion of light and sparkling fire that took up most of the outfield. By the time the elementals cleared the area and faded with the wind, the Kruna Yura saw Andrew sprawled out face-down on the turf. Marissa stared in irritation at the six Kruna near home plate.

"I...can't lose...my best friend," Ramona gasped, her knees buckling.

Disbanding her Lion Crescent and retrieving her Dominion Scepter, Marissa siphoned power through the tool and formed a magic cloud over One World Park for Star Galaxia. "You couldn't just stay complacent and wait your turn?" the witch hissed.

Ramona's actions earned a hailstorm of mystic stars from above for her and her teammates. All six of them went down under the witch's magical bombardment and stayed down after the conclusion of the assault. Once the Star Galaxia cloud disappeared, Marissa replaced her scepter across her back and walked towards Andrew. The Kruna of Shadow had turned over, but he had not got all the way off the ground yet. Marissa grabbed him by the neck and slammed him back down onto the turf once she reached him.

"It's over," said Marissa, raising her free hand. "You've reached your limits. You can't overcome me, just as I've been asserting all along. Now perish."

Just then, Andrew's Alkemei Fwin lit up. Marissa gazed at him in confusion, wondering why he only waited until now to use it. But when nothing happened after several moments of waiting, she got more annoyed.

"Just what are you trying to pull here?" barked Marissa. "You know what – forget it! I don't want to know! You're not getting the chance to do whatever you have in mind anyways!"

The Death Beam shot off from Marissa's finger, aimed at the base of Andrew's neck just under where she held him. The laser passed straight through him; but to her surprise, it did not do so in any sort of gory manner. In fact, it did not look like the Death Beam shot into him at all after the tail end of the beam disappeared.

"What the hell is this?!" Marissa cried. She fired a Death Beam at the same spot. Again, her fiery laser left no burn hole. Taking aim at his chest, she blasted and got the same result. She tried several more times until she felt her hold on him fade even though his body had not vanished. Before long, the hand she held him down with fazed through his neck.

Shocked and dumbfounded, Marissa froze while Andrew passed through her as he forced himself to his feet. The Kruna Yura back at home plate recovered and got up just in time to see their shadow teammate blast Marissa away. In the time it took for Marissa to return to her feet after she hit the ground, Andrew readied a Shadow Ripper.

Marissa saw Andrew coming and thrust the palm of her left arm out when he got near, only for him to use the selective intangibility ability from his Fwin again. The instant after Marissa's arm passed through his chest, he struck her with his Shadow Ripper when she thought she had landed a hit on him instead. His technique scored a massive critical strike on her and brought her to her knees at the end of her backwards skid.

Cutting off energy flow to his Fwin, Andrew barely stood upright under his own power after his Shadow Ripper ended. With timely reactions and a vicious reversal, he had survived and notched a much needed hit on his opponent. Even so, the Kruna Yura's cheers did not last long. Marissa got up just moments later, frustration evident. She stomped towards the beaten down, tired shadow wielder, her steps slow and concise as energy bubbled and poured out around her fingers.

"No!" yelled Marissa. "No! We are not doing this! You're not completing any late-game heroics! This is the top of the ninth, I'm ahead, and you just made your last strike."

Marissa leapt at Andrew, releasing her Hellhound Barrage's savage fire wall. He hopped out of the way but could not react to when Marissa flew at him and jammed her elbow into his upper abdomen. While she had her arm flexed, she charged her Death Beam and kicked Andrew down onto the turf. She stomped one foot on his right arm and the other one on his left leg. There, she waited and paid close attention to Andrew's Alkemei. It did not light up at all this time.

Marissa smirked for just a half-moment. "That's the Fwin, isn't it? Doesn't seem like you have enough power left to use it." She pointed her extended finger holding the charged Death Beam at the center of his chest. "Which means it can't protect you, so you're not avoiding this one no matter what you do."

"Please, don't do this..." Neva gasped. She took aim with her bladestaff and focused as much ice power through the tool as she could in spite of the sharp, stabbing pain in her back.

"No...I have to pull out more power," grunted Ramona. Her swordstaff once more gained brilliance. Bowser and Marut took aim with their Ultima Staffs as well. Unfortunately, the four of them forgot one key thing that kept Warra and Athelstan both still.

"I can see you getting ready to attack over there!" Marissa shouted. "Surely you remembered I can see in every direction, so don't go thinking you can save him! The moment any one of you fires, he's getting a hole burned through his heart. Well, he's getting it regardless, but you'll expedite the process if you don't relax your powers."

Begrudgingly; Bowser, Marut, Neva, and Ramona eased up on their elemental powers and lowered their staffs. Marissa nodded and redirected her attention back to her Death Beam and the shadow wielder she stood on.

"I shouldn't be getting sentimental over this," said Marissa. "Maybe because I understand you too well, and...oh, whatever. Just forget it. We've made our choices. And now, you'll finally get what you've been looking for. I'll make sure of it."

Marissa upgraded her Death Beam, adding her middle finger to her stiff index finger and doubling the power circulating into her charged crimson burst. Andrew did not ever think he would die and then get revived just to die again all in the same day. Now, such a scenario seemed to be all but certain. None of his teammates could help him.

Except one – one whose presence came with a fated gust of wind ahead of her entry from out of One World Park's visiting dugout. The figure in her signature black and silver jumped onto the field behind the on-deck circle near the left field foul line. Her Nova Form power caught the attention of Marissa and disrupted her focus on her Death Beam enough for the charge to disband altogether. All the Kruna Yura by home plate peered at the newcomer, relieved to see that Daisy had finally made it.

Daisy looked intense as she gazed at Marissa across One World Park's baseball diamond. The Nova Form Kruna of Earth noticed the witch's dominant position on top of Andrew and her Eternal Malocchio Form. Marissa adjusted her stance to get a more focused, direct look at Daisy, not even paying attention to the shadow wielder she stood on anymore. The witch continued staring at Daisy while the earth wielder walked towards her teammates at home plate.

"Hi, guys!" said Daisy, her tone now light and cheery. "Sup?"

"It's about time you got here," grumbled Neva. "Could you have showed up any later?"

"I'm sorry! I got here as slow as I could!" replied Daisy.

Aside from Andrew, who felt too bludgeoned to truly react, all of the Kruna gazed at the Nova Form earth wielder in shock. Marissa kept her hard glare on Daisy, the witch's expression showing surprise and a developing smile.

"What's everyone staring at me like that for?" Daisy asked as she neared her team. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, we're just...uh..." Marut mumbled before his voice trailed off.

"We're just glad you finally made it," said Athelstan. "That oughta simplify things."

"You look like you're in good spirits," said Warra.

"What can I say?" Daisy responded. "I feel renewed and better than ever! It's real great to see that everyone's still alive, even though you all do look pretty beat up right about now. And wow, Neva! Your energy signature has spiked! And you too, Bowser! Unreal! _And_ the Giga Soul's not here either?"

"Yeah, we had a little help with that thanks to Peach," said Bowser.

"Bless her soul, and may she rest in peace," murmured Warra.

"So she really is dead now," Daisy said, sighing but still smiling. "I felt something was wrong when I didn't sense her in Memory Forest or out here. And on my way here, I had a chilling feeling that she had left this world altogether. But it's alright. I feel like a part of her lives on inside of me."

"It's weird to say, but I feel that way too," mumbled Neva. "And I barely even knew her."

"She just has that effect on people, it seems," said Bowser.

"Well, no time for grieving," said Daisy, wiping at her eyes. "We've got a more immediate concern right in front of us. I'm feeling that much more inspired now to take this witch down." She paused for a moment to again inspect Marissa's Eternal Malocchio Form and the Kruna of Shadow she held under her feet by his right arm and left leg. "I sure missed a lot, but you guys can fill me in on it all later."

Daisy stepped over to Neva and put an arm around her. She then ruffled the little ice wielder's hair. Neva perked up and beamed, and the other Kruna there smiled too.

"I'm so proud to be a part of this team," said Daisy. "You guys have all come a long way. Especially you, Neva. Leave the rest to me! I'll take care of things now."

"You'll what?!" snapped Warra.

Marissa angled her stare at Daisy, a slight growl rumbling in her throat. She pressed down more through her legs, increasing the pressure on Andrew under her.

"The Giga Soul must have hit you harder than we thought," said Athelstan. "This new form of Marissa's is no joke! You can sense it! Your thinking must be scrambled!"

"I'm fine!" said Daisy. Without uttering another word, she began advancing in a slow march towards Marissa. She passed each of her teammates amid their flabbergasted stares, her strides paced and decisive.

 _I can't believe you're just walking right up to her like that_ , Neva thought.

"I believe in you, Daisy," Ramona mumbled.

"Yeah, you the dude, bro," Marut said under his breath.

Warra closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling. "I really should be used to her by now."

Without stopping, Daisy dug into her Hammerspace Belt and pulled out a pouch with Mushrooms. "You guys just make sure you're all recovered and have enough power for when we have to seal this witch away. You already did a good job softening her up. Just kick back and relax."

Bowser caught the pouch when Daisy flipped it their way. "Daisy, I sure hope you really know what you're doing, because you don't know what you're up against."

"Whatever, bro," Daisy replied. She continued her slow, smiling stroll up to the demon witch, who stepped off of Andrew and waited for the Kruna of Earth to get close. Daisy stopped a short distance away from Marissa and glanced at Andrew's quivering body.

"We've all been waiting on you," murmured Marissa. "Maybe you eight would have had a better chance of beating me if you hadn't have taken the scenic route here."

"I'm gonna sub for Shady," Daisy asserted, no longer smiling. "So if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you let me move him so he won't be in the way."

Marissa stifled a chuckle. "You're honestly worried about this worthless pile of garbage? Hmph... Do as you will-"

The demon witch shifted behind Andrew, pulled back a leg, and dug her foot under his back in a powerful kick to launch him at Daisy. The Kruna of Earth moved just enough to catch her shadow teammate, avoiding a glancing blow in the process from his bladestaff he had strapped to him. After giving Marissa a soft glare, she turned and walked Andrew to the other Kruna.

"I did forget about him for a second there," said Marissa. "I'm done with him anyways. Taking him out of the picture also keeps the Master Pendant away. But aside from that, you'll all die in the end, one way or another; so what difference does it make what you do with him?"

As soon as she left Andrew in Ramona's care, Daisy turned and trotted back to where she stood in the outfield across from the demon witch. On her way there, Daisy thought about Marissa's blurred movement when the witch had initially slipped behind Andrew before kicking him. It was fast and short, but noticeable; as noticeable as Marissa's five bulging body Malocchio Eyes.

"That was an interesting way of moving," Daisy said after returning to her spot across from Marissa. The Kruna of Earth focused her power through her fist, manipulating the natural ground underneath the stadium turf.

"You look like you're raring to go," said Marissa. "Let's get to it then."

Daisy glanced back at her teammates for just a moment before responding. "Why don't we? I don't need an intro."

Marissa chuckled and warped into her blurred flight for a curved zigzag advance. Daisy got herself set to attack even though she could not follow the witch's movements. But when the blur got close enough, Daisy slammed her charged fist onto the ground and let the power explode under the surface. Six slanted pillars of jagged crystal erupted in a hexagonal arrangement around Daisy, extending up past her own height. Marissa got caught in the Crystal Smash spikes on Daisy's right and went airborne from their barbed, skin-puncturing push.

Daisy retracted the Crystal Smash back underground and altered her stance for another attack as Marissa flipped and landed on her hands, a foot, and a knee out of the hit. Several marks of fresh red littered the witch's form and a couple of her Eyes. Considering Marissa's fortified, immortal body, Daisy could not have hoped for a better hit than the one she just dealt the witch.

The Ultra Mushroom Ramona gave Andrew did not do much to help him, but they had to conserve their limited items. He felt just well enough to sit up and view the developing scene between Daisy and Marissa. The Master Pendant stayed quiet and dulled on his hip.

Marissa stood upright and grunted, once again channeling energy into her index finger for a Death Beam. "You got a hit on me. Good for you. Let me now demonstrate something more effective."

"Don't block that laser, Daisy!" Warra yelled.

Marissa got her Death Beam off right after Warra's warning. Daisy stood her ground as the burning laser darted at her. Getting a tensed palm up and back, she struck the incoming beam for a deflection out of One World Park past the outfield walls.

Marissa grumbled and fired another Death Beam, only for a similar result to occur. She then began shifting across the outfield and fired Death Beams at Daisy from all sorts of different angles, but Daisy deflected each one Marissa shot at her until she fell behind and leapt up over the last two that came her way. While in the air, Daisy saw Marissa rocket at her and twisted out of her flight path. To counteract Marissa's blurred movement as the witch flew back, Daisy threw out her Flurry Punch in the hopes of one of her rapid jabs connecting somewhere.

The moment she felt her fist hit the witch, Daisy stopped the Flurry Punch and rolled into a somersaulting ax kick. Daisy's leg smashed Marissa down behind her, sending the witch into a crash landing. Once Daisy herself touched down on the turf, she twisted around to face Marissa and granted her the chance to get up.

"She's looking pretty sharp, isn't she?" said Marut. "Peach and Dabi really fixed her up good!"

"Two successful exchanges is hardly enough of a sample size to come to such a conclusion," said Athelstan. "But I'm still starting to feel pretty good about this!"

Marissa dusted herself off and gave Daisy a vague glare. "Bravo. Are you proud of yourself? You want a cookie? How about a participation medal?"

"You don't see me smiling, do you?" replied Daisy.

"No, but you're acting all confident like you're gonna do something I should be worried about," said Marissa.

"Maybe I am," said Daisy. "Maybe you should be careful."

"I highly doubt it," said Marissa. "If you gave me a chance to look through my Malocchio Eye, we'd find the amount of outcomes based on you beating me far exceeded by the amount in which you fail."

"You make no mistake, Marissa; this is where it all stops!" Daisy declared. "For Peach! For Mario and Luigi! For Geno! For all the lives your rule has ruined! For the past, present, and future-"

Marissa gasped and frowned when Daisy curled a fist up. The fierceness of Daisy's expression amplified with the tremor of the fist she held in front of her chest. At that very instant, a wind gust stronger than most of the ones from earlier blew through the area.

"I'm about to hand you a _long_ overdue punishment!" Daisy finished.

"Do or die, Sarasa girl," said Marissa. She raised her arms out to her sides in a low diagonal and let her feet come up off the ground in a hover. "If you can't do, then you all will be dead soon. But hopefully, you'll at least do better than your friends did."


	74. Chapter LXXIV

The Hope of the World:

Marissa's elevation over One World Park's baseball diamond increased in tandem with a build up of flaming mystic power in her hands. With the other seven Kruna Yura back at home plate and collectively worn down and depleted, Nova Daisy and Marissa had just about the entire field to use for their duel. At that point on what had been a turbulent and blustery afternoon, the hope of the world rested on Daisy's sturdy shoulders.

"I hope you're ready!" Marissa shouted, at the apex of her aerial height. A gaseous red-orange cloud forming over her, Marissa threw down her arms and cast her Star Galaxia's rainfall of magic stars at Daisy. Because of Daisy's great speed and agility, Marissa failed to land a hit. Even with the wide range and number of projectiles, the shifty Kruna of Earth evaded the entire stream of stars Marissa aimed at her.

Marissa cut off her Star Galaxia and went into a pacing hover. The witch's movement created a mirage-like trail behind her several times her shoulder width. As she circled back and forth, she gathered more power from her vast reserves for her next attack on the earth wielder below her.

"Because this is it," said Marissa. "You'll never see your world again. You'll die in a time where everyone has forgotten you. You'll die in a time where no one knows who you are. You'll die in a time where no one cares about you."

The circle for Marissa's Malocchio Torch appeared and encased within its bounds the outfield and part of the infield. Daisy suddenly found herself inside of a minefield of flaming pillars that shot up at random with no clear pattern. Her reflexes and impulse reactions got her away from the technique's unpredictable vertical fire jets. She showed more elusiveness with her dashes and quick cuts to avoid taking damage from the demon witch's wide-scale attack. Marissa soon ended the Malocchio Torch and resumed her illusory float, charging another move as she shifted back and forth in the air.

"You will never be seen again," said Marissa. "No one will care about or remember you."

Daisy powered-up and prepared her Seismic Wave at the same time Marissa created a Dream Shuriken. Marissa got her attack off first, forcing Daisy to release her continuous burst earlier than she wanted. Their attacks clashed at a point close to Daisy because of the Dream Shuriken's acceleration through flight, but Marissa's revolving star threatened to pierce straight through her wave. Under pressure, Daisy upped the power output through her Seismic Wave to shake and rattle the Dream Shuriken until it eventually got thrown off course and curved with its momentum into the ground on Daisy's left. There it span until it dissipated, at which point Marissa once more shuttled power into her hands.

"Then again, even if you do beat me, all that will still happen anyways, won't it?" said Marissa.

Daisy soon saw the Berserker Star's rapid-fire flurry zip at her. Putting a hold on her own energy gathering, Daisy split to her right and put her speed to work. She outran several Berserker Star bursts that shot down projectiles at a significantly faster velocity than Marissa's Star Galaxia, but their smaller scope and range offset some of the added evasion difficulty.

"You made the choice to fight for a shallow-minded society," said Marissa, again preparing a different technique. "A society that hails and praises you as 'saviors' and 'heroes' and whatever else sounds good. A society that really only acknowledges you as tools to solve all their problems rather than as real people. I was not known as 'Marissa Nuria' to them. I was only known as a Kruna of Fire; maybe Kruna Marissa, if I was lucky."

Daisy jumped and attempted to use the momentum from a swift crescent kick to propel herself closer to Marissa, but she came up short. Marissa eased out of the way of the uppercut Daisy threw at her and flew backwards. Daisy tried a similar tactic with her bladestaff, only for Marissa to twist to the side and counter with a kick to send the earth wielder plummeting back down. Out of a double reverse somersault, Daisy stabilized herself and made a controlled landing.

"You're tools when you're useful," said Marissa, resuming the preparation of another technique. "You're garbage when you're not. They'll throw you away when you can't do for them anymore. Who you are; your emotions, your feelings, wants, needs, goals, hopes, dreams...nobody cares about that."

A whirlwind of fire formed around Marissa, as did a powerful suction that overcame the day's blustery winds. Marissa's Malocchio Blazing expanded and tried to suck in Daisy, who now broke into a run in the opposite direction of its pull. Her sprinting speed equalized with the Malocchio Blazing's vacuum vortex until the technique ran its course and withered away.

"This is a selfish, shallow world," said Marissa.

Daisy pulled back a fist and readied her Shotgun. She then inched closer to the hovering demon witch while she herself also prepared another technique. Two Dream Shuriken materialized, one for each of Marissa's hands.

"I should've let that meteor crash into the planet," said Marissa.

Daisy had to use her Shotgun to counter the Dream Shuriken Marissa curved her way. Their winding, erratic movement did not prove to be an issue for Daisy when she released her Shotgun's fan of seismic power. She caught both of the incoming stars in her blast and knocked them off course into the stands in opposite directions.

"I should've let war break out," said Marissa.

The demon witch's next attack came in the form of a Berserker Star from out of her Dominion Scepter. Daisy had no issue running around even with the added speed of the projectiles and the technique's longer burst time.

"I should've stood back and chose not to do a thing for the world," Marissa said, now shooting ahead to where she anticipated Daisy to dash in.

"Aw man, this sucks!" grumbled Marut. "She's barely even getting a chance to fight back!"

"Marissa just keeps executing attack after attack from the air," said Warra. "She's maintaining her distance, but still orchestrating an offense."

"Daisy's lack of range and jump height is gonna bite her in her bum if this keeps up," mumbled Ramona.

"I should've failed on purpose," said Marissa, ending her scepter-assisted Berserker Star. "Just to see what their reaction would've been."

Daisy decided to try and simplify her approach. After pulling chunks of the earthy ground up from under the turf, she launched them one at a time at Marissa. The witch shifted and cut out of the way of each chunk that flew at her and distorted her motion blur even more. Each evasive move now came with a white flash around her body. None of Daisy's earthen masses struck Marissa.

"I already know what it would've been," said the demon witch, putting away her scepter.

Marissa altered her aerial stance to a total offense pose with heavy forward lean and an arm facing down straight at Daisy. Mystic fire pulsated around Marissa's hands and would have been a spectacle to watch if not for the circumstances surrounding the battle. Daisy waited to see what Marissa planned on doing, knowing she had to move quick no matter what the witch dished out.

"They would have called for a new Kruna Genesis of Fire," Marissa said. She zigzagged in the air on her descent to the ground, the ocular illusion of her body's hazy trail straining Daisy's eyes. Before she even realized it, she had Marissa in front of her. Only a reflex side roll saved Daisy from the flaming wall Marissa's Hellhound Barrage pumped out. Countering with an uppercut, Daisy finally broke her no-hit streak; but that was all she landed. Marissa slipped away from the followup overhead punch Daisy swung.

"Or even for a new Kruna team altogether," said Marissa, returning to the air. She did not go up as high this time. Her scepter came out for a speedy charge of a Dream Shuriken. Much to Daisy's surprise, Marissa zipped behind her while she maintained her large, spinning star and launched it the moment she got behind the Kruna of Earth. The Dream Shuriken mowed over Daisy, though it did not do as much damage as it would have had it had the time and distance to accelerate.

"They just would've wanted anyone who could fix their problems," said Marissa. She again increased her altitude while Daisy picked herself up from the previous blunt hit to her back. "And that's _all_ they would have cared about. No loyalty, no trust, no sense of family, kinship, or community; if they don't get the results they want, they don't care about you."

Upon reaching a height just below that of One World Park's nosebleed seats, Marissa prepared her scepter for a Berserker Star variant. As she released and sustained the move, she flew at and followed Daisy wherever the Kruna of Earth ran. Even in a sprint, Daisy had Marissa trailing her from close behind. Several cuts and dashes did not change that, but it kept her from enduring the pelting the witch's spray of stars threatened. By the time Daisy wanted to reverse and counter, Marissa had ceased her Berserker Star and ascended back to a point in the air almost out of Daisy's range altogether.

"Then I would've been cast aside," said Marissa, resuming her back-and-forth, blurred floating. "And then, I would be forgotten...only brought up in passing conversation for what I failed to do."

Because Marissa had stayed in the air so much as of late, Daisy had a hard time getting her offense started and had largely been relegated to countering and dodging. It all amounted to a stalemate with heavy energy usage by both combatants. However, Marissa had been fighting far longer than Daisy – against all the other Kruna Yura – and still liberally threw techniques out without much care as to how much energy she had been burning off. If Daisy wanted to progress the fight any further, she would need to close the distance between her and Marissa and strike her whenever she touched down. Otherwise, they would be stuck in this current phase until one of them ran out of power; and Daisy started to doubt she had more left over than Marissa.

"At this point, I don't feel like I even care anymore," said Marissa.

Daisy then noticed Marissa's five body Malocchio Eyes take on a bright glow similar to her sparkling crimson mystic energy. The circle for Marissa's Malocchio Torch reappeared, as did the cloud for Star Galaxia. Both techniques assaulted Daisy at the same time, raining down mystic stars and shooting up fiery pillars. Dodging them alone and separate was one thing, but having to do so with both simultaneously at work presented an unprecedented difficulty spike.

As a result, Daisy suffered several hits from the combined techniques in spite of her acrobatic efficiency. Marissa had simply thrown out too much at once for any regular mortal, Nova Form or not, to evade with success. Fortunately for Daisy, the pummeling did not last too long. Having to focus on sustaining two techniques at the same time made the duration of Marissa's offense shorter than it would have been if she had performed either move without the other. The Malocchio Torch's circle and the Star Galaxia's cloud dissipated after their last round of fire and stars, their combined assault leaving Daisy hunched over in obvious pain.

"I don't feel like I care about _any_ of this anymore," said Marissa.

The power around Marissa's hands took on an added purple hue with popping, sparkling orange specks. Though not right away, Daisy then noticed a similar red, purple, and orange cloud materialize around her.

"I can't decide whether I'm more sickened and repulsed from the world or with myself," said Marissa. "Now, I just feel like I want all this to end."

Daisy felt the impulse to escape from the cloud around her and leapt back. It was a good thing she did, for the cloud exploded in fire the instant she cleared it. Another cloud appeared when she landed, forcing her into another evasive jump. A third and fourth cloud then popped up in succession and almost got her out of her lateral leaps.

"Woah, that one was new!" said Athelstan.

Her Mystic Combustion over, Marissa again returned to her continuous, paced float. "One day, after you're all dead, I'll be powerful enough to split this planet down the middle and let it float around in space as disheveled halves."

Marissa's five body Malocchio Eyes glowed with the same red, orange, and purple that illuminated her hands moments ago. Stunningly, all five Eyes then caught on fire. The main Eye on her forehead took on a white shine.

"People will cry for help," said Marissa. "They'll scream for someone to save them from the ensuing chaos... But no one will. No one will answer their call."

"That looks different too," said Warra.

"How many moves does this woman have?!" hollered Marut.

"She's an immortal witch who obviously has the time to craft as many techniques as she wants," said Bowser. "I'm willing to bet her moveset is exponentially larger than any of ours."

Fireballs burst free from Marissa's five body Eyes in a scattershot sweep at Daisy. As soon as those left, more erupted from the Eyes. The massive flaming orbs were slow moving, becoming numerous as Marissa shot out one after the other at a speedy rate.

Daisy dodged all of them as they came, her agility and lateral quickness once again working to its fullest. As she evaded, she prepared a Crystal Fist. She then began swinging at and deflecting the fireballs of Marissa's Flamer Storm once she got her Crystal Fist formed. Fireballs crashed into deflected fireballs, and what did not hit anything scorched the stadium's turf instead. Several of the flaming orbs escaped towards the infield and even at the other Kruna Yura, necessitating elemental defense from Marut, Athestan, and Warra.

Likewise, some of the fireballs Daisy smacked away got through to Marissa. In maintaining her Flamer Storm, Marissa could not defend herself from the deflected fireballs that reached her. And after six of them got to her, she ceased her Flamer Storm entirely. One final deflected fireball flew at Marissa after she ended her technique, but she pulled out her scepter and smacked it back down at Daisy in one fluid motion.

Daisy jumped at the incoming fireball and kicked it at Marissa, who had ample time available to get herself out of the way. Strangely, she did not. She let the fireball strike her instead, not making any effort to avoid it. Her willingness to endure a massive burst she could have evaded without issue stunned the Kruna Yura.

"You...uh... Dude, why?" asked Daisy.

"Wow," said Marissa. "I had to know for sure, but...I don't even care about _that_ feeling either. It's as if I've gone completely numb."

"This witch..." Bowser murmured.

"Then again, why should I care about some petty physical discomfort?" said Marissa. "You try waking up every day in wonder over if and when your own parents will try to kill you again. You be a little toddler afraid to speak out because of not knowing what would happen if your parents got locked up or even died in the process. That's more painful than anything you could do to me...and more than that, it's downright enraging!"

Marissa eased her grimace and laughed as she shook her head. "You'd think not wanting to lose their only child was the thing that kept them from finishing the job. No. They just feared what would happen to them if they got caught."

Bladed twin lion heads of mystic fire ignited around Marissa's hands. The decision to go with Lion's Crescent meant Marissa had intentions of getting up close to Daisy, which opened up the possibility for the Kruna of Earth to get some hits in on the witch. Daisy still had her Crystal Fist active.

"I'll always remember the way they would stare at me," said Marissa. "I was so young, and it was so long ago, but I remember those stares. I remember the food poisoning, the gas, the fire choke, the 'medicine,' the rust, the snake bite... I'll be honest; some of their attempts were just plain forgettable, whether it was from frequency or repetition... Life is just so dispensable, huh?"

Marissa bolted down to ground level, stopping just short of her feet tapping the turf. Crystal Fist up and back, Daisy leaned forward with the intention of attacking, pending a potential move from Marissa ahead of her. The witch's expression grew increasingly more morose and despondent.

"But they were too weak to go all the way," said Marissa. "If only they killed me when they had the chance; if only I stayed with them and didn't run away...none of us would be here."

Daisy rocketed at the witch in a full on sprint and smashed her Crystal Fist down on her opponent. Marissa had her Lion's Crescent-powered arms up to shield and shrug off Daisy's attack. With the Nova Form earth wielder pushed off balance, Marissa advanced and threw down several strikes of her flaming fists. Daisy took six out of the eight Marissa got off before countering underneath with a Crystal Fist uppercut she chained right after contact into a spin kick.

Out of her spin, Daisy propelled off her feet at Marissa and slammed a crystallized punch into the witch. Bouncing off the ground, Marissa flipped and swung some retaliatory Lion's Crescent strikes. Both fiery punches missed Daisy, who flipped overhead and tried to bring down an ax kick on Marissa. Daisy's attack attempt failed, for Marissa slipped out of the way in a blurred float and left turf for the Kruna of Earth's foot to stomp on. Marissa's Lion's Crescent remained active as she cleared some distance between her and Daisy, though Daisy dispelled her Crystal Fist.

"I'd swap lives with any one of yours in an instant," said Marissa. "I'd take any of your parents over mine... Really, I wish I was never born. I wish I never existed."

The pieces that fell from the Crystal Fist reorganized around the foot Daisy held up, fusing together once more in order to ready a Crystal Kick. She tapped her crystallized foot on the ground and stretched it far behind her. When Daisy leapt, Marissa positioned herself to hammer her mid-flight. Even though Marissa got a punch in, Daisy powered through it and struck her too. The Kruna of Earth chained the kick into a front flip that ended in a two-handed smash on Marissa. The force behind the two neutral-facing fists traveled through the witch's body and made a slight impression in the turf underneath her.

Daisy backflipped away after contact, disbanding her Crystal Kick during her reversed aerial somersault. Upon landing, she saw Marissa already getting back to her feet. The witch did not appear to be too bothered from the attacks, but she maintained a dispirited and increasingly dour demeanor.

"Even at full power, it kind of makes it hard to give it my all," said Marissa. "I don't feel like I even care what happens next. All I know is that I just want to win this fight. I don't really even know why I still do, but that's all I have left. A hollow victory. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Daisy dashed at Marissa, who did not return to the air right away this time. The Kruna of Earth got to within striking distance when Marissa slipped around her, grabbed her, and slung her to the ground in a single motion. Marissa pulled out her scepter to stab down, only for Daisy to roll to safety in time and kip up to her feet.

"Not like there's anything else here for me anyways," Marissa said. Energy pulsated and crackled all over her scepter. The gathered power soon grew aggressive. "Nothing will make me happy at this point."

Daisy backed off from Marissa as a red, sparkling magic orb with purple tendrils flashed around the Dominion Scepter's head. The tendrils spun and branched off over the circumference of the orb. From what the Kruna Yura could all tell, this new technique of Marissa's had an excessive amount of power forced into it.

"I have no one to blame but me," said Marissa. "That's what I get for using forbidden magic and traveling through dimensions to find Arkana, huh? I became a demon through Arkana's blood for this? Chasing immortality was my decision."

Marissa's Burning Magic Attack reached its critical point, distorting the air around it and overpowering the strong gale force gusts blowing through the region. With Daisy continuing to backtrack, Marissa wound up her scepter and slammed it on the ground. The Burning Magic Attack's orb shot out of the scepter with a crashing bang and rocketed at Daisy. Not sure whether she could block this technique, Daisy leapt high over it as it passed through. When Daisy landed, Marissa already had a second orb in the works.

"Things seem a lot different in reality than they do when you glimpse into the future," said Marissa.

The second Burning Magic Attack came from an angle out of a side sweep Marissa made. There did not appear to be any inherent danger until the sphere made a surprising hard curve towards Daisy and zeroed in on her. Daisy kicked at the sphere as it drew near to send it sailing high. The next thing Daisy knew, Marissa had a third one forming.

"She has to be running low on power right about now," said Bowser. "With all these crazy techniques, she has to be getting tired. Marissa can't keep this up forever."

Then something strange happened. The Burning Magic Attack Daisy deflected skyward stopped its momentum, curved in reverse, and flew back at her again. Not paying attention, Daisy bashed a hook into the third orb and did not notice the second one returning until she spotted its shadow coming near her. The instant she looked up and saw the sphere heading for her, she sidestepped and let it smash into the turf.

"Look out, Daisy!" Neva screamed.

Daisy only had time to react to Neva; not to do anything to protect herself. The third Burning Magic Attack roared back around and rammed Daisy over. The critical hit kept her from getting up for a while, but she had to launch herself airborne when she got to her feet in order to avoid a fourth Burning Magic Attack sliding at her. As expected, she saw the orb curve and fly at her again when she turned in midair. Upon touching her feet to the ground, she dashed out of the Burning Magic Attack's line of flight. Instead of striking Daisy, the orb hit the fifth Burning Magic Attack that Marissa shot out.

The instant Daisy heard the crash of the Burning Magic Attacks' clash, she saw Marissa zip at her in a blur. Marissa brought down her scepter, but Daisy ducked and rolled away. Eight successive swipes from the witch forced Daisy into more evasion, none of the swings making contact with the agile Kruna of Earth. Out of Marissa's last attempt, Daisy spun and threw out an Iaido slash with her Terra Bladestaff. Scoring a successful connection, Daisy jumped at the witch and launched her away with a double kick, one foot after the other. Out of the knockback, Marissa curved her trajectory up into the air and stabilized herself in a stationary hover. She put her scepter away after Daisy put her bladestaff in its place.

"Even if I can't die by natural or physical means, I know I'm dead inside," said Marissa. "Pure madness, and it manifests from me."

The very next instant, Marissa's five body Eyes glowed with a purple hue. A thin red and purple aura erupted around Marissa. Sparkles fluttered through the melded color in a glimmering shine.

"How stupid does it sound to be living without a will to live?" Marissa said.

The aura around Marissa doubled in thickness twice, coinciding with a red glow from Marissa's main Eye. One by one, magic orbs grew from Marissa's aura and split off into independent, hovering spheroids. The orbs surrounded her and rotated in haphazard, disorganized orbits.

"Rhetorical question," Marissa sharply added. "Don't even think about trying to answer that."

The spheroids flew out from their orbital rotation in any and all directions; some of them even crashing into another one and canceling each other out, only for new ones to form and slingshot outward in their place. All of a sudden; shimmering, sparkling blasts filled the sky and overtook the afternoon sunshine. Even the Kruna Yura back at home plate had plenty of spheres flying their way that they found themselves dodging, blocking, and deflecting like Daisy had to.

The Malocchio Chaos's ongoing storm of red and purple bursts proved unpredictable, for nearly every orb had a different track and speed. The gusts made anticipating the projectiles' movements even more tricky. As implied by the technique's name, that's what took over One World Park's field; utter chaos. There was no synchronization or order to Marissa's technique beyond the constant formation of new mystic energy bursts. Only the slow velocity of the orbs' movement made them avoidable.

The Kruna Yura did what they could to defend themselves, but the Malocchio Chaos technique eventually brought them all down. Marut and Warra took the brunt of the damage early on and fell first, followed by Ramona and Andrew. Neva let out an agonizing scream as bursts bombarded her and forced her to the ground. Bowser, Athelstan, and Daisy soon went down as Malocchio Chaos battered and wrecked the entirety of One World Park.


	75. Chapter LXXV

Unfaltering Will: Daisy:

The last of the Malocchio Chaos orbs trashed One World Park as Marissa floated to the outfield turf across from her downed Nova Form opponent. Marissa's Eternal Malocchio Form granted her the power to use a technique that destroyed the entire baseball stadium and put down all eight Kruna Yura. If Marissa had any fatigue, she did not show it.

As Marissa twirled her Dominion Scepter off her back and into her left hand, Daisy forced herself up. The Nova Form earth wielder lumbered to her feet and glanced at home plate to see her fellow Kruna scattered like discarded items. She could still sense all their energy signatures, but they all looked to be in horrid condition.

"Still, after all that; after all that I've thrown at you, you stand against me?" said Marissa. "Okay. I see I'm going to have to really be serious now. I can't let someone like you linger. I remember all too well what happened in Sarasaland."

Daisy ignored her, still staring at her teammates. They began to stir, one by one. None of them would get up, but they still had some life to them. For how long they would remained up in the air.

"Aw man," groaned Athelstan. "It doesn't look like we're gonna get to go home and celebrate, does it?"

"The way things have gone, I don't think so, my friend," said Warra.

"I should've expected I'd meet a disappointing end," murmured Bowser, still stomach down on the dirt. "It's fitting. But you guys don't deserve this."

"Oh, c'mon, bro..." grunted Marut. "You don't deserve this either."

Neva propped herself up on her elbows and knees in a grimace. "Were we really...just in over our heads this whole time?"

"Andrew..." Ramona murmured, laying on her side. "I really wish we could've made it back to Christmas Village... I miss that place... I miss my dad... I miss our college... Hey, Andrew?"

The Kruna of Shadow lay on his back, his breathing labored and his eyes closed. The Master Pendant still remained attached to his leftmost belt loop. It sat on the ground as any other inanimate object would.

"Are you getting a last look at them?" Marissa asked her lone standing opponent.

Daisy ignored Marissa again. She looked back and forth at each one of her downed friends. Bowser, Athelstan, and Warra all in pained grimaces, Marut trying to get up but failing, Ramona clutching at her chest and right leg with a fearful look on her face; all of it pained Daisy to an excruciating extent. And then she saw Neva hobble towards the motionless Kruna of Shadow, fall, drag herself the rest of the way to him, lay by his side, and wrap her arms around him. Neva did not move after that. Following a fourth collapse, Marut did not even attempt to return to his feet again.

"Doesn't look like any of your friends are in any shape to try and oppose me," said Marissa. "Are you? Or better yet, have you resigned to defeat as they have?"

"No..." Daisy murmured, bowing hear head. "No. We didn't come all this way...we didn't survive, we didn't train, we didn't fight, we didn't make it past all your archfiends and make it to you just to lose."

Marissa folded her arms with her scepter under her right elbow. "If you ask me, I don't think you really have a say in how this is about to go down. I've bested your friends, I've bested you at your peak, and I've asserted dominance through the full power of my Eternal Malocchio Form. You must be sensing the more than sizable and insurmountable gap in power between you and I. You've lost."

Daisy's head came back up as she turned and looked at Marissa. She said nothing and just scowled at the witch.

"Now, if there's anything you can do or even think of that could help you here, the floor is yours," said Marissa. "But if not, then I suppose it'll be about time to wrap this up."

Struggle evident, Daisy spread her legs and assumed a power stance. "I can keep fighting! That's what I can do!"

"Until you're gassed or until you've lost a limb; either way it goes down, this is over," said Marissa. "Your Nova Form can't help you, your earth wielding can't help you; you have your Alkemei, but that won't do you any good here. If only I had picked a spot out of range of urban territory. Then, maybe you could have at least used your Orianthi. I take it you didn't have much to reanimate – if anything helpful – from a baseball stadium."

Daisy thought back to the brief instances she stayed idle during the moves Marissa prepared. At no point then could she find anything nearby to link her power to and reanimate when she scanned the area through her Orianthi. For all intents and purposes, the powerful Alkemei Orianthi had no use in this fight.

 _I wish we were somewhere I at least could have tried it,_ thought Daisy. _If only this stadium had been built over a graveyard or some corrupt, underground madhouse of organized killing... No, wait, what am I thinking? I can't be wishing people had died here just so I could use their bodies to fight! Is this the result of getting desperate?!_

"I guess now, the only real question is how I should proceed with destroying you," said Marissa.

Daisy felt her inner eye reacting, but she could not pinpoint to what or for what reason. She could not think of any use for it besides its passive-reactive defense against whatever deleterious effects Marissa's Malocchio Eye could illicit on her or her friends' minds. Marissa must have remembered Daisy's inner eye, for the witch had yet to try and do any sort of direct mind assault with her main Eye or her body Eyes. Marissa had limited her Malocchio usage to herself; primarily in her techniques and her illusory movement.

Still, Daisy could feel the third eye of Geno's training activating. She clutched at her head and closed her eyes, her vague gesture surprising even Marissa. Soon, a familiar voice called out to her mind.

 _Daisy! Listen to me! You can not afford to lose here! There is far too much at stake!_

 _Geno, there's not much I can do right now,_ Daisy replied in thought. _My Alkemei is useless here, my teammates are barely hanging on, and there isn't any technique of mine I can think of that can help. Nova Form isn't giving me the boost I need to overcome her Eternal Malocchio Form. Believe me, Geno, I'm trying to come up with something._

Daisy felt an interaction with her inner eye again, prompting her to open her physical eyes. She saw nothing but a wispy void of black, silver, and orange surrounding her. On her right, Geno's body materialized into view as he was when she met him in Sarasaland.

 _You must listen to me,_ Geno said to her. _Forget anything they of the Comet Observatory taught you. Forget all about honor, forget about your morals, forget about being fair. Release all your restraints. We are far past all of that at this point now. In this fight, you can't have any of that slowing you down. You must do_ whatever _it takes by whatever means necessary to defeat Marissa. Remember what you're fighting for! Remember all of us that fell, remember the world as it was before Marissa took over... Remember everything you and the whole planet lost!_

 _This would have been just a little easier to do if I wasn't feeling so conflicted,_ Daisy responded.

 _Don't feel sorry for her!_ Geno snapped. _Don't make the same mistakes I did! Marissa brought this upon herself! No one forced her to do anything! These were all her conscious decisions. My own leader, of all people, fell into corruption and wickedness. She wiped out my fellow Kruna Genesis brothers and sisters with the utmost level of brutality and savagery. She cut them down to nothing and then tried to do the very same to me. I got forced into running and hiding while she continued her demonic practices until she finally got me too. At no point did she ever feel sorry for what she did._

 _Geno, I don't feel like she has completely lost it,_ murmuredDaisy. _If you were here in person instead of wherever you are, you'd see that-_

 _I've seen all I needed to see,_ said Geno _. I have been torn and tormented ever since her fall. I loved her like a cherished sibling; and yet, I grew to hate her more than anything in the world for what she had done and the path she took. I waited with her for years. I kept my eye on her for centuries. I determined I would not allow my body and spirit to rest until Marissa had either come to her senses or been brought to justice. Neither happened. My body eventually failed, but I transferred my spirit and lived on within new physical forms to ensure I could herald in the force that would bring her down. I would not die until I found the means to defeat her. I'm certain you realize by now that this onus now lies solely with you. I'm so sorry you must handle this burden. I don't believe anyone but the select few with foresight could have predicted this happening. But unless you stop her, the world you exist in will never be what it once was ever again._

 _Regardless of how you feel, you must attack her with everything you've got_ , Mario's voice echoed.

 _Mario?_ Daisy said, glancing around her.

 _We're watching you from the Otherworld_ , said Luigi. _Everyone's counting on you guys to do what Mario and I couldn't!_

Mario's and Luigi's bodies faded into view next to Geno; followed by Peach, Grekka, Elkon, Echo, Jayus, Cafune, and even Daisy's father, King Sarasa. All of them appeared as they were when Daisy last saw them; except for Mario and Luigi, who stood in their standard, iconic plumber gear as opposed to the Mr. M and Mr. L uniforms they donned while fighting Daisy.

 _You're everyone's last chance_ , said Peach. _We believe you can dethrone her!_

 _The vision of a brighter, more peaceful future lives within you,_ said Elkon.

 _We dreamed of a better place for everyone_ , said Jayus. _The dream still lives even though we've passed on._

 _I yearned to be the one to one day avenge my people_ , said Echo. _Please, Kruna Daisy, bring Marissa to her knees for everything she has done to mine and yours._

 _Your actions here determine the fate of the entire planet_ , said King Sarasa. _You must stop her just as you would have had to stop me had I achieved what she did and stood in her place instead. You're the right one for the job, my daughter. However this turns out, I am proud of you for what you have become and done._

 _Hey, Mario_ , said Luigi. _Who'd've thought we'd be cheering on Daisy of all people to save the world? And alongside_ Bowser _no less?_

 _It's funny how all of that works, isn't it?_ Mario replied. _But that's life for ya. You just never know what could happen, and you never know who might surprise ya._

 _We're rooting for you, Daisy_ , said Peach. _It's your time now. You can do it, okay? Win this one for all of us..._

Daisy's inner eye went dormant again, and her senses returned their attention to reality. Everyone had vanished with the mental image they were a part of, leaving Daisy to focus squarely on her demon witch opponent.

Marissa unfolded her arms and swiped her scepter to her side. "I realize you're enjoying zoning out over there, but I'm going to have to cut your daydreaming short. I do believe there's a floating city waiting for me in the sky to obliterate for their extended defiance; and if I don't enforce my law, then there'll be rebellious narks left and right."

Daisy gave Marissa a fierce stare and straightened her posture before getting into attacking position. "You're not making it out of this stadium."

"Oh, I'm not?" said Marissa. "Give me one good reason why I won't."

"Because ME!" Daisy yelled.

Stomping a foot into the turf with enough force to crack the ground, Daisy sprang at Marissa head-on. Marissa frowned and made an easy sidestep as Daisy swung a kick at her, but the witch's subsequent counter failed. Her scepter caught air when Daisy cut to the side and made a low leg sweep to trip her up. Latching onto Marissa, Daisy made a double front flip and threw Marissa down hard.

Bouncing out of the jarring rebound off the ground, Marissa got her guard up quick to block the punch Daisy dashed at her to throw. The sound of impact rocked the air with added decibels behind its thud. Daisy swung a second punch with the same amount of force, one that Marissa went down low to defend against. A kick in the same region made Marissa uneasy even though she blocked that strike as well.

Marissa made a leap backwards in evasion, only for Daisy to grab her by her long, thick hair. With an unforgiving yank, Daisy reeled Marissa in and smashed a knee into her abdomen just above her waist Eye. An elbow then went into Marissa's back, and a sweeping hook followed. Daisy's string of hits stopped when Marissa got a hand up to catch Daisy's incoming fist and then flicked the Kruna of Earth off balance.

Daisy saw Marissa get ready to swing her Dominion Scepter and slashed her Terra Bladestaff out before she even got her footing. The moment the two tools clashed, Marissa fired a mystic burst out of her free hand at Daisy. After getting knocked back, Daisy swiped her bladestaff up to get the ground ahead of her rumbling in a cascade. Marissa only endured one hit from the violent jolt running along the turf before going into the air to avoid further contact.

Daisy thought she could swipe at Marissa with a jumping strike, but the witch saw her coming and swung her scepter at her instead. Twisting and shifting around Marissa's four scepter attacks as each one came, Daisy backflipped to hasten her return to the ground. Marissa sent a Berserker Star as soon as Daisy touched her foot down, forcing the Nova Form earth wielder into an evasive sprint away.

Once she got her bladestaff in its place across her back, Daisy charged energy into her fist on the run as Marissa continued her Berserker Star's hailstorm of mystic five-pronged projectiles. Daisy whipped her body around and released her Shotgun off her back foot, her widespread fan of seismic power nullifying the remainder of the stars that flew from Marissa's scepter. Without much space around her current position in right field, Daisy leapt over the walls and into the wrecked lower stadium seats.

Marissa put her scepter in its place across her back and got ready to materialize a Dream Shuriken. "Looks like you're running out of room, Sarasa girl!"

Her revolving star fully formed and spinning at max velocity, Marissa sidearmed it in an upwards diagonal in Daisy's direction. The Dream Shuriken's accelerating movement further added to the erratic, flipping flight Marissa's throw gave it. It flew as if spawned from a funnel as it sped towards Daisy. The attack proving too hard to read, all the Kruna of Earth could do was crouch and put her arms up.

Luckily for Daisy, the Dream Shuriken did not hit her. Instead, it crashed into her section's foundation. Feeling the floor give way, she hopped back onto the stadium field and looked behind her to see the remainder of the entire section of seats all the way from the lower to the upper levels crumble and collapse.

"Damn, this was my favorite baseball park," muttered Marissa. "Look what you've made me do to this place!"

"You won't be around to miss it, don't worry!" replied Daisy.

"I what?" hissed Marissa. She sighed, smiling for just a second. "Still as cheeky as ever, I see. You're not gonna have that same attitude by the time this is over."

Marissa flew down at Daisy in a blur. The Kruna of Earth angled herself into a countering stance, but Marissa flew over her when she got near without executing any attack. The offense came from behind in the form of a swift underhanded fist that Daisy ducked underneath and rolled away from. Daisy sprang back to her feet to meet Marissa's subsequent frenzied punches with some of her own. Unfortunately for Daisy, Marissa soon outpaced her and proceeded to score several hits on her.

Fatigue became more evident for Daisy as the eighteenth punch she endured knocked her to the ground in a sliding skid she took a while to recover from. As soon as she got to her feet, Marissa smashed a knifehand into her back that forced her onto the turf once more. Daisy did not stay on the ground for long, for Marissa then kicked her into the air. Before Daisy even reached the apex of her ascent, Marissa rocketed at her and stomped her feet into her abdomen. Daisy fell to the ground with added velocity from Marissa's spike driving her drop.

"Daisy! No, get out of the way!" Ramona screamed.

Daisy reacted too late, for Marissa bolted down and stomped her feet on her again. The force of impact broke into the ground underneath Daisy, and the impression only worsened when Marissa flew up high and smashed her feet into Daisy a third time. Marissa repeated the process a few more times until it appeared as though Daisy's body had sank into the ground.

On the final stomp, Marissa stayed standing on Daisy. She stared at the grimacing Kruna of Earth for a while before she knelt down and grabbed her by the mouth and neck. Before long, Daisy felt her airways tighten up.

"Daisy's in trouble," grunted Ramona. "Have to get up..."

As the Kruna of Light tried to bypass her pain and force herself to her feet; Bowser, Athelstan, and Warra attempted to do the same. They all moved much too slow to be of any help to Daisy, who continued losing air by the second.

"This is a terribly anticlimactic end for you," said Marissa. "But then again, you messed with my hair! And if you're going to go there, I may as well strip you of air."

Daisy struggled with her diminishing air supply. Trying to pry the witch's hands off of her did no good and only exhausted her remaining oxygen that much quicker. She could feel her chest burning with a dire need for air.

"I mean, seriously; of all things, my beautiful, lush hair?!" grumbled Marissa. "Are you just getting jealous now because I'm hot and you're not?"

"There's nothing attractive about an eye on someone's forehead," mumbled Bowser. "Never mind eyes anywhere else other than where eyes are supposed to be!"

Andrew stared in Daisy's direction, having opened his eyes just before Marissa's initial stomp on her. Neva clutched him in distraught, injury-riddled fatigue and seemed too tired to even get off of him when she noticed his body shift. But when she felt him rise, she let go and slid off to let him prop himself up on two hands and a leg. Just a few seconds later, he got his feet under him. None of the other Kruna had managed to do the same from the time Marissa's Malocchio Chaos battered them down.

Daisy's grasp on Marissa's wrists loosened as her body fatigued in its increasingly hypoxic state. With Daisy's consciousness fading, Marissa came to within moments of suffocating the Nova Form earth wielder and thus all but cementing a victory for her against the Kruna Yura.

Through a hard and heavy inhale, Andrew roared with as much volume as he could put into his voice. "DAISY! BREAK FREE! DAISY! DO YOU HEAR ME?! BREAK FREE!"

The Kruna of Earth's eyes widened at the sound of her teammate's voice, her mind snapping to life with sudden vitality. All of her fellow Kruna were just across the field, still hanging on. Not only would Marissa kill her, but all of them as well. In their depleted states, Marissa would have an easy time slaying all of them.

"The lungs on that guy, sheesh," Marissa mumbled. "Acting like screaming is gonna do anything. Scream all you want. It won't help anyone."

"Get that witch off of you, Daisy!" Neva yelled, now forcing herself up too.

"Don't go and get choked out, dude!" hollered Marut, trying to get up as well. "That's a lame way to lose!"

"This witch has got nothing on ya!" boomed Athelstan, rising with the help of his swordstaff. "Show her some of that black and silver toughness!"

"C'mon, Daisy! You've got to have some strength left!" Ramona yelled, staggering onto her knees.

"Escape, Daisy!" Warra shouted. "Quickly! Don't give up! You haven't given up before! Don't now!"

"Don't you dare even think about dying!" Bowser thundered as he pressed off the ground. "Don't you dare do it! DAISY! YOU HAVE TO STAY ALIVE!"

The Kruna all continued urging Daisy on while thoughts of the witch slaughtering them all filled her mind. The prospect of such a horrific scenario for her Kruna friends soon transitioned into a mental image of everyone from Geno's vision watching her with hope and confidence. The more she heard the other Kruna Yura yell and call out to her, the more she felt her own energy well up. And just as Peach, Geno, and all the rest that reached out to her mind were watching her, she had reason to believe Master Terran and Arka Knight could be watching too. Her defeat and death would mean her letting down countless people, and it would make their faith and belief in her fruitless.

Suddenly, the sounds of each of her friends screaming in agony one by one wracked her mind in rapid succession. The image that followed of Rainbow City exploding in fiery ruin only intensified the urgency and evoked a powerful seismic surge from Daisy, a surge that emanated outwards from her body to surround her. The energy uprising not only shook Marissa's hands free from Daisy, but it also shoved Marissa away.

Daisy's rumbling outburst of seismic power cleared loose debris from around her as she kipped to her feet and gasped for air. As her inner eye calmed, her escaped power gave one last jolt before subsiding. Marissa flew back with the free, earthy rubble before she stopped her momentum in midair and propelled up a short distance over left-center field.

"Yeah! We livin'!" Marut cheered.

"That's it! Get her Daisy!" shouted Neva.

"I swear, earth wielders are the most difficult to get rid of," grumbled Marissa.

A guttural growl of ferocious fury escaping her mouth, Daisy erected a fierce storm of silver seismic energy around her. Its popping, concussive effects cracked and shook the very air surrounding her as much as it fractured the immediate ground she stood on. The brilliant gold of her Nova Form eyes highlighted her ardent emotion.

"You mark my words, Marissa!" Daisy yelled. "You're not getting rid of me anytime soon! I've got far too many people counting on me to win!"

Marissa frowned and stayed silent as she decreased her altitude. Daisy's earthen aura picked dirt and clay up into its erratic pulse, her seismic output ramping up by the second.

"I don't intend on letting any of them down!" Daisy screamed. "I don't care how much more powerful you are than me! I'll show you why you'll _never_ beat me! You mess with my friends and our planet, you better believe you're gonna get what's coming to you!"

"Go ahead and take your best shot, Sarasa girl," replied Marissa, her descent placing her in a hover near the ground. "I've been around long enough to know a senseless bluff when I see one."

"I don't think you do!" Daisy snapped. The aura of seismic power and earth elementals surrounding her nearly doubled in size in tandem with the ascending volume of her projecting voice. Her collected energy boomed with a loud, air-rattling pop out of the forceful downswing of her arms.

Marissa scowled upon seeing the resurgence of power from her adversary as wind bounced off of Daisy's earthen aura. The next thing the witch knew, Daisy dashed and leapt at her. A timely shift to the side saved Marissa from the uppercut Daisy threw, but it did not save her from the subsequent hook the Kruna of Earth spun into out of her miss. Marissa went flying from Daisy's hit, and Daisy kept up on the ground with her. Lining up with Marissa from underneath her, Daisy grabbed the witch and slung her onto the ground. Off the bounce Marissa took, Daisy laid down a two-handed smash on her to elicit a second, higher ricochet. A monstrous kick from Daisy launched the witch in a straight line parallel to the turf.

Immediately after her kick connected, Daisy pulled her arms back and thrust them ahead at Marissa to release her built up power in a continuous burst as her Seismic Wave. Daisy's massive retaliation left Marissa mentally stunned out of the defensive aerial roll she made to stop her momentum, but the witch also did not expect such a powerful elemental burst to come flying at her so soon after the previous hit. Marissa only had enough time to get her hands up and catch the incoming wave of seismic power. Her grip put indentations in the Seismic Wave as she held it at bay, the attack threatening to overwhelm her.

Feeling the resistance, Daisy buffed her energy output. The fortified Seismic Wave's flow amplified and began to override Marissa's hold on it. The witch could feel the wave's power barreling at her, shocking her arms with its furious jolt. With prior knowledge of Daisy's Seismic Wave, Marissa began to let it push her through the air under the impression that it would eventually shove her out of its range. To Marissa's dumbfounded surprise, the Seismic Wave forced her near one of the still standing outfield walls without fizzling out anywhere in its rumbling flow.

Marissa reapplied her full resistance to stop her momentum and again press into the Seismic Wave, only for Daisy to once more up the energy behind the technique. Seismic power began leaking past Marissa's hands and pelting her despite her best efforts to contain the blast.

"Where...in the HELL...DID ALL THIS COME FROM?!" howled Marissa.

The witch kept putting up as best of a defense against the Seismic Wave as she could, astounded with how much of the earth power now bypassed her hands and threatened to overtake her entirely. Pushed to the brink, Marissa strained to raise her own mystic power while barely holding off Daisy's blast. Just as she felt her wrists give way, Marissa forced out a Hellhound Barrage burst that clashed with the Seismic Wave the moment it escaped. In fact, the Seismic Wave prevented the Hellhound Barrage from progressing and pressed it back against Marissa's hands. None of the Kruna Yura took their eyes off of the awe-inspiring spectacle.

It took a determined, concerted effort on Marissa's part in order for her to put enough drive behind her burst to even get it all on its way away from her. The mystic fires burned deep into the Seismic Wave, creating a state of instability that resulted in both blasts going up in a sparkling explosion of fire, crackling seismic power, and earth matter. The explosion took up nearly all the space in the outfield between Daisy and Marissa and lasted for a significant chunk of time before it calmed to a glimmering haze.

Debris of loosened earth rained down all around One World Park. Daisy stared on ahead of where she had directed her Seismic Wave, her arms still out in front of her as she tried to catch her breath. Her confidence and determination remained unshaken even though her technique had burned off an extensive share of her remaining energy.

Marissa hovered just off the ground and back near the left field wall. The witch had a hunch in her posture and an anguished grimace. Her hands twitched and spazzed, their nerves shot and damaged. The extreme soreness and aching throughout her fingers and forearms indicated a veritable degree of fracturing in the bones and joints distal to her elbows. Just how much it would affect her going forward remained to be seen.

"Why you unruly little..." growled Marissa. Her breathing carried depth and quickness in between her grunts and moans. She did not finish her statement and instead tried to focus on getting her hands to stop their violent and painful shaking.

"You're...mine, Marissa," Daisy panted.


	76. Chapter LXXVI

The Trump Card:

Nova Daisy relaxed her Seismic Wave stance and gazed at Marissa hovering just in front of One World Park's left field wall by the foul line. Marissa gingerly held her hands out and away from her sides, experiencing difficulty moving her fingers through their full range of motion. Daisy's previous attack had elicited a wave of dull, sharp pain from Marissa's elbows down to each individual knuckle. Even so, Marissa did not seem deterred from continuing the fight and gave Daisy a malicious scowl.

 _I'm not gonna lie_ , Daisy thought. _I was seriously hoping that would've done a lot more damage than it actually did._

"Oh man, Marissa's still standing after that?" whimpered Marut. "Did Daisy even do anything to her?!"

"It's hard to tell from here," said Bowser. At their current location behind home plate, the seven Kruna Yura aside from Daisy could only make out the witch's positioning of her hands and arms. They could not easily discern Marissa's pained discomfort or the trouble she had moving and manipulating her hands and fingers.

"She ate all of that," muttered Andrew. "Just what kind of power does it take to withstand a beast of an assault like that?"

"Maybe...maybe we don't actually have a chance after all...?" mumbled Ramona.

Marissa stared at Daisy without letting anything distract her besides her pain-stricken hands. _There's something very unsettling about this young lady,_ Marissa thought. _Who goes from basically dead into full-blown rally mode at a moment's notice like that? Does she legitimately not care how underpowered she is compared to me?... She's almost as insane as I am._

Marissa then raised her hands in front of her chest and gazed at her palms. _But those are admirable traits regardless. To be so driven to fight for the finite and perishable lives of others as to manage_ this _against me at my peak? Perhaps it is a long shot, but...am I really in danger of losing this?_

As Daisy continued catching her breath, Marissa inched her hover closer until she got to within several yards of the Kruna of Earth. When she saw Marissa set her feet on the ground, Daisy switched her stance to ready herself for a heavy attack sequence in spite of her conspicuous fatigue. Marissa looked upon her opponent in muted indignation.

"You really did it now," grumbled Marissa. "This could have been over. Instead, this is going to end up taking way longer than it needs to. All you've done is draw out your own destruction."

Still panting, Daisy gave no response. Marissa did not seem to be too bothered with her hands now. For a while, Marissa stayed calm. She then transitioned to raging anger without any warning and flew at Daisy, Lion's Crescent flaming fists forming for just a split second to score a one-two punch combo that Daisy moved too slow to protect herself against. A hard elbow bash from Marissa propelled Daisy into a rolling flop.

Battered and bloodied, Daisy creaked back to her feet only to have a Dream Shuriken slam her back down and launch her out past the right field foul line. The revolving star put a nasty gash into Daisy's right side before speeding into and breaking through the already broken remains of the stands. Daisy did recover, although it took her significantly longer to get back up this time.

Holding her injured side, Daisy huffed and puffed as she stared down Marissa, who now hovered towards her again. As evidenced from the prior exchange, the witch's hand and arm injuries did not restrict her or even discourage her from using them in battle. Though Marissa still opened and closed her hands with exaggerated yet ginger motion on her way to Daisy, she had still managed to get off two techniques on the Kruna of Earth without much issue.

 _Damn it all, she just keeps coming,_ Daisy grunted in thought, wincing and panting. _I don't even know if I have any respectable amount of power left after that last Seismic Wave. I exhaust everything I have in Nova Form, and she_ still _has barely even slowed down... This doesn't look good at all..._

"You've pushed me far more than I could have ever imagined," murmured Marissa, continuing to close the distance between her and Daisy. "Hmm... I feel like I've said that before...or at least, something like that. That's concerning enough. If I have to keep saying that same kind of thing, then that means there's a serious problem here. But really, that'll get rectified before we reach that point, wouldn't you agree?"

"I can't take this anymore!" Neva screamed, aiming her bladestaff. "I'm firing off my shots now while I still can!"

Andrew grabbed one of Neva's arms and pulled on her to direct the aim of her staff's crossbow away from Marissa. "Don't attack! None of us have enough power right now to do anything, and you'd just be directing Marissa's attention to you when you know you can't take another hit!"

"I don't care!" snapped Neva. "Daisy's getting destroyed out there!"

Andrew sighed. "I know...but..."

"But what?" asked Neva.

Andrew offered no reply. His gaze shifted to the eerily docile Master Pendant still hanging off his left hip. Eventually he said, "Just save your energy in case you need to use it on me in the very near future."

Neva gasped. "What do you mean by that?!"

"Just...in case I end up doing something bad," said Andrew.

Marissa stopped her progress and charged a Death Beam. Daisy just barely ducked out of the way when Marissa released the scorching laser, but she stumbled forward as she did so. Though she did not fall over, she left herself wide open to attack. Marissa took advantage of the vulnerable earth wielder and rammed a shoulder into her out of her blazing quick flight. Daisy ricocheted off the wall behind her, at which point Marissa closed in and smashed her onto the turf using a downward striking of her clasped hands.

Marissa fired another Death Beam, but Daisy heard it go off and rolled in evasion. Unfortunately for Daisy, she moved too slow and got singed high on the outside of her right arm. Before Daisy could even get past the burning sensation of the grazing hit to stand up, Marissa bashed a kick into her midsection. With the Kruna of Earth airborne again, Marissa charged and fired another Death Beam. Daisy did little to defend herself other than twist around some, and Marissa again missed. As Daisy helplessly fell to the ground, Marissa touched down onto the turf and advanced towards her on foot.

"If my hands weren't jacked up, I would have been three-for-three with those recent shots," grumbled Marissa. "No, that's inaccurate itself. I would've only needed one."

Daisy failed to return to her feet and could only get to her hands and knees before Marissa kicked her away yet again. After her momentum stopped, Daisy remained flat on the ground. Marissa once more stalked towards the Kruna of Earth.

"Not doing much now, huh?" said Marissa. "Of course you can't keep pace with my full power, no matter how annoyingly defiant you and your friends have been. Regardless of what you do, you can't win. In fact, if you truly have nothing left, then it's about time we finish this, don't you think? This is hardly even fair anymore. I must say, it's a miracle you're still breathing."

With extraordinary effort behind her movement, Daisy propped herself up on her elbows. Everything in her body hurt, but she kept trying to rise from off the turf. Considering how much trouble Daisy was having, Marissa felt no need to rush.

"In any case, I can't say you didn't put up a good fight," Marissa solemnly stated, crossing a hand in front of her face.

Andrew undid his Alkemei Fwin and stuffed it inside his Hammerspace Belt. With no Alkemei equipped, Andrew undid the Master Pendant from the belt loop that held it. Now, the Master Pendant finally glowed once more. Its dim illumination did not have much range and seemed nearly indiscernible in the afternoon sunlight.

"Our antagonism was nice while it lasted," said Marissa. "But, it's over now."

The witch's raised hand glowed and built up more power for another Death Beam. She stopped her forward progress the moment she came to within an arm's length of Daisy, who somehow got one of her feet under her. Though Daisy almost reestablished a standing position, Marissa's close proximity discouraged her from making any sudden movements.

"Our battle which has spanned across time must now come to an end," said Marissa. "Now, I shall put the past behind us. Time will remain unified in this, the One World Era, and I shall hold dominion over all on this planet and the habitable ones my society will eventually have to colonize until space and time achieve absolute infinity. I can not even begin to fathom what I will bear firsthand witness to trillions of years into the future, but I've got plenty of time to ponder the ultimate fate of this universe."

Andrew held the Master Pendant up to his face and gave its gem a quick glance before he stared deep into Neva's eyes. "Neva, whatever happens here...I just want to tell you that I'm really glad I met you...and the time we spent together, I wouldn't trade for anything."

"I...I'm glad you've been with me too," Neva replied, quivering in mounting terror. "But, but what are you going to... No, please don't tell me-"

"This is the first step towards finalizing history," said Marissa, aiming her charged finger at Daisy. "Goodbye..."

"HEY! MARISSA!" Andrew thundered. "YO! HOW ABOUT LOOKING OVER HERE?!"

"Oh, you can't be serious," muttered Marissa, turning her attention to Andrew. "Are you really getting that impatient to die? _You_ specifically need to make up your mind!"

Marissa flinched in surprise once she realized the Kruna of Shadow now held the Master Pendant in his hands with the obvious intention of donning it. The witch then aimed her Death Beam square at Andrew instead of Daisy and fired it just as Andrew positioned the sealed Alkemei around his neck.

"No!" Neva cried. She smacked the Master Pendant out of Andrew's hands before he could secure it, and the Alkemei fell onto the ground outside the left foul line. Andrew latched onto Neva and twisted out of the way of the incoming Death Beam, saving them both.

"You think I'm gonna let you use that?!" Marissa screamed, taking off in a hasty flight towards the pendant.

The witch neared the Master Pendant in a matter of seconds, only for Athelstan to jump in front of her and swing his swordstaff at her. The contact launched Marissa back into the outfield, preventing her from grabbing hold of the pendant. Instead, Warra scooped it up just as Athelstan turned to grab it.

"Stand back," demanded Warra. "I will take responsibility."

"No, Warra; you hand that over to me," said Andrew. "The thing has worked some of its power on me already."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Neva.

"No time to explain," said Andrew. "Just give it to me, Warra."

"Hold on! How about no one uses it?" said Ramona. "Is this really what it has come down to?"

Warra saw Marissa making a beeline for him and dove onto the ground just as Marissa tried to swipe at him. The witch turned around and readied a Dream Shuriken to smite the Kruna of Water with, but she did not launch it his way. Warra had chucked the Master Pendant over Marissa's head for Bowser to catch.

"Koopa!" barked Marissa. "Drop that pendant!"

Bowser gave a short snort. "What makes you think I'm just gonna do whatever you say?"

"This!" Marissa snapped, her main Malocchio Eye lighting up.

The witch intended to impose her will on the Kruna of Fire's mind with her Eye's abilities. Unfortunately for her, Daisy dashed in front of Bowser and let her inner eye take on and negate the witch's influence. A bright teal clash flashed in front of Daisy, followed by a recoil from Marissa.

Scowling, Marissa sidearmed her Dream Shuriken at Daisy. Bowser snatched Daisy by the collar and made a hard cut away from the winding star, protecting them both. The moment Marissa advanced towards them, Bowser threw the Master Pendant at Ramona. Almost as soon as she got a hold of it, Ramona dumped it off to Marut.

"Oh, so we're making a game of monkey in the middle out of this now?" grumbled Marissa.

Marut caught sight of Andrew waving an arm at the same time Marissa readied a Berserker Star. Making use of his great speed and agility, Marut evaded the incoming rapid-fire of stars and lobbed the Master Pendant at Andrew. Once he caught it, Andrew proceeded to put the Master Pendant on; but Neva again knocked it out of his hands before he could secure it.

"Neva!" growled Andrew.

Marut darted around Marissa and grabbed the Master Pendant an instant before she got to it. He then flipped the pendant to Athelstan, who handed it off to Warra. Marissa darted at Warra before he could do anything with the pendant, so he passed it back to Athelstan. Leaning onto his back foot, Athelstan hurled it up over Marissa at Ramona. Though the pendant hit her in her hands, Ramona dropped it and subsequently fell to the ground to cover it up.

"Someone just put it on, already!" Bowser groaned. "This is going nowhere fast!"

"Here then!" Ramona said. She dug around under her for the pendant and shoved it to the Kruna of Fire, but her throw was off target and out of Bowser's reach. Daisy had to scramble and pick the sealed Alkemei up as the one nearest to it.

"This has gone on long enough, wouldn't you agree?" Marissa angrily murmured. A whirlwind of fire flared around her as the start of her Malocchio Blazing attack. Once they recognized the beginning of the dreadful technique, all the Kruna Yura split and ran into the outfield to get as far away from Marissa as they could; all of them except for Daisy.

The Nova Form earth wielder had run past the pitcher's mound before she stopped and turned to face Marissa. As the witch increased the power and breadth of her whirlwind of fire, Daisy gazed at the Master Pendant in her grasp. Its gem almost seemed to be staring back at her.

"Daisy! Get over here, dude!" Marut shouted. "You're too close to Marissa!"

By the way Marissa expanded her Malocchio Blazing's flames, it appeared as though the technique's range would reach anywhere within One World Park's bounds. Daisy could only think of one thing to do.

"That fire funnel is getting quite large," mumbled Warra. "It's expanding to a much greater size than it was the first time she used it."

"I can't believe she still has that much power left after all this time," said Athelstan. "That's just not right!"

"Hey, Daisy!" Bowser yelled. "Quit being stupid and get over here! Hurry it up!"

Daisy ignored him and Ramona and Neva when the two of them called out to her directly after he did. She took off her Alkemei Orianthi and jammed it into her Hammerspace Belt. As she raised the Master Pendant to her neck, she thought she heard it moan.

"What does she think she's doing?" grumbled Andrew.

"She's actually going to put it on," Warra said under his breath, taking off in a dash.

"Oh no she's not," said Andrew, darting at Daisy too. "None of you are gonna risk yourselves like this!"

Neither Warra nor Andrew got even halfway to Daisy before she snapped the Master Pendant into place around her neck. As the Malocchio Blazing stretched out from Marissa, the Master Pendant glowed a piercing pink hue. Warra and Andrew stopped their forward progress and backtracked, but Daisy stood her ground. She could feel the suction of the Malocchio Blazing trying to pull her in. Interestingly, Daisy soon began marching towards the fiery cyclone.

When the flames of Malocchio Blazing lashed out at Daisy once she got near, the Master Pendant pulsed a wave of pink energy out. The sweeping burst blunted the fires and ate into Marissa's attack in a surprisingly overwhelming show of power. In a bright flash, the Master Pendant's energy engulfed and tore through Marissa's Malocchio Blazing. With only scattered shreds of fire remaining that soon went out, the danger that the Malocchio Blazing brought eroded along with the technique itself.

Marissa leered at her Nova Form opponent, whose body now shined with a pink and light blue glow. Daisy's illumination disappeared moments later, and a dense pink and silver aura rumbled around her instead. The Master Pendant siphoned power through Daisy, leaking excess in the form of curved, talon-esque wisps. In addition to the healing the Master Pendant gave her, Daisy felt her exhausted energy stores rejuvenate with revitalized vigor. A striated surge of power bubbled up at her feet for a moment before all of the free flowing energy subsided. The sustained glow the Master Pendant gave off flickered as if mimicking a heartbeat.

By the time the Master Pendant calmed its energies, Nova Daisy stood with a heightened level of power and a new, somewhat baleful smirk to her expression. Her transformed hair seemed spikier than usual with the angular curve some of the more pronounced protrusions now possessed. The healthy bronze sheen Nova Form produced in her skin also lacked its luster. As she marched towards Marissa, Daisy clenched her fists and crackled a quick burst of seismic power to test her restored energy.

"She's wearing it," mumbled Marut. "She's got the Master Pendant on. What does this mean? Is that good or bad? I don't know!"

"Regardless of whether it's good or bad, things are probably about to get real ugly," said Athelstan.

"You mean uglier than they've already been?" said Bowser.

"Well, that just goes without saying," replied Athelstan.


	77. Chapter LXXVII

Fate's Apogee:

Nova Daisy brought her solid stride to a stop near Marissa. The other Kruna Yura had gathered in One World Park's center field at a point far from Daisy's and Marissa's current positions in the infield. The Master Pendant radiated a beating pink glow in its place around Daisy's neck.

Marissa's frown intensified for just a moment before it morphed into a disconcerted smile after Daisy began chuckling. "Can you tell me what you're laughing about? I missed the joke."

"It's nothing, really," Daisy said with her haunting smirk. "Definitely not something to joke about. It's just that this pendant..."

"What about it?" Marissa spat out.

"I can see why it has been so coveted," said Daisy. "I can see why Kokoro refused to part with it... All those people Elkon hired, why King Boo banked so much on taking this Alkemei to beat you... Yeah, it all makes sense now that I understand just what kind of power I now have access to."

"Fool," grumbled Marissa. "Say what you will about me, but the entity sealed within that Alkemei is a servant of pure evil. You don't know what you've done."

"No...you don't know what _you've_ done," said Daisy. "You forced me to put it on. So whatever happens next...you brought upon yourself."

A quick flash escaped from the Master Pendant. Daisy took off in a dash at Marissa with the intention of landing a brutish overhead punch on her, only for the witch to dance around in evasion. Just as Marissa thought she had successfully dodged, she felt Daisy's elbow bash into her abdomen. A Smash Punch, elbow to the shoulder, and a sweeping kick followed. As Marissa lost her footing, Daisy grabbed the witch, jumped, and slammed her onto the stadium turf.

Marissa bounced to a stop on the dirt path between third base and home plate. Just seconds later when Daisy landed beside her and punched the ground, Crystal Smash spikes jutted out under Marissa and launched her airborne. Though the witch's durable body held strong to avoid full penetration, the spikes had still made stab marks on her back.

Marissa twisted with a crack to establish control of her aerial momentum, but Daisy had already leapt at her by then. Out of a swift aerial spin maneuver, Daisy grabbed Marissa and slung her at the turf again. Daisy then pulled the crystals from her prior Crystal Smash to her left hand to form a Crystal Fist that she pounded Marissa with after landing. Braced against the ground, Marissa took the full force of Daisy's weighted, hardened punch and let out a painful grunt. Several more punches came through the Crystal Fist, each one almost as forceful as the first. Daisy only stopped when she needed to catch her breath, at which point she backed off and disbanded her crystallized hand.

It took a while for Marissa to get up after the barbaric string of punches Daisy slammed into her. When she did stand, she took a few steps backwards and fired off a Death Beam at Daisy. Adding to Marissa's growing irritation, Daisy swiped her arm and not only deflected the lethal laser but sent it back in Marissa's direction.

With her Death Beam darting at her, Marissa shifted to her left to clear her legs out of the way. Astonishment filled her over how easily Daisy had deflected her attack. Marissa flew sideways in a blur and let off another Death Beam, only for Daisy to deflect that one too. The burst angled into the ground in front of Marissa and kicked up a cloud of dirt Daisy rushed through in a hurry.

Latching onto the witch, Daisy kneed her several times over with alternating legs. She forced Marissa into the wall behind her and then unleashed a total barrage of punches and kicks on her, almost no transition time wasted. The other Kruna watched Daisy continue her assault on Marissa far beyond the length of time they expected it to last. Each hit Marissa endured added to her painful discomfort. Only after countless connections did Daisy stop the string of rapid attacks.

With a forceful clutch of Marissa's neck, Daisy flipped the witch back out into the infield. Marissa rolled to her feet just to see the ground around her morphing and rising as five separate protrusions. Executing a swift twist, the earthen protrusions smashed shut around Marissa and clamped down on the witch. Daisy bared her teeth through her smirk with an arm out in front of her and her opposite arm folded in near her, the intent to crush her opponent's body evident in her earth's compressing convulsions. The mounds of dirt, soil, and clay clenched down and tightened with each jerk over where Marissa stood.

"I don't believe what I'm seeing..." mumbled Ramona.

"Is she legitimately trying to mangle Marissa's body?" gasped Bowser.

"That'll definitely make it easier to form an Elemental Seal over her," said Athelstan.

"Somehow, I have a feeling that Daisy isn't even thinking about that," said Warra.

A sudden, massive eruption of magical flames burst through the contorted earthen cage. Marissa's booming voice emerged out of the explosion of earth and fire, the witch barely even stable after the pounding and abuse she took. The discharge she used to free herself exhausted a ton of her remaining power and left her drained.

"Well then...at least you saved yourself from _that_ ," Daisy murmured.

Marissa scowled as the fires eroded and the last of the earthen chunks fell around her. A quick jerk of her bloodied body paired with an anguished wince revealed to the Kruna Yura the veritable amount of pain plaguing her.

"Interesting," Daisy said under her breath. "What a development this is."

"Besides that weird reverb you developed in your voice, what could you possibly be referring to?" grunted Marissa.

"It's just that I noticed you're more receptive to pain now," said Daisy. "Am I finally getting to you? Are you tiring out after all this time? Or are you just getting scared?"

"I'd be scared if I wasn't so damn awesome!" hollered Marissa. Cracking a smile, she straightened out her posture and channeled some of her power into her fingertips. "Don't you think for a second that you've somehow miraculously wrestled over control here."

"Oh, and what reasoning do you have for presenting such an argument?" asked Daisy.

"Something's seriously not right with Daisy," said Neva. "She's not sounding or acting like herself! And even from all the way back here...she just looks creepy!"

"We don't know if the Master Pendant has possessed her or not," said Bowser. "But it's seeming more and more like a safe bet to say that it has with the way Daisy has been acting so far."

 _This doesn't add up,_ Andrew said in thought. _The thing doesn't act up at all with me, then it revives me and obliterates King Boo...then it goes back to being passive, and now_ this _is happening? I'm almost inclined to say we're getting set up... I don't like any of this!_

"My dear Sarasa girl, let me tell you," said Marissa, staggering her stance. "I am many things. I am a witch, a human-turned-demon, a former Kruna of Fire, a spellcaster, a lord, a hunter, a savior, a terror; I am all of that. But that often overshadows the fact that I am also a master magician!"

Daisy frowned and gave no remark whatsoever.

Marissa took her hat off of her head, flipped it upside-down, and tapped her sparkling fingers around the underside of its brim. "My good lady! Please play the role of my assistant for this upcoming magic trick! I need you to catch this hat and try to guess how many rabbits I can fit inside of it! There are no wrong answers aside from every other answer that's not the right one! But, whatever answer you give _will_ be the right one! How can this be? Let us find out!"

When Marissa tossed her hat at Daisy, the Kruna of Earth took a step to her right and leaned her body out of the way of the hat. Due to Daisy's active avoidance, the hat hit the ground and flopped for a few seconds before it came to a stop with its brim angled at one of the park's dugouts. A devastating blast of swirling magic power pumped out of the hat, carving a gaping hole clear through a portion of the stands behind and offset home plate. The blast left behind a lane out of One World Park that became visible once the residual rubble from the structural annihilation subsided.

"Did you forget to mention something else?" asked Daisy.

"Okay," muttered Marissa. "See, you were supposed to catch it...so that then, the magic column would blast you right in yo' face..."

"And you call yourself a magician," Daisy sharply said.

"Um...aren't you gonna guess how many rabbits are in that hat?" asked Marissa. Oddly enough, two rabbits crawled out of the hat and scampered around for a few moments before scurrying off into the new gap through the stadium.

"Playtime's over," Daisy declared, thrusting her right palm up.

Mounds of earth rose from the ground and shackled Marissa's ankles. The shackles thickened and compacted before partially crystallizing some of its structure. Marissa drew her Dominion Scepter after she failed to wriggle free, and she swung the tool down at her bonds. The jolt Daisy sent into the earth shackles rattled Marissa enough to make her whiff and lose her grip on her scepter.

"Dude, we just won!" Marut cheered. "Radical! Aw yeah, let's get her sealed up!"

"That's it?" said Athelstan. "That's it! Wow! Let's go do it then!"

Marut and Athelstan jogged towards the infield, and the other Kruna in the outfield followed them with some varied hesitation. Daisy marched towards Marissa and did not stop until she entered the witch's personal space. The other seven Kruna readied their Ultima Staffs when they got near, but Daisy did not join them or follow their gesture.

"Everyone has enough power left, correct?" asked Warra.

"Probably just enough to do this once," said Neva.

"Daisy, come on and get your staff up so we can do this," said Andrew.

Ignoring her teammates, Daisy slugged Marissa twice in her chest and then twice more in her face. The punches produced some surprise in the other Kruna, but not nearly as much as the fist after to the throat did. That last hit just seemed unnecessary at that point, only serving to induce a fit of agonized gasping from Marissa.

"Alright, Daisy," muttered Bowser. "Don't you think that's enough?"

"What's your problem?" said Daisy. "Don't you think you ought to let me bludgeon whatever vitality she has left out of her?"

With a growl, Marissa lashed at Daisy. The punch the clearly hurting witch tried to throw at Daisy missed when the Kruna of Earth took a diagonal step back. Marissa teetered and swayed to regain her balance, a task made difficult with her feet locked into place on the ground.

"Besides," Daisy murmured, stepping toward Marissa. "Maybe she deserves to suffer some."

"Suffer?" said Bowser. "Look, it's time to take off that pendant. You don't need it anymore. Marissa's beaten, so take it off and quit acting so...distasteful."

"Perhaps you should stay in your place before I have to remind you who's calling the shots here?" said Daisy. "Am I not the princess here?"

"Yeah, but I am a king, for one!" Bowser snapped. "And more importantly, you never even wanted to be a princess! So what's the deal with you enforcing your title and pulling the princess card all of a sudden when you literally don't ever do it?"

Andrew finished putting on his Alkemei Fwin and walked towards Daisy while activating it. "If you're not gonna take it off, I'm taking it off for you-"

"Back off, shadow wielder," grumbled Daisy. "Unless you believe you're idiotic enough to stand up to me."

"Daisy, please stop this," mumbled Ramona. "You're really scaring me..."

Marissa grunted out of a pained grimace. "If you had just let me win, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"It's your stupid fault we're fighting!" barked Neva. "If you weren't such a jerkass, we wouldn't have to be here fighting you!"

"Regardless, that pendant's coming off," said Andrew.

Daisy suddenly felt a pull on her arms that brought her hands behind her back. It appeared as though nothing had forced her arms into such a position even though they went there against her will. When she looked around, she did not see Warra.

"Of course," muttered Daisy. She apparently figured it out before Warra became visible behind her.

"Considering how tight it was bound to Grekka, this might be a tough process, so just stay still," Andrew said as he neared Daisy.

The moment Andrew got to within an arm's length of Daisy, the earth shackles around Marissa's feet crumbled apart. Daisy chuckled to herself as the witch bolted into the air a dozen feet above the Kruna. With two waves of her arms, Marissa's hat and scepter flew back to her head and hands respectively. While Marissa occupied everyone's attention, Daisy jammed an elbow into Warra to break from his hold. The Kruna of Earth then leapt away to clear some distance between her and her teammates.

"What was that all about?!" snapped Bowser.

"We had the witch, dude," said Marut. "Like, seriously?! Not cool!"

"What's more pressing now?" said Daisy. "Subduing the witch, or stripping me of my Master Pendant?"

" _Your_ Master Pendant?" asked Warra.

"Oh man, how did it escalate to this..." grumbled Andrew.

"What do you think, Marissa?" Daisy called up. "I mean, I figured I would ask since I am firmly in control of things here."

Marissa descended out of the air and landed next to Bowser, though she kept her scepter's aim centered on Daisy. "How about we call a truce until your friend is disarmed of the Master Pendant?"

Bowser frowned. "Sure. As long as you don't end up killing her in the process."

"Neither of us may have a choice," replied Marissa.

"Perhaps we can reach a compromise," said Daisy. "I'll just ask that all of my _friends_ hit me with their elemental energies...maybe in the form of an Elemental Wave? That ought to be much faster than you hitting me one at a time."

"That doesn't sound like it would do any of us any good," said Athelstan.

"Okay, Daisy, seriously; just snap out of it already!" yelled Neva.

"Your request is entirely nonsensical," said Warra. "You want us to hit you with our powers? For what?"

"If you all really want me to take this pendant off, then prove to me your power," said Daisy. "Prove to me that you have enough power left and that you're strong enough to beat Marissa without me needing to wear this. Keep in mind, the only reason I even put it on in the first place is because there was nothing else we could do. If there were another way to beat Marissa, I would not have put it on. But it's on now. So prove to me that I don't need to have it on anymore. Does that sound reasonable now?"

"That sounds much better than you just demanding that we blast you," said Bowser.

"But it's still a backhand slap to the face for you to think we need to prove ourselves to you," said Andrew.

"Do you think this is any place for pride?" growled Daisy. "We need to be absolutely sure on this."

"Since when have you needed to be absolutely sure about anything?" asked Warra.

"All this drama," mumbled Marissa. "Sheesh... I feel like I'm on some reality TV show."

"You do realize that this is all your fault, don't you?" snapped Neva.

"Daisy, if we do an Elemental Wave, we'll burn off all the remaining energy we have," said Warra.

"That's fine," said Daisy. "The Master Pendant restored some power to me, so I can just use it to refill your power as well."

Marissa scowled and put her scepter away as she took to the air to distance herself from the Kruna Yura. _That's just what I needed to hear,_ she thought. _Now what are they going to do? It'd take way too much time to try and use my foresight..._

"I still don't like the sound of that," muttered Warra.

"Should we trust her?" asked Marut. "This could all just be the Master Pendant talking."

"She did ask for an Elemental Wave, not an Elemental Seal," said Athelstan. "So it's not like we're trapping her."

"And Marissa seems concerned," Ramona said, pointing behind the group.

Daisy groaned with impatience. "Here then."

Her arms raised, Daisy channeled the Master Pendant's power through her hands; or the Master Pendant raised Daisy's arms and sent its power through her hands. No one knew for sure; but either way, the Kruna Yura all felt their energy return to them. Though not restored to full, they had a noticeable amount of their power replenished.

"There; it's not letting me give any more," said Daisy. "As soon as you convert that raw energy into elemental power, do an Elemental Wave on me and let's see if Marissa has anything to fear should I abandon this pendant."

"Wow, unreal," murmured Athelstan, gazing at his hands. "That Master Pendant has a wide range of abilities, huh? What do you say, guys? Should we do it?"

"I guarantee you I can withstand it with the Master Pendant's power," said Daisy.

Bowser sighed and stepped forth, pointing the blade of his Pyro Scimitar at the Kruna of Earth. "Ask and you shall receive. We can knock the pendant off of you in the process."

"I doubt it," replied Daisy.

"You're really not giving us any other option?" asked Athelstan. "This is it?"

"Prove that I don't need to use this pendant," said Daisy. "Or I'm keeping it on. I'm not repeating myself again."

"I guess there isn't really anything else we can do here then," mumbled Marut.

"Doesn't seem like it," Athelstan said under his breath.

Warra shook his head. "I just can't imagine how this is really that necessary, but fine."

"The way I'm feeling now, if it'll get us closer to ending this fight, then let's just do it," mumbled Neva. "I'm just so sick of all this..."

Bowser gestured to Athelstan and Marut to come near him. The two stone and air wielders then went over to him and touched the ends of their staffs to his. Warra soon followed and joined the blade of his tool to theirs. Andrew, Ramona, and Neva added the ends of their staffs to complete the group's semi-circle formation.

Marissa folded her arms as she watched from her airborne hover. _This ought to be interesting,_ she thought. _But then again, maybe I could avoid a lot of this trouble if I picked off one of those Kruna while they're trying to do their attack..._

"Alright, altogether now," said Bowser.

Each of the assembled seven Kruna focused their elemental powers and energies through to their Ultima Staffs. The staffs now imbued with their elemental glows, the Kruna raised the concentration of their powers while keeping their intensity within range of one another. Daisy smirked and spread her stance, but she did not appear to be readying any block or defense.

 _No, I'd still have to deal with Daisy and the Master Pendant,_ Marissa thought. _Picking one of them off would do nothing to help me right now; well, except ensure no Elemental Seals... If I_ don't _act hostile, her friends would be more willing to accept my help in stripping the pendant from her. But if what Daisy is saying is true without any deception behind her words, then they_ will _try to seal me after this. But is Daisy being honest about taking it off based on how this Elemental Wave goes? Man, this is such a confusing situation, and I can tell that this whole fight has weakened me by a substantial amount... What to do, what to do..._

Marissa then perked up and directed her gaze toward the gap in the stadium her hat's blast had created. _Huh? What's this all about?_

The figure that marched through the rift in One World Park's ground level stands and stepped onto the baseball field soon drew everyone else's attention with a simple statement. "You can call off your attack."

Daisy flinched upon hearing the familiar voice; a voice she had not heard in a long time. The assembled Kruna Yura looked at the figure just as Daisy gazed at him. Though – aside from Daisy – the Kruna did not recognize him, they adhered to his request and ceased the build up of their Elemental Wave.

The being that trotted closer to the gap between Daisy and the other Kruna Yura was a tall man with short, spiky black hair and a similar build to Andrew's. His silver training pants, black shoes, and black shirt underneath a silver and orange jacket displaying the earth emblem on the front made his elemental affiliation obvious. As he stopped to form a triangle between he, Daisy, and the seven assembled Kruna Yura, he smiled at his former student.

"Master Terran?" murmured Daisy.

Terran smiled. "It sure has been a while, hasn't it?"

"That's Master Terran?" asked Bowser. "The one who taught you earth wielding?"

"Yeah, it is," said Daisy, eyes wide in awe. "I thought...you were dead, Terran..."

"I am dead," the earth master replied.


	78. Chapter LXXVIII

The False Angel:

"You're dead?" Daisy asked. "Then... I don't understand. What are you doing here?"

"It's complicated," said Terran. "But I'll try and simplify things. I've come over from the Otherworld on special assignment to take the Master Pendant. The higher-ups there have determined that they must assume control of it. So they sent me to retrieve it from you guys shortly after you gained possession over it. Of course, you would have seen me sooner if you all had stayed in Memory Forest and not come here to the One World Capital."

"The higher-ups of the Otherworld sent you?" said Bowser. "Does Rosalina know anything about this?"

Terran nodded. "They've let the Comet Observatory know already that they intend to keep it and what lies inside of it locked away in secret for the rest of time. Really, I'm kind of surprised they sent me. I've been having a pretty busy month. No rest for the dead, I suppose."

"I guess not," Daisy replied, cracking a soft smile.

"But still, I'm glad I get to see you in the flesh after all these years," Terran said to Daisy. "Nova Form already, huh?"

A little gasp escaped from Daisy as she grabbed at her hair and looked at her skin. "Oh yeah, that's right. You know, I forget I'm even transformed a lot of the time I'm in this state."

"Sounds like you can stay like that for quite a while," said Terran. "That's something I never quite figured out. Should've known you would."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. _What's that supposed to mean?_ he thought.

"This dude is blowing my mind right now, bro," Marut mumbled to Bowser.

Marissa frowned from her aerial position. _Well, if he's just going to take the Master Pendant away, that plays well into my hands,_ she said in her mind as she tapped into a certain Malocchio Eye ability. _But whatever the case may be, I don't have much power left for this... I'm really in danger of losing here, aren't I?_

Terran walked towards Daisy and held out a hand. "It's time for you to take it off. Arka Knight was right in predicting you would keep most of its influence contained, but it's still not something you can wear forever. Not with the being sealed inside of it, anyways."

"That's right, you do know Arka Knight, don't you?" asked Daisy.

"Oh yeah, I know him," replied Terran. "He's a very good friend of mine, believe it or not. Of course, I doubt he would say those exact words himself. He is pretty stubborn, and he's not the warmest person you could meet."

"Yeah, he's kind of ornery," said Daisy. "Just a bit."

"But he means well," said Terran. "He did exactly what he needed to do. His ideas are elaborate, but they worked out as well as we could have asked for. And now, you guys are capable of sealing Marissa without any further help from the Master Pendant, wouldn't you say?"

Daisy stared at Terran for a while, motionless and in awe. Terran just smiled back at her, making no advances or urges for her to take off the Master Pendant. He let Daisy make a decision. Ultimately, Daisy undid the Master Pendant from her neck and handed it to Terran. Moments after she took off the sealed Alkemei, her Nova Form regained its usual appearance. The Master Pendant went dim much like it did in Andrew's possession.

Daisy reequipped her Alkemei Orianthi and turned to her fellow Kruna Yura. "Sorry I acted like a big jerk, you guys. That pendant really tried to get to me, and it kind of did."

"Hey, we're just glad that it didn't latch onto you like it did to Grekka!" hollered Athelstan.

"You don't know how big of a relief it is that it didn't," added Ramona.

Terran clutched the metal binding of the Master Pendant in his grip. "This Alkemei is unpredictable because of the being locked within it. But it's not leaving my grasp until I get it to Otherworld."

"Well if it didn't bother me none, I don't think it'll give you any trouble," said Andrew.

"Maybe it just doesn't like Marissa!" said Athelstan. "The guy trapped in it just wants us to beat her! Maybe that's why it hasn't really been hostile with us?"

"Since this morning, anyways," added Warra.

"Whatever the case, you've got a job to finish," said Terran. "Judging by how tired Marissa looks up there, you all are in prime condition to clean things up here." He turned his attention to Daisy. "So how about showing me what a former student of mine has evolved into after all this time? I need to make sure I did something right when I trained you!"

Daisy grinned and ran past her teammates with her focus on the hovering witch. "Hey, Marissa! Let's finish this!"

 _I really am about to lose,_ Marissa thought, mouth easing open as her active Malocchio Eye calmed its glow. _My power is fading. That Master Pendant offensive took its toll on me – no, this whole fight has. My Eternal Malocchio Form is the only thing that's keeping me competitive at this point... Is there really nothing I can do here? This is it? After all that has happened, they still bested me...and Daisy's about to win this for them... This is really the end..._

"C'mon, Marissa!" Daisy shouted, stepping past the pitcher's mound. "Are we gonna do this or what?"

Marissa sighed, her frown turning into a subtle smile moments later. Calmness and tranquility filled her as she entered a slow descent and tapped her feet to the turf just into One World Park's center field. She watched Daisy trot up to her and stop behind second base before her focus momentarily left the Kruna of Earth and went to the feel of the blustery afternoon's gusts.

"It's almost over...isn't it?" said Marissa.

Daisy nodded, shifting into an offensive stance. "You can count on it. Your energy has dropped substantially compared to where it was. And even if I don't beat you, I've got my friends behind me."

"Yeah," Marissa murmured, letting out a breathy exhale. "It's been fun..."

"It sure has been a ride," the Kruna of Earth responded.

A massive swath of wind swayed Marissa's hair sideways as she paused for a few moments in deep contemplation. Her tone turned soft and delicate when she spoke again. "Daisy... Do you think in an alternate world...where I...chose other choices...made different decisions...we could have been friends?"

Daisy felt total surprise from the witch's question. Such a query stunned Daisy on a physical, mental, and emotional level. The other Kruna Yura had much the same reaction, though Marissa's scenario may have felt conceivable based on her behavior immediately before their battle began.

"Or am I just a rotten soul deep down no matter what I do?" Marissa asked. Again, she paused to think. Eventually, she sighed and shook her head. "You don't have to answer that. In fact, please don't. There's no good answer. I don't think I can even bear to look for one through my Eye."

A sickening feeling developed in Daisy's stomach. She did not know what to say to the witch at all. Even though Marissa had been such a dangerous and wicked enemy, Daisy really felt sorry for her. For all that Marissa had done, Daisy could see that the immortal demon witch was still a person like everyone else. But as far as how she felt about Marissa deserving her looming punishment, Daisy did not have a concrete viewpoint one way or the other.

"I really could have used a friend like you," said Marissa. "So please, in your journeys ahead, if you ever come across someone like me, or anyone who's heading down a path they have no business going down, do what you can to be a good friend to them."

From this point on, the winds that had raged all afternoon now calmed as the atmospheric disturbance they originated from began its departure from across the northwestern world. The sun continued its glorious shine on everyone and everything in the wrecked One World Park and all across the globe where the daytime hours transpired through clear skies. After looking all around her, not with the omnidirectional vision of her body Malocchio Eyes but with her true two eyes, Marissa eased into a counter-offensive stance.

"So let's go already," Marissa murmured through her sobered smile. "I've made my peace."

"I'm sorry for all you went through, Marissa," Daisy said.

"It's okay," replied Marissa. "It's my fault, not yours. I've been the fool in all of this. I deserve what's coming to me. Go ahead and hit me with all you've got. I will fight, but I'm not running away."

Daisy grunted with unease and glanced at Terran and her teammates. Aside from Terran, they felt conflicted to varying degrees much like Daisy did. Terran looked on, his stare stern and stoic. Letting out a heavy sigh, Daisy pulled up some of the earthy ground around her. Marissa flared a portion of her remaining magic power around her hands, her demeanor only calming further as time passed.

With a thrust of her palms, Daisy sent chunks of earth hurtling at Marissa from varied angles. Magic trailed from Marissa's hands as she swiped at the incoming debris in defense. Rather than taking hits, Marissa smashed the earth chunks as they came at her. Marissa then sat back in defense after destroying the last of Daisy's projectiles.

Daisy ran at Marissa with a Crystal Kick forming and lunged at her. Marissa blocked against the right leg kick, only for Daisy to whip around with a left hand Breaker Punch that shook apart the witch's defense. Out of the Breaker Punch hit, Daisy spun and struck with her Crystal Kick again. This time, her Crystal Kick landed and batted Marissa further out into center field.

The crystals around Daisy's foot broke apart as she leapt into the air. As she came down at Marissa, Daisy's Crystal Fist formed. Still trying to recover, Marissa failed to defend herself against the Kruna of Earth's brutish punch. A loud thud echoing through One World Park, Daisy's Crystal Fist scored a critical hit on the downed witch's abdomen and effectively clinched the victory the Kruna Yura have fought so long for.

As Daisy backflipped away from Marissa, Terran and her teammates ran up to her. After grabbing at her stomach and around her damaged abdominal Malocchio Eye for a while, Marissa forced her elbows under her in time to see the eight Kruna Yura unlimbering their Ultima Staffs in a semi-circle formation. Warra, Marut, Athelstan, Bowser, Daisy, Neva, Andrew, and Ramona focused their energies and elemental powers around their staffs to perform the Elemental Seal that would free the future. Though Marissa eventually got up while the Kruna prepared their seal, she made no moves to defend herself or run. Hunched over in pain, the witch conceded with a smile.

Through the auras of blue, lime green, tan, red, silver, light blue, black-purple, and gold that formed around the Kruna Yura; water, wind, rock, flame, earth, ice, dark power, and light power gathered to surround their staffs. The elements intermingled with one another in balance once the Kruna Yura synced their individual powers.

"Alright, you guys, this is it!" shouted Daisy. "We'll fire on my mark!"

Marissa made no final statement. She only stood up straight and bowed her head. Even though she still had some power left over, she opted not to antagonize the Kruna Yura any longer.

The following instant, the Master Pendant lit up with a vibrant pink glow. From its position in Terran's grasp, none of the Kruna noticed the pink brilliance behind them; not even Bowser, who had all his focus on Marissa and contributing power to the impending Elemental Seal. Not two seconds after Terran noticed the glow himself, the Master Pendant let a blast of energy rush out from its gem at him. Terran hit the ground, stunned from the attack. The Master Pendant then had an easy time wrestling free from the earth master's hold.

"Here we go!" Daisy yelled. "Blast her now!"

The next sequence of events transpired almost as quick as the time it took for the Master Pendant to blast Terran. The Master Pendant zoomed into the air and curved its flight into the melded cannon of elemental power the Kruna Yura released at Marissa. Just before the combined elements struck the demon witch, the Master Pendant dove in front of her and centered itself dead in line with the incoming wave. And because of the angle and the elements, only Marissa saw the Master Pendant take what was intended for her.

With their vision of Marissa obscured, the Kruna Yura continued firing their combined elements under the impression that they were sealing the witch. Instead, elements emerged from within the Master Pendant's gem and flew outwards in an arc opposite the direction of the Kruna's incoming power flow. As Terran got up, he could not help but feel disturbed at the dispersal of elements where Marissa stood.

 _Wait, is this a trick?_ Terran thought. _Is Marissa actually resisting the seal? Or..._

Terran peered around him and could not find the Master Pendant. He then glanced throughout One World Park and still did not catch sight of the troublesome Alkemei. His gaze then returned to the elemental light show taking place in front of him.

"Hey! Stop the blast!" Terran yelled. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Concerned and confused by the request, the Kruna Yura cut off their power flow. Unfortunately, Terran called out to them too late. After the remnants of the Kruna's beam of ordered chaos disbanded, all eyes now had clear sight of the hovering, trembling Master Pendant and the fire, water, earth, stone, air, ice, light, and shadow escaping from its gem. Soon, elementals stopped erupting from the Alkemei altogether. The Master Pendant subsequently dropped to the ground, a blinding pink and crimson flash flaring out of its gem following its first bounce.

For a short while, no one could see anything. Only when the light died down did anyone see the new figure as he picked up and fastened the inanimate Master Pendant to his neck. The new entity wore a white jacket with red color blocks and a high collar, silver pants with red trim, high black boots with broken chains, and a black shirt which held a gory hole centered in its upper half. His perfect white hair had a ruffled shag style similar to Ramona's but without the pigtail; one side of the hair brushing up against his empty, blackened right eye socket. The left eye seemed to be stuck in a perpetual full bloodshot state to the point of there being constant leakage down his pale pearl-skinned face.

The figure tilted his head up as a pink halo of light materialized over him. Segmented white and red gem-like pieces formed on his back with no visible linkage to one another. The white pieces made up the medial portion of the back appendages, and the red pieces branched out as spiked, tri-headed extensions to make the new limbs resemble wings. Adjusting the holster on his hip that held a sword handle with no blade, the expressionless male entity surveyed his environment and each of the elemental wielders surrounding him.

"Greetings," the figure said with his harsh, metallic baritone voice. He turned around, a small smirk creeping onto his face. "Kruna Marissa, it has been a long time."

"Not long enough," said Marissa. "I didn't believe I'd ever see _you_ again."

The figure cracked his mouth open and let out a contented sigh. An eerie, slow chuckle barely audible then escaped from his throat. His identity soon became clear to the Kruna Yura and Terran.

"That's Osiris, isn't it?" asked Ramona, shuddering.

Marissa nodded. "Still in his False Angel Form."

"Once I release the Shadow Queen, I will regain my true form, don't you worry," said Osiris. "You should have known that I would have returned eventually. It was only a matter of time. The Elemental Seal containing me in this Alkemei has been steadily weakening."

"Elemental Seals never weaken!" snapped Marissa.

"A proper one by itself does not," said Osiris. "But one bound to an Alkemei? The Master Pendant, of all Alkemei? That's not very optimal. Really, it should have been obvious just from how I've been able to manipulate the Alkemei Ankh and influence the outside world. Such abilities I gained as the imperfect seal deteriorated over time. Perhaps you should've disarmed me of the Ankh before you and your team executed your seal, Kruna Marissa. A lesson learned much too late now."

"He called the Master Pendant...the Ankh?" Daisy murmured.

"The true name," said Osiris. "The name the Master Blacksmiths erased from history when I assumed possession over it. Of course they wouldn't want to associate a pendant I claimed with the rest of their creations. Or, maybe it was just to simplify things and declare the Ankh as _the_ ultimate Alkemei that outmatches all others." He pointed a finger at Daisy, firmly adding, "Including yours."

"Mine?" asked Daisy. "Why are you singling out my Orianthi?"

Osiris ignored the question and instead directed his full attention to the eight Kruna Yura. "You...the next generation... Everything has fallen into place... Your elemental powers are developed... They are now strong enough... You have proven yourselves after all. With your guidance, we are now in prime position to begin a revolution. Your fated 'adventure' has now brought us one step closer to a revolution that will reset the world to the way it is most harmonious as... Nothing... But first, before nothing, there must be chaos. Chaos must precede order. This is where you will complete your final task."

"Neva, are you as creeped out as I am right now?" mumbled Ramona.

"I just assumed we're all creeped out," Neva replied. "I don't know what's worse; this dude's voice, his appearance, or whatever he's talking about!"

"I'd say his energy signature is more alarming than any of that," murmured Bowser.

"I have you all right where you are supposed to be," said Osiris. "Your eight elemental powers are now worthy and are needed. I would appreciate your assistance, for you eight may be powerful enough to alter or even override the current seal containing my master. We will instill Perfect Hell to cleanse the world of its impurities and prepare it for the void to come. You've proved yourself as capable viceroys for our rule once absolute zero has been attained."

"Hold on, freaky bro beans," said Marut. "We're not helping you do any of that stuff!"

"Sorry, Osiris," Daisy said. "But we can't help you or let you do that to the world! Your master's staying sealed, and she's not getting freed anytime soon!"

"No?" said Osiris. "Hmm... Oh, that just won't do... Well...perhaps it is for the best that you don't submit. THE SHADOW QUEEN WOULD NOT TOLERATE YOUR INSOLENCE."

Osiris drew the sword hilt from his hip holster into his left hand. Although it had no blade, Osiris still raised it skyward and focused his power through it. Soon, a light blue mass of energy materialized around the hilt and stretched out above it to form a solidified energy blade with the same texture and structure as his wings.

"To think such feeble mortals would oppose the inevitable is laughable," said Osiris. "Speaking of which, I have failed to comment on how your mortal body has survived far longer than I could have ever imagined, Kruna Marissa...unless...you're not necessarily _mortal_ now, are you?"

"I've been through some changes," replied Marissa. "Let's just leave it at that."

"Yes, well, the whole world will go through some changes soon enough," said Osiris. "This world and worlds beyond... But because you elemental wielders wish to oppose me instead of assist me, I will give you a chance to exercise your might once more. I advise you not to disappoint me."

The Demon God's Life Sword erected a swirling funnel of pink and black power around him. As the opaque wall of energy expanded; the Kruna Yura, Terran, and Marissa backed away. Before long, the funnel flattened out and curled onto the ground to form a contorted, revolving portal.

"I have prepared a gateway to a battlefield for us," said Osiris. "This area is insufficient for the kind of combative clash to come. We will not be distracted there, and we shall have privacy. If you have even the slightest bit of hesitation, then stay here and await your judgment. I will strip you of your elemental energies soon enough, and the revolution will begin."

Osiris disbanded the power that formed his Life Sword and replaced its hilt on his hip holster. "But if you truly desire to stand against the world I and the Shadow Queen would recreate, then come with me into the _Final Destination_. I've had the patience to tolerate being sealed inside the Ankh for this long. I can wait the few moments it will take for you to make your decision."

The eight Kruna Yura exchanged looks with one another, and none of them felt the need to utter a word. One by one, they each took a handful of steps toward Osiris. Terran noted each Kruna Yura's advance and their willingness to fight the Demon God. From her position behind Osiris, Marissa looked on in anxious bewilderment.

"Interesting," said Osiris. "I sense fear in all of you...and yet you still walk up to me? Then so be it. When you are ready, step foot in this portal to follow me. Once you arrive at the Final Destination, the way back will not reveal itself until either you beat me...or I beat you."

Osiris floated onto the portal's blackened center. He eyed down the Kruna Yura for the brief instant before the portal flared some of its essence upward from where he stood. Once the rapid flash ceased, Osiris was gone. No one could sense Osiris's massive energy signature.

"Well...are we ready?" Daisy said to her teammates. "If you ask me, there's only one place to go."

"Let's do it," said Andrew.

"Yeah, let's do it!" shouted Neva.

"If we've made it this far, there's really no turning back," said Bowser.

"But what should we do about her?" Warra asked, gesturing towards Marissa.

The Kruna's formidable adversary now seemed entirely lost. Her knees buckled as she gazed at Osiris's portal with the most empty of stares, and she quivered and trembled without any conscious awareness of it. When Daisy walked up to her, Marissa slumped to her knees and cried.

"I hate...everything," murmured Marissa. "I hate how all of this turned out... I hate who I've become... Everything is all my fault... That blast was meant for me...and now, Osiris is free... My old teammates and I put so much effort into sealing him away... We did so much for the world together... All that we did, and I..."

Marissa's voice trailed off as she bent over, covered her face, and bawled in utter, forlorn misery. "I'm just a monster!"

No one seemed happy about Marissa's distress. Bowser, Warra, Athelstan, and Terran stayed stern in their silence, though Ramona and Andrew looked almost as anguished as Marissa. The witch kept crying in desolation until Daisy knelt down next to her and touched her hands. With a gentle pull, Daisy removed Marissa's hands from her face and held them by their wrists.

"Hey," Daisy said, her tone unmistakably soft. "Can you...help us out here?"

"Wh-...what?" Marissa mumbled.

"Help us fight Osiris," said Daisy.

"You want my help? How could you possibly want my help? Everything I've done has been a curse to myself and everyone in the world. I'm no good. I'm ruined, I'm rotten, I'm broken, I'm a wreck, I...I shouldn't even be alive-"

"You can take a step towards fixing all of this by coming with us."

"I can't – I'm just no good! I screwed all of this up! And now that Osiris is freed, it's all over."

"Aw, c'mon, Marissa. It's totally not over yet! You know about this guy, right? You think you remember enough about him from when you last fought?"

"I...think I do..."

"Then just come with us and help us beat him. We'll stop that creepy angel-demon dude together!"

"You really think I can actually help you? After everything I've done?"

"I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't believe you could do this. Make a change. This is your chance to do that."

Tears gushed out of Marissa's eyes with added velocity. "I can't believe...you're giving me a chance..."

"Marissa, cut it out," Daisy said. "C'mon. You're gonna make me cry too if you don't stop it."

Daisy pulled on Marissa's hands and helped the witch to her feet. The other Kruna Yura gathered near them, as did Terran. They all turned to face the pink and black portal on the One World Park turf, the gateway to the final challenge of the Kruna Yura's adventure awaiting at the Final Destination.

"Alright, guys," said Daisy. "This has been a pretty long day, hasn't it? Let's end it on a good note. Terran, are you coming?"

"Where you must go, I can not follow," said Terran. "I've only been granted permission to come to _this_ world. And besides, it's not my fight, is it? You can take care of him. You're a grown woman."

Daisy nodded. "Right. I understand."

Terran put a hand on Daisy's shoulder. "I will wait here until your fight is finally finished; but even though I can't follow you to wherever that portal goes, I'll be with you. However things turn out, I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Thank you, Master Terran," Daisy said.

"I'm not your master anymore," Terran replied with a chuckle. "Not just because I'm dead. I really have nothing else I can do for you. There's truly nothing left for me to teach you. You've become so strong, Daisy. Go now with your team and reseal Osiris. Do it for the world."

Her expression now vehemently fierce, Daisy glanced at each of her teammates and Marissa once more before she ran into Osiris's portal. Like with Osiris's departure, the portal flashed from its center upward around Daisy's body and left no trace of her when it settled. The other Kruna Yura entered the portal one at a time in rapid succession.

Once Bowser went into the portal, only Marissa and Terran remained outside of it. Thoughts racing through her head, the demon witch looked around One World Park, at the skies above, and at her own hands and body for a few moments. As anxiety continued to mount within her, Marissa entered the portal. Now left by himself, Terran waited for their return.


	79. Chapter LXXIX

Heroic Spirit: Grand Finale:

The eight Kruna Yura and Marissa dropped out of the air and landed on what appeared to be nothing at all. In fact, aside from Marissa, the lack of a visible floor caught them off guard and made for a harsh landing. To take it a step even further, the group could only see each other. Everything else was a black void, including the "ground" they stood up on. The enhanced vision Marissa had in Eternal Malocchio Form did not grant her sight of anything extra that the Kruna Yura failed to see.

"What kind of place is this?" Warra wondered aloud. His voice echoed with a reverberation akin to that one would hear in a large cathedral hall.

"Andrew? Daisy? Can you see anything in this literal blackness?" asked Neva.

"Just you guys," Andrew replied.

"Same," Nova Daisy murmured.

All around the space above the group, sparkling pink and light blue auroras appeared. Shortly after the auroras came, scattered stars lit up alongside them. An astral space warp of melded black, pink, red, purple, and blue took up the remaining space in all directions, most notably among the lower auroras and down below the now translucent glass-like ground the group stood on. The space warp oozed and shifted color without any conceivable end, providing a slight addition to the dim lighting now in effect.

The Kruna Yura and Marissa then noticed the final feature of their environment; an indefinite amount of large octagonal pads spread throughout the all but invisible floor for as far as the eye could see. Clustered in groups of two to six, the octagonal pads came in eight sets of blended colors; red and orange, blue and azure, black and silver, brown and tan, green with lime green and gray, white with silver and light blue, gold and white, and purple with black.

"This is one radically trippy place," said Marut.

"Why do I feel like there's stone here when I can't even see it?" mumbled Athelstan. He stomped on the ground with his elemental powers linked to something his basic five senses could not detect. From out of one of the nearby brown and tan octagon pads, rocks and boulders shot up and scattered onto the inconspicuous floor. Daisy thrust a hand upward and watched soil, clay, and dirt erupt from a nearby black and silver octagon pad. Warra then swiped his swordstaff at a blue and azure octagon he stared down, his gesture drawing a splash of water from the seemingly color-coded shape.

"Awesome," said Daisy. "For a second, I thought we were gonna have to waste time and power trying to create these elements. Luckily, that doesn't seem to be the case."

"They're, like, elemental reservoirs," said Ramona. "Doesn't really do much for us and our energy-based elements, but it'll sure help out your matter-based elements a lot!"

"Looks like there's a roughly equal amount of each type of those pads spread throughout this battlefield," said Warra.

With a surreal, spatial clashing sound, Osiris's form warped into existence a short distance ahead. He touched his feet to the clear ground and turned to face the Kruna Yura and Marissa. Blood still ran from the hole in his chest and from his eyeless right eye socket. His lone external ocular organ peered at each of the nine elemental wielders in turn, no sense of urgency evident at the moment.

"So what exactly are we dealing with here, Marissa?" asked Bowser.

"Someone near invincible," said Marissa. "The only way we can beat him is for you guys to trap him in an Elemental Seal. It's not that he's immortal, but rather that he can continuously resurrect himself after death. Not only that, but he can regenerate damage and injury if you give him enough time. So that means we'll have to attack and weaken him very quickly and then seal him before he can heal enough to withstand the seal. But if we attack too much and kill him, he'll just come back to life."

Ramona shuddered but felt confused. "Wait, if he can regenerate, then what's with the gouged area where one of his eyes is missing? And the hole through his chest?"

Marissa clenched her jaw. "Let's just say he got a little cheeky with the Shadow Queen once before her sealing in the Palace of Shadow, so she 'reminded him of his proper place,' so to speak. And the hex she put on him made it so that he can never heal those two injuries, whether he resurrects or not. Don't ask me the rationale behind those two areas specifically. Oddly enough, it kind of works out to his advantage."

"Seeing as how you're chatty, I suspect you are ready," said Osiris. "If there is no need to delay any further, then we shall start. This is a battle to the end. No mercy. It matters not how long you last before you die. Take solace in your final breaths, for those who do not submit to me will perish. And once the Shadow Queen is released, all shall answer to her once more."

"What are ya – hard-headed?" snapped Daisy. "We already said we're not helping you free her!"

"I will extract your elemental energies from you and unseal the Shadow Queen myself," Osiris hissed. "Your dead bodies can stay here for the rest of eternity. And for you, Kruna Marissa; even though you may not die, I have special plans for you. I must pay you back for imprisoning me."

"You can stop calling me a Kruna, alright?" muttered Marissa.

The pink halo above Osiris's head flashed with an uptick of its brightness, coinciding with an increase in the endless drainage of red fluid from his empty right eye socket and his chest. After a quick adjustment of his wings, he rose off the floor. He redrew his Life Sword and reformed its long light blue energy blade.

"Your world fills me with hate," said Osiris. "Your world infuriates the Shadow Queen. Mark my words, peons; absolute zero will be restored. You who stand in the way of the Universe's ultimate fate under The Shadowed One and the Demon God; this is the end."

Out of a spin slash, Osiris thrust his sword skyward. Pink and black energy in the shape of segmented ribbons momentarily blazed around the blue blade. A fierce diagonal swipe downward disbanded the residual excess and made clear that an attack was upcoming. Aside from Daisy, the other Kruna Yura drew their Ultima Staffs. The group as a whole then got into stance for battle and faced off against the charging False Angel in the air in front of them.

"Watch out for any sudden shapeshifting," said Marissa. "And if he teleports, MOVE. There's every chance he could appear behind you and fire off an Insta-Beam out of his Life Sword hilt with little warning and next-to-no time to react."

"Insta-Beam?" asked Bowser.

"One of his many magic attacks," said Marissa. "And he has plenty."

"You think maybe he forgot some of them with all the time he's been in the Master Pendant?" asked Marut.

"That's wishful thinking, Marut," said Daisy. "Even if he did, he's fresh; and we're maybe half-fresh, if that. We really gotta bring our A-game for this, guys."

The most important battle yet for the Kruna Yura began on a visually stunning offensive from Osiris. Entering a rapid vertical spin with his Life Sword extended, Osiris dropped out of the air. Upon landing in his Gatekeeper's Spin, he smashed his sword onto the clear floor. A rising, expanding energy burst flew out at the nine elemental wielders and forced them all into evasive jumps. The burst of power continued rippling on behind them, not falling or crashing into anything before it vanished into the distance.

"Seriously, what is this place?" Bowser wondered aloud.

While the others reestablished their stances on what counted as Final Destination's ground, Marissa and Marut maintained an aerial hover. Osiris rose into the air once more and did another Gatekeeper's Spin. But this time, Osiris slashed his expanding burst while airborne rather than off of a smack on the floor. A combined counter blast of Bowser's fire, Warra's water, Ramona's light, Marut's wind, and Marissa's magic flames canceled out with the Demon God's incoming burst before anyone suffered a hit.

Andrew and Neva hurled a vehement shadow and ice onslaught through the resulting explosion to score a heavy strike on Osiris with minimal warning. The two wielders felt their elements hit, so they know they did not miss. Strangely, Osiris seemed unaffected once the sky cleared despite an aggressive amount of power behind Andrew's and Neva's blasts.

"C'mon, you two!" barked Bowser. "Aim! Aren't you supposed to be 'Miss Precision Critical Hit?' "

"I swear, I hit him!" snapped Neva.

Athelstan shrugged. "Maybe he fired off a blast too?"

Daisy pulled some of her elementals free from nearby earth tiles, but Osiris got off an attack before she could do anything further. The third consecutive Gatekeeper's Spin came out as a double blast, for he slammed onto the ground, rebounded, and then smashed his sword down again. Mistiming their jumps earned Bowser, Athelstan, Ramona, and Andrew a hit on the second wave that came, for they leapt too early and landed with no time to reenter the air.

Dragging it with her on her way up, Daisy whipped her earthen mass at Osiris when she reached the peak height of her jump. The winding column bolted toward the False Angel, but it failed to hit him; not because he evaded or blocked. In an otherwise grotesque, horrific display, a gushing crimson eruption of liquid rushed out from the hole in Osiris's chest and diverted the incoming earth to the side and away from him. The defensive move not only surprised the Kruna Yura, but Marissa as well.

"Crap, I forgot about that..." Marissa grunted between her teeth.

"What was that?!" snapped Bowser.

Marissa gave an uneasy smirk as she stared at Osiris charging his Life Sword. "Well, one of the things he does for defense is to basically spout his own blood. It comes out pretty fast, so it's something he'll do often if he needs a quick block."

"I'm going to be sick," mumbled Ramona.

"Doesn't he ever run out?" asked Marut.

"Nope," said Marissa. "Don't you think he would've bled out by now if he did?"

"I'm going to assume that's part of his regeneration ability," said Warra.

"Look alive!" Athelstan called out.

Osiris had expanded his Life Sword's energy blade into a lance around his entire arm. With a jerky shift backward, Osiris kicked ahead in his Demon Dive's arcing sweep at the gathered Kruna Yura. Everyone on the ground dove out of the way as he sped at them, avoiding his aerial tackle. When Osiris curled up, Marut and Marissa flew to opposite sides of him and caught him in between their air and mystic fire blasts. Bowser flipped a fireball Osiris's way before the demon could shrug out of his hitstun, and Athelstan followed that up with a barrage from his Stone Launcher.

Daisy dashed under Osiris and set up to deliver a powerful kick as Marissa bashed the Demon God down at her with a two-handed smash. Daisy's right foot slammed at a diagonal angle into Osiris and knocked him at Warra, who had his Tidal Swordstaff up and primed for a critical hit. But just as Osiris's body got near the Kruna of Water, the Demon God disappeared. Osiris reappeared out of teleports multiple times at many different areas on and over the battlefield before stopping a fair distance behind the elemental wielders.

"We gotta keep up the assault!" Marissa yelled. "Don't give him a chance to heal!"

"Roger!" Marut replied, looping around in a mad aerial dash.

Marut zoomed at Osiris, Lightning Blade in the works around both ends of his bladestaff. He made a handful of agile cuts and rushes as he neared Osiris while he got his technique ready, though Osiris was preparing something as well. Upon seeing the monstrous metamorphosis taking place, Marut canceled his Lightning Blade altogether and froze his flight.

Osiris's wings thickened and stretched around him as his body warped and contorted. He soon resembled a bladed goat head; a head eerily still without any right eyeball and with a gaping hole on the underside of its skull near where its neck would have been. Staying consistent, his blood leakage did not cease or slow.

Hell Blade formed with the Life Sword running the length of the nose, forehead, and top half of the goat skull, Osiris darted at Marut in a straight line. He had no curve to his flight, but he came fast. Marut made an acrobatic twist out of the way in time, and Hell Blade Osiris rushed past him with little clearance. After missing Marut, Osiris slowed to a stop and then angled himself at the clustered group of Daisy, Warra, and Athelstan.

The next instant, the three targeted Kruna saw a bladed goat head accelerate at them. They split and dove in separate directions, leaving nothing but the clear floor for the Hell Blade to crash into just a half-second later. Osiris ricocheted off the floor, and his momentum now carried him airborne again. He slowed to a stop and took aim at Bowser and Ramona.

A quick burst of speed put Osiris on a collision course with the two newly targeted Kruna. Though Ramona leapt away the moment she noticed Osiris coming at them, Bowser stood his ground and flared flames around his Pyro Scimitar. A swift Torch Spin Attack when Osiris got near clashed with the Demon God's Hell Blade and knocked both of them away from one another. While Bowser flopped, Osiris spun out of his technique and reverted back to his normal False Angel Form.

"There's a certain sense of dread in all this that I don't recall ever feeling anywhere else against anyone else," said Warra.

"I don't understand how he feels so different versus when my Kruna team faced him," said Marissa.

"Maybe because it's been so long since your fight with him?" Bowser suggested with a flip of his swordstaff.

"No, something's terribly not right here," murmured Marissa.

"Hey, you're not actually scared of this guy, are ya?" said Daisy.

Osiris's Life Sword finished its transformation into an ax. With a windup across his waist, Osiris whipped his tool at Ramona. The Kruna of Light leapt to the side just after Osiris threw it, but she noticed the spinning tool curve its trajectory back at Ramona.

"Don't try to dodge that!" Marissa shouted. "Block!"

With Osiris's Homing Ax incoming, Ramona slashed a shield of light power in front of her. The revolving ax smacked into the shield, bounced off, and then flew into Ramona's defense several more times before Osiris teleported over to grab a hold of it and retreat. The Demon God reappeared near Daisy and Athelstan with his ax reforming into his Life Sword.

Urgency filled Marissa when she noticed a distinct pink and black mist gathering around the blue Life Sword's energy blade. "Everyone!" Marissa shouted. "Dodge and keep moving!"

Osiris vanished in another teleport at the end of Marissa's warning. All the elemental wielders made lateral cuts and leaps in evasion with the memory of what Marissa had said about Osiris's teleporting now at the forefront of their minds. Though the Demon God's teleports had been relatively benign to start, he now appeared behind Warra and blasted his pink and black Insta-Beam the very next instant. Had Warra not rolled to his left, he would have caught the full brunt of Osiris's wide, point-blank-ranged attack.

Osiris teleporting again made the elemental wielders execute another defensive shift. Neva dove at the ground, and an Insta-Beam sailed over her just a half-second later. Osiris disappeared once more and forced Marissa and the Kruna into another set of evasive maneuvers, this time appearing near Marut. Coincidentally, Marut had averted his flight straight into where Osiris appeared and rammed into him on accident. Before anyone could deliver a followup move, Osiris vanished yet again.

With the Kruna and Marissa making another collective evasion effort, Osiris teleported behind Daisy and let off one final Insta-Beam. The Nova Form earth wielder had already dove and rolled out of the way of the attack, which meant that none of Osiris's Insta-Beams had successfully hit despite the unpredictable nature behind his teleports. As the pink and black mist disbanded from Osiris's Life Sword, Daisy smashed an uppercut into the False Angel and knocked him back up into the air over the battle area.

"If that mist forms around his sword again, you gotta remember to keep dodging!" shouted Marissa.

"I can see I'm going to have to take you down first," grumbled Osiris.

Raising his arms to put them in line with the floating witch, Osiris executed his Sinful Chain. Eight snakes made of magic energy flew out from the sleeves of his jacket, all traveling at different angles in a similar manner to Bowser's Tavado blast. Marissa cut to her right and avoided two of them, only for the others to latch around her wrists, knees, and waist. A quick jolt of power hurried through the chains and shocked Marissa to draw a hair-raising scream from her.

"Hang on!" Daisy called out, gathering seismic power into her hands.

Her Shotgun ready to fire, Daisy dashed at Osiris as the Demon God continued sending power surges through his Sinful Chain. Once Daisy neared Osiris, she jumped and threw out the widespread rumbling fan of her Shotgun. Though her move dealt a good deal of damage to Osiris, it failed to jar Marissa free of his energy snakes. Osiris raised Marissa and slammed her onto the clear ground, at which point more power surges blitzed her.

"I owe you plenty more than just this!" Osiris boomed.

"Cut it out already!" Daisy barked.

Osiris only increased the rate at which he sent energy through his Sinful Chain. Amid Marissa's tortured screams, Daisy formed a Crystal Fist. Neva shot off ice arrows at Osiris, and Athelstan kicked up and threw boulders alongside her projectiles. Despite Neva and Athelstan not missing a single hit, Osiris refused to lose his hold on Marissa. Neva and Athelstan both fired more of their elements, but Osiris blocked this string of ice and rock using a bloody outburst from his hexed chest wound. With a quick spin of his Life Sword, Osiris flew at Marissa. The witch lay defenseless under the False Angel's bonds.

Just before Osiris got to within an arm's length of Marissa, Rainbow Bowser spun at him in the Whirling Fortress's rotating tackle. The power boost from Ramona gave Bowser the edge in his clash with Osiris's sword swing and whacked the demonic angel away from Marissa. The Sinful Chain finally broke, freeing the Kruna Yura's ally.

While Andrew went over and helped Marissa up, Rainbow Bowser followed Osiris in his Whirling Fortress. The supercharged Kruna of Fire zigzagged his bounces off the ground like some sort of advanced quick attack, trails of fiery rainbows fizzling behind him. Off the sixth ricochet, Bowser scored a direct hit of his spiked shell on Osiris. His connection set up perfectly for the pursuing Marut to Drill Dash into Osiris and smash the Demon God out of the air. Sprinting along the ground, Daisy burst up to Osiris as he rebounded off the floor and bashed her Crystal Fist into him. Her brutish punch launched the lightweight False Angel a considerable distance away. Bowser flared his flames and concentrated his energies to maintain his rainbow power-up a little while longer in anticipation of a quick return of Osiris.

"Marissa! Come on!" Andrew yelled, shaking her like crazy. "You gotta snap out of it!"

"I'm...so tired of all this," Marissa moaned. "I can't beat him again... The first time was hard enough..."

"You can't be tired of nothin'!" snapped Andrew. "Don't give up like this!"

"I can't, I just can't..." grunted Marissa. "It's too much... He's too strong... This is all my fault. I'm such a failure..."

Andrew gave her one hard extra shake. "How'd you beat him the first time talking like that? C'mon, Marissa! It's too early to act like everything's already been decided! And we're not here to assign blame! We need to protect the world!"

Osiris teleported back towards the center of the gathered elemental wielders. Another pink and black mist fumed around his Life Sword, and Andrew could tell Osiris was staring right at him and Marissa. Rainbow Bowser dashed at Osiris and slashed his swordstaff, which had taken on a resemblance to a weaponized paint brush as a result of the multicolored lighting surrounding him. Unfortunately, Osiris teleported the instant before Bowser's attack landed. The Demon God reappeared right behind Bowser and released his Insta-Beam square into the koopa's back. Though Osiris's burst knocked Bowser right out of his rainbow power-up, the special state had provided the Kruna of Fire extra defense and offset a good portion of the Insta-Beam's attacking power.

Neva and Warra's subsequent ice and water bursts missed Osiris entirely, for their target teleported in time to avoid taking the hits. Andrew pulled Marissa with him into his evasive spin and deke as Osiris appeared nearby, just narrowly getting himself and the witch out of the way of the False Angel's hefty Insta-Beam. Daisy caught Osiris with her Crystal Kick before he could vanish again, and she chained the hit into a somersault kick from the same foot. Osiris disappeared after the second of Daisy's hits and reappeared far off to one side of the battlefield, though without the pink and black mist gathered around his Life Sword.

"Marissa, please stay strong!" Andrew begged. "You beat him before, you can beat him again!"

"I beat him as a hero!" cried Marissa. "I'm not a hero now! I'm just some monster! The whole world is against me! I don't have teammates! I don't have friends! I don't have family! I have no purpose! I don't know what I'm fighting for!"

Osiris raised his free hand up near his head for a grisly move. In rapid succession, six bloodied magic orbs pumped out of his chest and revolved around him several times before coming to a still hover around his elevated wrist. His Hemo Orbs ready, Osiris directed them in a spread formation at Marissa. Athelstan, Ramona, and Bowser stepped up and batted away the bubbling spheroids in defense of the witch.

"Why'd you guys really bring me here?!" Marissa said, trembling and tearing up in her ramble. "What more can I do now? I'm just some screw-up! I've done so many bad things, I've hurt so many people, and I can't undo any of it! I've hurt you guys so much! I'm so sick! Who I once was is dead! I'm just mad and sad and confused! I'm a hopeless shell of my old self! I'm not who I used to be! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM NOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Osiris teleported behind the Kruna defense and sent another set of six Hemo Orbs at Marissa. Neva, and Warra rushed over to help Daisy and Andrew deflect the incoming orbs. Every time the blades of their staffs hit a Hemo Orb, a scrunching squish sounded off. Osiris then doubled the ammo for a third Hemo Orb strike that rained down from all around the Kruna. Luckily, Marut dove through the spheroids and executed an aerial Dome Rotation to divert their line of travel just out of reach of his teammates.

"You've got to let go of all of that, Marissa!" yelled Daisy. "It doesn't matter anymore! Start clean! Start fresh today! Right now! We're not against you! Not anymore!"

"That's only because you want me to help you beat him!" snapped Marissa. "Then what's gonna happen if we win? Then what?"

Osiris flipped his Homing Ax at Marissa, only for Bowser to smack it away off his own tool. Due to the Homing Ax's nature, it careened back around and aimed at Warra. He swung his swordstaff and deflected the Homing Ax, then the ax circled back and flew at Ramona. Apparently, the close proximity of the elemental wielders made them all potential targets for the technique. But after Ramona and Athelstan blocked the attempts the Homing Ax made on them, Osiris drew his tool back to him.

"You can't give me an answer, can you?" Marissa barked. "Don't have a response to that, Daisy? That's what I th-"

The witch immediately stopped speaking the moment she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. After some of her shock died down, Marissa realized those arms belonged to Daisy. The smiling Kruna of Earth's intimate advance surprised the other elemental wielders almost as much as it did Marissa.

"What are you doing?" snapped Marissa. "I spent all this time trying to kill you, and now you're hugging me?!"

"You don't have to hold a grudge against everyone anymore," murmured Daisy, laying a hand near the base of Marissa's neck. "Everything that happened in the past is done. It's over. We don't have to be enemies anymore. Things'll be different... I'll be your friend if you be my friend. I swear to you, I am being honest. And when we get out of here, I'll prove it. Believe me. You'll see."

"You mortals and your affection confuse me," muttered Osiris.

"There's nothing wrong with caring about someone, jerk!" Neva shouted.

"Even if this is pretty weird right about now," added Marut.

"So that's what we're doing now?" said Warra. "We're hugging enemies?"

"Hey, that's fine by me!" said Athelstan. "The way I see it, the less enemies, the better!"

Marissa continued to stand there in shock. Daisy did not do anything hostile to her. She just hugged her. For as vulnerable as Daisy was, Marissa did not try to harm her. Judging by Marissa's expression, some of the Kruna wondered if she had gone comatose.

Osiris grimaced in disgust and crossed his arms in front of his chest. The Kruna Yura watched as his wings expanded and stretched out several times their original size. Marissa saw his attack developing in the range of her vision and broke from her shock-induced trance, recognizing the move as Angel's Judgment.

"Look out!" Marissa yelped.

Grabbing onto Daisy, Marissa burst off the ground and into the air. The others followed her lead and hurried away from Osiris, who turned his enlarged wings up and slammed them onto the ground. Though his wings just barely missed the Kruna Yura, he caught some of them with the intermittent magic energy that pulsed out from the point of impact. The emitted discs of power stayed close to the ground; but Bowser, Athelstan, Ramona, Neva, and Andrew all mistimed their jumps and took multiple jarring hits. Power pulses continued pumping out of Osiris's wings until he finally retracted them, at which point they returned to their normal size.

"I hate that move so much," grumbled Marissa. "Before I could fly, that was a dreadful attack to have to avoid."

Floating back down following Osiris's Angel's Judgment, Marissa set Daisy on the ground. Daisy let go of her and glanced at each of her felled teammates as they painfully returned to their feet. Only Warra and Marut had avoided all of Angel's Judgment, and Marut had the Furaito to keep him afloat and safe.

"I...I don't remember anyone hugging me..." mumbled Marissa. "I'm trying to think back...but I can't remember. Is this...is this awkward?"

"It's only as awkward as you make it," said Daisy. "Now c'mon, buddy! Are you all in with us or what? I'm not abouta kiss you if that's what ya need! I'll just have to get Warra or Athelstan to fill in for me if I gotta do that!"

"Oh no – that's quite alright," Marissa quickly said. "I'm with you. And...thank you."

"Awesome!" Daisy replied. "Now, how about we take this demon angel down already? Fight him like how you fought against us! Be a hero again!"

Marissa gave a slow nod, her gaze wide-open and intensely serious. "Daisy...Even though I can't right what I've done...I'll...I will do the best I can here for you and your friends."


	80. Chapter LXXX

Fragment of a Soul – Part I:

As the Kruna Yura and Marissa gathered together in the surreal Final Destination, the Alkemei Ankh – Master Pendant – lit up pink in tandem with a surge of power flow around Osiris. The intensity of the energy increased over time until it reached a maximal charge, at which point the energy died down and infused into the False Angel Demon God. Just seconds later, the Ankh's glow turned dim as a sign of its sustained low-level activation. None of the Kruna Yura knew of what the Master Pendant's powers could do without Osiris's influence.

"What just happened?" asked Marut. "The dude charged up, but now there's nothing?"

"He recharged his power," said Marissa. "That's one of the functions of the true, untainted Master Pendant. As an Alkemei without him sealed inside of it, it can multiply the user's energy reserves roughly tenfold. Their life force will never deplete as long as they wear the pendant, and they can restore life force and heal others, live or dead, if their body and soul both remain intact. They can even donate their own energy and life force to create new, sentient souls; and then they can draw power and matter from the stars or the elements to create new bodies for the souls. That's all stuff he used against my team."

"It can do all that?" said Neva. "How come you never seemed pressed to get it for yourself?"

"Because I knew it wouldn't do me any good," said Marissa. "It is, without question, the master of all the Alkemei, sure. Whoever holds it possesses limitless power; but because he was sealed inside of it, all of its powers belonged to him and not whoever wore it. That's something I learned over the years in watching that pendant. Throughout the ages, there has been no shortage of idiots who think they'll be the ones in control if they take it – when in actuality, they'd be giving up control."

"So he really had to have had conscious awareness of everything that happened to this point..." murmured Warra.

Marissa palmed her head over and over. "I just couldn't figure out how he could have had such a scope of consciousness and influence when we sealed him. _Imperfect seal_ – that never came close to crossing my mind..."

"Do those Ankh powers mean we literally can't kill him at all?" asked Bowser.

"Not unless we strip him of it," said Marissa. "But even if we do, he'll just resurrect himself if he dies. Pendant or not, this is going to be difficult either way."

Osiris thrust his free hand up and drew a dozen Hemo Orbs from his chest The moment after he slung six of the bloody magic spheroids at the elemental wielders, he teleported directly behind them and released the other six. While Neva, Bowser, Ramona, and Andrew blasted the Hemo Orbs coming from the front, Marissa whipped around and swiped a sweeping energized Iaido slash with her scepter to counteract the Hemo Orbs behind the group.

After witnessing Marissa's band of power defend against his oozing red and black projectiles, Osiris teleported to the left of the assembled elemental wielders. From there, the Demon God began the transformation into the weaponized goat head for his Hell Blade technique. The nine elemental wielders scattered and spread out to give themselves more room to dodge the speedy attack for when it came. As Osiris prepared his Hell Blade, Marissa readied a technique of her own.

"Let's get it off of him anyways," said Neva. "That oughta make this fight winnable."

"This fight's totally winnable as it is," said Daisy. "What are you talkin' about?"

"It's totally not easy!" snapped Neva. "What are _you_ talkin' about?"

"If it's like any other Alkemei now, then we just have to restrain him long enough for one of us to pull it off," said Bowser.

Hell Blade fully formed, Osiris flew straight at Daisy. The blade of his goat head just missed the Nova Form earth wielder, who had made an acrobatic jumping twist that cleared her out of Osiris's line of travel. Osiris breezed past Daisy and slowed to a stop almost as soon as he missed her. Daisy turned around to try and attack, but she instead saw a Dream Shuriken from Marissa bash into Hell Blade Osiris and launch the grisly goat head into a scrambling aerial tumble complete with a horrid demonic groan.

"Yo! Nice one!" shouted Daisy.

Osiris reverted back to normal out of the Hell Blade and teleported to a point far away from the Kruna Yura. "I can tell I can not take you lightly any longer."

The Master Pendant flashed a brilliant pink glow. With a large portion of power he generated from the Alkemei and himself, Osiris pushed the Ankh into full activation. His energy amplified, now flowing in and out of the grand Alkemei in a manner akin to a heartbeat.

"I think that last hit might have pissed him off a bit," said Andrew.

"Oh man, what's he gonna do now?" Neva grumbled.

"I've got a real bad feeling about this," said Warra.

"Daisy, this won't make much of an impact on the fight, but there's something you should know," said Marissa. "I mean, if you haven't already figured out what it is. Your Orianthi is actually a precursor to his Ankh. It was made before the Master Pendant and intended to actually be the Master Pendant, but its powers are incomplete and imperfect. That's why it's only capable of reanimation. What we are about to witness now, I'm sure, is the true extent of what the Master Blacksmiths originally intended the Orianthi to be."

"That makes me feel more comfortable about wearing this," said Daisy. "Of course, I can't really do anything with it here because there's nothing dead for me to take control of!"

"If something happens to me, you have full permission to do what you must with my body," said Warra.

"Oh c'mon, don't talk like that!" replied Daisy. "That's going into worst-case scenario territory! We're all getting out of here alive!"

"Somehow, I hope," mumbled Ramona.

Marissa pulled back a hand to charge a Death Beam. "Gotta time this right..."

Osiris blasted a veritable portion of his power at one of the ice tiles in the transparent floor. Ice, frost, and snow rushed out from the targeted tile to meet and mix with Osiris's power. The conjoined mass of energy and ice elementals then floated near Osiris in response to the simple beckoning gesture he made. Osiris drew trace amounts of elements from the other seven types of octagonal pads in the clear floor and directed them into the now white and light blue glowing mass of power and ice. Before long, and with the Master Pendant's influence, the collection of matter and energy began to take form.

On display for all to see, a winged yoshi materialized and came to be. The periwinkle-colored yoshi opened his eyes and began to breathe under his own will. As he tested out his ice abilities, Osiris repeated the process with his Ankh to create a second being. This time, he made a stone tile the primary elemental source. A koopa in a brown, tan, and yellow version of Osiris's uniform took shape and seemed just as confused as the yoshi next to him.

Rapidly shifting her gaze back and forth between the yoshi and koopa for a split second, Marissa shot off her death beam at the latter of the two newly formed beings. The koopa saw it coming and sidestepped in time to avoid it. The subsequent Death Beam Marissa fired met an icy exhale from the yoshi. Though the Death Beam still burned through the ice, the attack had no success once the yoshi tail-whipped it in a deflective effort.

"Damn, so much for the infancy stage," mumbled Marissa.

"You have been born and brought forth for a sole purpose," Osiris said to the yoshi and koopa. "Given the circumstances, your brain and mind share the development of mine. So, we don't have to waste time. You understand why you are here."

The yoshi and the koopa both nodded. Turning back around to face the Kruna and Marissa, the yoshi and koopa readied their elemental energies. The koopa hopped onto the yoshi's back and pulled out several rocks from the nearest of Final Destination's stone tiles.

"I gots to be tripping right now," murmured Marut. "This dude literally created a yoshi and a koopa?!"

"And they seem to have at least some awareness of what's going on," added Bowser. "I'd say that's the more surprising thing."

"Osiris has carried over his intelligence into the life he has created," said Marissa.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Neva.

"It means we don't have to wait years for them to learn how to move or sing their ABC's," Marissa said as the yoshi finished encasing all of the koopa's raised rocks in ice.

"More importantly, it means they have feelings and emotions," said Daisy. "They're like us. We shouldn't have to fight them. Maybe we can get them to help us out instead of Osiris?"

Through a combined effort, the yoshi and koopa flung their frozen rocks at the Kruna and Marissa. Ramona put up a thick screen of light in front of the group, and Marut fortified the defense with his Dome Rotation. Thanks to Marut's technique slowing down the several dozens of iced over stones coming at them, none of the projectiles had enough velocity to bust through Ramona's light shield. As the last of the iced rocks fell to the ground in front of the Kruna, Marut cut off his Dome Rotation to give Bowser a lane to breathe a fireball at the yoshi and koopa duo. In spite of the fireball's huge size and density, the yoshi stuck out his tongue and devoured the whole burst.

"Insta-Beam incoming!" Marissa screamed.

The witch and all of the Kruna spread and scattered. Osiris appeared and released his sword's super fast pink and black beam at Daisy, though he missed just as he had missed several times already with the move. Seeing as how the Kruna knew what to expect of the surprise tactic at this point, Osiris did not attempt to chain together subsequent Insta-Beam attempts. He instead teleported far away from the Kruna and stayed put.

"If we're going to keep getting attacks from those two and from him, we've got a problem," said Warra.

"We've got more of a problem if he's gonna sit there and create more people!" Andrew yelled. He took off in a hurried sprint at Osiris, forming a Shadow Ripper as he went.

"Andrew, wait!" shouted Neva.

"No, he's got the right idea," said Warra. "The less Osiris creates, the less we have to kill."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "What was that last part you just said?"

"We're going to have to kill the yoshi and the koopa both," said Warra. "And if Osiris makes more people, we'll have to kill them too."

"Hold on – dude!" snapped Daisy. "You're getting way too dramatic and drastic now!"

"No. I'm being decisive," said Warra, forming two water bullets. "They're born enemies, they side with Osiris, and Osiris can bring the world to ruin. He will if he wins. We can't let that happen, whatever it takes. Hesitation will lead to failure."

Daisy dashed right in front of Warra to occlude his view of the yoshi and koopa. "No man, they're just like us! However they came into the world, they're people too! We can't just kill them!"

A hefty canon of frost and snow barreled at the Kruna from the yoshi. Bowser, Neva, and Ramona counteracted the incoming attack with bursts of their own elements. Athelstan shot off rounds from his Stone Launcher to clash with the rocks that the stone wielder koopa hurled their way.

Osiris eased to the side and out of the way when Andrew leapt and swiped his Shadow Ripper at him. With a quick charge of his Life Sword, Osiris threw out several slashes at the Kruna of Shadow. All of them forced Andrew into backtracking evasion and came very close to cutting into him. Only his agility kept him from enduring any of the eleven swings Osiris made with his sword.

"You're real gutsy thinking you can take me on by yourself," Osiris spat out.

Just when Osiris thought he had executed a successful stab of his Life Sword into Andrew, the tool fazed through him. Andrew's Alkemei Fwin gave him the intangibility that kept him from enduring any sort of damage from Osiris's move and also opened up a chance for him to land a critical hit through a hard pound of his still active Shadow Ripper. Despite the brute force behind Andrew's attack, the hit Osiris endured had no effect on the koopa or the yoshi that he had created.

"Those two aren't going away unless we make them go away," Warra said to Daisy.

"Incoming from the air!" Bowser yelled.

The yoshi had taken flight through the use of his wings to propel himself and his koopa rider over the Final Destination battlefield, raining down frost bursts from out of his mouth while the koopa summoned rocks from the various scattered stone tiles, consolidated them into boulders, and dropped them from above like bombs. Their frantic flurry forced the Kruna and Marissa into hasty evasion, though Warra, Athelstan, Ramona, and Daisy all got hit in the process from the sheer amount of chaos the yoshi-koopa duo produced.

While the others dealt with Osiris's yoshi and koopa, Andrew faced down Osiris himself. The Kruna of Shadow already had a mass of dark energy gathering around his enclosed left fist, but he stalled his offense. Osiris still had not bounced back from Andrew's Shadow Ripper hit. In fact, for all intents and purposes, Andrew's attack had felled the Demon God. Osiris had his sword-wielding hand propping himself up on a foot and a knee, and his free right hand clutched at the hole in his chest. Ironically enough, Andrew had landed his Shadow Ripper on Osiris's abdomen and not at the exposed, leaking chest hole.

Andrew crackled the dark power gathered in his fist. If Osiris did not do anything soon, Andrew was intent on attacking the Demon God. Even as Andrew waited there, Osiris could have been healing the damage he endured. Still, Osiris did not seem focused on Andrew or on the hit the Kruna of Shadow had dealt him. Osiris continued clutching at the hole in his chest, not even paying any attention to the back and forth the Kruna and Marissa maintained against his ice wielder yoshi and stone wielder koopa.

 _Did I actually hit him that hard?_ Andrew wondered.

Osiris grunted, now clutching at his head instead of his chest. The more time passed, the more the other Kruna got a chance to glance in Andrew's direction amid the hailstorm of rocks and ice the yoshi-koopa duo blitzed with from above.

"Andrew's got Osiris down!" cheered Ramona, dancing around a falling rock. "Is he waiting for us?"

"We can't do any sort of seal until we get these two off of our backs!" snapped Bowser. He hurled a pair of fireballs into the air at the flying yoshi and the koopa rider as Marut chased the duo down.

"How could he have possibly downed Osiris by himself?" Marissa said under her breath. "And so quickly at that..."

 _Okay, I've given this guy enough of a grace period_ , thought Andrew. Doubling the density of the dark power in his fist, he rushed down Osiris and slugged him across his face. The Demon God rolled along the ground and maneuvered back to his feet off of his momentum, teleporting away just as Andrew dashed at him in an attempt to combo. When Osiris reappeared at a distance much closer to the other Kruna Yura, his Alkemei Ankh glowed once more.

"Oh no, I don't think so!" Andrew yelled. A quick charge and release of two shadow blasts seemed like an effective way of getting to Osiris from afar, but not when defensive blood eruptions shot out from Osiris's chest to counter each incoming attack.

"I didn't think any life the Master Pendant created would have so much power to work with!" Athelstan said as he propelled incoming boulders back at the flying yoshi-koopa duo.

"Osiris has a lot of power to work with, so of course these guys would be tough," said Marissa. "And I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with more enemies soon. He's got that pendant active again."

Marut landed by Daisy, Marissa, Ramona, and Athelstan with his Dragon Bladestaff fully charged. "We're gonna have to kill them, aren't we?"

"We can't!" Daisy snapped.

The streams of fire torpedoes making up Bowser's Tavado clashed with ice and rock overhead. From their spread positions, Warra and Neva countered the next wave of masses the yoshi-koopa duo sent down. Marissa released two separate, extended Berserker Star attacks skyward out of her hands, and Marut scored a hit on the flying yoshi through the swift and speedy lightning strike he produced from his bladestaff.

As the yoshi fell out of the air, Daisy tracked him from underneath. She leapt and caught the yoshi, though the koopa rider bailed and tried to get away. The moment she noticed the stone wielder koopa making a break for it, she twisted her body and executed a backwards aerial somersault from which she threw the yoshi out of at him. Though the initial trajectory on Daisy's throw of the yoshi missed the koopa, the yoshi ended up flying into the koopa anyways when he angled his body and momentum around to try and gain control of himself. As soon as they landed, the yoshi and koopa met the hard wall of water making up Warra's Aquavado.

Andrew tried to smash an elbow down on Osiris when he jumped at the Demon God, only for Osiris to teleport far out of melee reach. The Kruna of Shadow's beastly momentum came to an abrupt stop as his hands and forearms touched onto the floor before his feet did. Andrew could have easily had a counter come from Osiris, yet none came. In fact, Osiris seemed too preoccupied with himself.

Though Osiris had his Ankh active with the intention of creating new life, he hesitated and found himself again more concerned with something straining him. He failed to put the amount of focus needed into extending his power outward from his body for the Ankh to work with. Soon, he started groaning and cringing.

"No! Let me handle this!" Osiris growled.

Andrew shifted one side of his mouth up in confusion. "I know you ain't talking to me, right?"

Osiris ignored Andrew despite the Kruna of Shadow slowly closing the distance between them. The Demon God seemed so distracted, Andrew wondered if he should even try to attack again. Instead, a string of water bullets struck Osiris dead in his head and in the hole in his chest. All eyes went to Warra, including the yoshi-koopa duo who had ice and rock hovering around them for an attack they then put on hold.

"You're supposed to be attacking him, Andrew," said Warra, forming a wave of water. "Why all of a sudden, you're _not_ attacking?"

"Because something's not right with the guy!" Andrew responded. "Can't you tell?"

"He could still be healing at this very moment," Warra said. "If you're not going to do what we're supposed to, then stand aside and let me handle this."

Channeling the gathered water around his Tidal Swordstaff, Warra dashed across the Final Destination floor at the still struggling and distracted Demon God. The yoshi and koopa took aim and launched their ice and stone at Warra, only for the flame explosion of Marissa's Mystic Combustion to cut the projectiles off as Warra ran on.

"Oh, that was totally nice, Marissa!" cheered Daisy.

"I was actually gonna use it on them," said Marissa. "But then they shot their stuff at your water wielder there, so I had to make a change really quick."

Warra skidded to a stop with more water accumulating around his swordstaff from nearby water pads. Utilizing substantial compression right before firing, Warra let loose a fierce stream of highly pressurized water straight at Osiris, who was too distracted to even put up his blood defense. Warra's aim forced his water into the hole in Osiris's chest. Not long after initial contact, the water stream opened up and expanded into a whole column that Warra put extra power and force behind.

"Hold on, Warra – that's too much!" shouted Daisy.

"Man, talk about an oversized water jet cutter!" said Athelstan.

Andrew had an up-close view of the sudden carnage Warra dealt on Osiris all the way through the course of the attack. By the time the modified Aquavado blast ended, it had gouged out Osiris's chest hole, doubling its circumference. Osiris's body collapsed onto the floor soon after, his energy signature fading altogether.

"He may have just killed Osiris," Marissa said. "Um...strike that. He did."

"That does us no good, does it?" said Bowser.

"Nope," said Marissa. "It's only a matter of time before he revives himself. And he'll be at full health and power too – excluding the two hex injuries, anyways."

The yoshi and koopa Osiris had created went on the offensive again, this time with a more aggressive offensive. The yoshi formed a hammer constructed entirely of ice, and the koopa pulled together a stone mallet. The two then split and ran at the group of Kruna with their battering elements up and at the ready to strike.

"Aw man, you guys seriously just need to back off!" Marut snapped. The gale force gust he blew at the yoshi and the koopa pushed them both away like tumbleweeds.

"Look, if these guys aren't gonna stop, then we need to just off 'em," Neva said as she and Bowser gathered near the main group of their teammates.

"No, we're not doing that!" barked Daisy.

Neva sucked her teeth. "C'mon, man! Nobody knows what's going on here, do they? At least if we have to kill, no one's gonna know about it. I'm not saying I'm itching for us to kill or that I like the idea. I'm just being straight here."

The yoshi and koopa again came sprinting at the Kruna and Marissa, but blasts of shadow and water from Andrew and Warra caught them both in the backs and put them on the floor before they got close. True to Marissa's word, a second Osiris materialized near the deceased corpse of the first one as the yoshi and koopa got up to resume their offensive attempt. Marissa pelted the attacking duo with her Berserker Star to again keep them at bay, but the Kruna now had their attention directed at Osiris, who oddly still seemed just as distressed and anguished as he was when Warra killed him. In fact, Osiris might have actually appeared worse.

"I wouldn't have died if it weren't for you!" Osiris snapped. His remark drew surprise from the other Kruna and Marissa, both because of the statement itself as well as because he had not directed it towards anyone.

The yoshi and koopa were slow to get up, but they seemed as though they possessed the same unease that Marissa and the Kruna Yura did. Now, Osiris's torment without an apparent source frightened the yoshi-koopa duo. Osiris raised his feet off the floor, again hunching over and clutching his eternally injured chest.

Warra gasped, suddenly realizing the Ankh was attached to the deceased Osiris body. "Shoot!"

Just as Warra made a move for the dead Osiris body, the live Osiris teleported to the corpse and stripped it of the Ankh. Both Andrew and Warra tried to attack Osiris, only for the Demon God to teleport away before the Kruna of Shadow's elbow or the Kruna of Water's foot could strike him. Warra and Andrew instead crashed into and fell on top of one another while Osiris reappeared in the air above the battlefield floor and equipped the Ankh.

"Dudes! You just let him fake you out like that?" Marut shouted at the two downed Kruna.

"Admittedly, I should've expected something like that," mumbled Warra.

"Okay, yeah, great – can you just hurry up and get off me?!" snapped Andrew.

The Alkemei Ankh once more activated, its pink glow illuminating around Osiris's neck just as it did earlier. Its activation did not ease Osiris's distress, and it may have actually worsened it. The violent cringing of his body increased in tandem with a brightening of the Ankh's glow.

"Just let me do this!" Osiris grunted out. "I'm the one fighting here! Go back to sleep!"

"This is so screwed," said Marut.

"If he's distracted, maybe we oughta get in formation for an Elemental Seal," said Daisy.

"There's a chance he sees you preparing it and gets the Ankh up in defense," said Marissa. "Then the seal would react with the Ankh and we'd be right back to where we were before today in regards to Osiris being trapped in another imperfect seal that he'd eventually be able to manipulate again. If you're gonna seal him away, seal him away for good. Disarm him of the Ankh first. Otherwise, you're just passing on your problems to the generation that will come ages into the future."

"You mean like you did?" said Neva.

"None of us had any idea our seal was imperfect," said Marissa. "We didn't mean for him to get sealed in the Master Pendant! We were just trying to get rid of him, and we didn't think the seal that actually came to be would weaken."

"No! I'm not creating that!" Osiris snapped. "Leave it alone!"

Warra and Andrew finished untangling themselves from each other in time to catch a chilling development. The Master Pendant's glow transitioned from pink to one of a purple-black meld reminiscent of darkness. It was as if Andrew had it on and active instead of Osiris; because as far as anyone knew, the demonic angel possessed no shadow powers.

Osiris let out a bloodcurdling scream as an aura of black and purple formed around his body along with his usual pink energy and flowed into the Ankh. The combined black, purple, and pink mass of power then shot out of the Ankh's gem in a beam-like manner at a nearby shadow pad in the clear Final Destination floor. Darkness erupted out of the shadow pad and fused with the energy coming from the Ankh to give birth to a new life form. Unlike with the creation of the yoshi and the koopa, the Ankh did not pull elements from the other seven types of pads in the transparent ground of Final Destination aside from a small amount of earth and stone.

The power flow through the Ankh soon cut off, leaving a mass of darkness in front of and just offset Osiris. The little bit of earth and stone had formed into a set of purple and gold armor adorned with a silver and gold cape and a silver and purple mask. A spiky, flowing, pure black mane made entirely of darkness formed in and over the mask, and all the shadow power and darkness surrounding the being compressed to fit into a sphere-like shape comparable to Neva's short stature underneath the armor and cape. As dark wisps flickered around the new life form, a portion of its shadow power solidified into a sword made entirely of darkness.

The being appeared to hold its Dark Blade through advanced elemental or telepathic means, for no part of its body had any contact with it when it slashed the weapon down in front of itself. It then waved its Dark Blade in a circle before pointing it at the group of Kruna with Marissa. A ghastly, toneless shriek roared from the shadow being, paired with an uptick in the flow of purple and black wisps around its form.

"No way..." murmured Marissa. "How did he... No way..."

"What?" asked Daisy. "What just happened? What's up with that shadow thing?"

"It's Dark Matter," said Marissa.

While Osiris clawed his free hand at his head in elevating anguish, the yoshi and koopa he created turned and ran away from the battle scene. Dark Matter keyed in on the two trying to escape and flew at them with its Dark Blade in stabbing position. As Dark Matter neared the yoshi and koopa, it increased its flying speed and fed more power into its Dark Blade until it rammed into and penetrated the yoshi's back for a gruesome, lethal strike.

Without even stopping to take a gander at the result of its stab, Dark Matter tried the same maneuver on the koopa. To the koopa's credit, he retreated into his shell and spun out of the way. The red orbs that flew out from under Dark Matter's armor just seconds later were not as easy to dodge. The orbs homed in on the koopa and curved back at him after he tried to slip away again.

The koopa ricocheted off the floor as each of the six red orbs pounded him one at a time. Only after the last orb struck did his body come to a rest on the ground. Forcing more power into its weapon, Dark Matter flew at the koopa again as the poor stone wielder tried to return to his feet. Before the koopa could even finish getting up, he felt Dark Matter's Dark Blade impale him in his neck. A vicious pull of its weapon jerked the koopa into a final drop to the floor.

Dark Matter had showed no restraint in dispatching the fleeing yoshi and koopa duo. Not paying any more mind to its handiwork, Dark Matter refocused its attention towards the Kruna Yura and Marissa. Sword across its body, Dark Matter began to drift back in their direction.


	81. Chapter LXXXI

Fragment of a Soul – Part II:

As Osiris's condition continued to deteriorate in audible torment and visible strain, Dark Matter closed in on the Kruna Yura and Marissa. Warra and Andrew, the only two of the Kruna separated from the group and near Osiris, seemed more alarmed with the hovering Demon God than the thing he brought to life through the Alkemei Ankh. Osiris no longer even had his Life Sword active, now clutching at both the hole in his chest and his emptied right eye socket. There still had been no explanation for Osiris's distressed instability that only worsened with time.

"Warra, did that use of the Master Pendant seem at all 'forced' to you?" asked Andrew.

"His use of shadow when he had not used it at all before just now is more disconcerting, I believe," said Warra.

Given how close to the Final Destination floor Osiris was in his aerial hover, Warra and Andrew had an opportunity to attack him. Because of Osiris's increasingly unstable state, he seemed vulnerable to an offensive. Still, he could easily defend or teleport away if Warra or Andrew made a move. However, that would only be an issue if Osiris still even had any conscious awareness of the world around him. Neither of the two Kruna could tell if he did or not.

With Dark Matter nearing attack range, Nova Daisy called forth elementals from the scattered earth pads in the transparent Final Destination floor. The other Kruna with her followed suit with their respective elements, and Marissa pulled out her Dominion Scepter to ready her Burning Magic Attack. Their combined show of power did nothing to deter Dark Matter or even slow its progression towards them.

"I can't believe we're _still_ fighting," Neva grumbled with a pout.

Ramona brushed a portion of her hair out of her eyes. "It'll all be over soon, I hope."

"I don't think I've ever felt something so... _evil_ before," murmured Bowser.

Marut suppressed a shudder and ramped up the charge in his Gust Boomerangs. "I swear, this is so screwed. How did we get to this point, again?"

Dark Matter amplified the power running through its Dark Blade as it got near and flew around the group in a full, wide circle. Coming out of its wheeling flight, Dark Matter lunged at the Kruna with the same velocity and deliberate intent that it had behind its fatal stabs on the yoshi and the koopa that Osiris had created. Quick sidesteps and dodges got all six of the gathered Kruna and Marissa out of the way of Dark Matter's thrusting dive; but Dark Matter then immediately reversed course and swept through the group again. Athelstan's defensive swordstaff swing clashed with Dark Matter's Dark Blade and pushed Dark Matter up into the air over the group.

Slowing its momentum, Dark Matter rained down a flurry of shadow bullets from its Dark Blade. Except for Marissa, who stood behind the light shield Ramona erected, the group used the elements they had gathered for defense against the dozens of shots Dark Matter pumped out. At the conclusion of its spray-fire attack, Dark Matter lowered its altitude and then again circled around the Kruna and Marissa.

Stepping out from Ramona's shield, Marissa launched her Burning Magic Attack. The red, sparkling magic orb with purple tendrils rushed ahead with a wicked leftward curve that flew in the opposite direction of Dark Matter's circling pattern. Just a couple of seconds later, Dark Matter careened its flight right into the Burning Magic Attack. Daisy tried to jump and get a kick in on Dark Matter while it was still shrugging off the hitstun, but the embodiment of darkness eased out of the way just in time. It swept its Dark Blade at Daisy as she dropped back to the floor, only missing because of the fireball that slammed into it and screwed with its swing.

Daisy made a soft landing, unharmed. "Thanks for the save, Bowser!"

"Might need a _lot_ more saves with the way that thing attacks," said Bowser. And again, Dark Matter resumed its circular hover around the Kruna and Marissa.

"Come on, Andrew," Warra said. "Leave him and let's go give the others some help. That shadow creature might be a bigger problem than Osiris."

"Actually, I think I've got a better idea," Andrew replied, taking off in a sprint at Osiris.

"Oh no – whatever it is, don't try it!" shouted Warra.

Andrew lunged at Osiris and tackled him to the ground. Even with all of his weight on Osiris, Andrew still felt the panicking jerking of the demonic angel's body underneath him. Shaking his head, Warra ran over to help Andrew immobilize Osiris.

"Hold still, damn it!" grunted Andrew.

Though Dark Matter did not possess world-class speed, its smooth and fluid movement was more than deceptive enough. In switching up its flight patterns around the Kruna and Marissa, its moderately-paced aerial agility seemed almost as difficult to track as the motion blur Marissa used earlier. As it soared overhead of the group, it raised its Dark Blade and charged a shadow orb on its tip.

Dark Matter flung several of the orbs at the Kruna in rapid succession once it distanced itself from the elemental wielders. Its orbs practically floated towards the Kruna and Marissa, but the orbs' sizes proved to be many times larger than its spray of shadow bullets. The moment Neva shot an ice arrow at one of the orbs, it exploded and blasted the elemental wielders back under a light concussive effect. Because of the range of the concussion radius, the other orbs also exploded. And while the Kruna and Marissa hit the ground, Dark Matter had already gone into motion far out to their right side.

The Kruna and Marissa hurried to their feet as they saw Dark Matter swoop in at them with its Dark Blade slashing all around its body at anyone and anything it neared in its path of flight. Dark Matter clipped Athelstan, Bowser, and Marissa with its shadow weapon on the first dive. The shadowed entity then rose high into the air and turned around for another slashing drop, this time with more ferocity behind its swipes. Though all of the elemental wielders there slipped out of the way and evaded, they did not need any more evidence to know for sure that Dark Matter was out for blood.

Osiris now had Andrew sitting on top of him and Warra pinning down both of his wrists. The Demon God's movement had not entirely stopped, but it stayed subdued enough for the two Kruna to maintain control over him. And yet, Osiris almost seemed like he did not even know of his current restrained state.

"Warra, I'm gonna need ya to hose me down after this," said Andrew.

"Just hurry up before he tries to do something to force us off," said Warra.

Andrew reached for Osiris's neck and undid the Master Pendant from under his cringing face. Ankh now in his grasp, Andrew got up off of Osiris. Warra then let go of the Demon God's arms and backed away with his shadow teammate. As the two Kruna distanced themselves from Osiris, they noticed his body spasms worsen alongside the pained, agonized grunting and screaming escaping him.

Andrew fastened the Ankh onto his belt once more like he did before. "Alright – _now_ we can go help out the others."

"Provided Osiris doesn't need help right now," said Warra. "Let's go."

Not two seconds had passed after Warra and Andrew turned around when Osiris teleported in front of them and cut them off. Though still noticeably struggling, he thrust a hand up and summoned two separate quartets of Hemo Orbs from his chest. Warra and Andrew leapt backwards to clear themselves from the orbs as they spun around Osiris all the way up to his fingers.

"Give...me...the Ankh..." grunted Osiris. "Give it to me! Right now!"

Andrew activated his Fwin. "Nah, see, I also have a better idea for this."

Just as Osiris got set to hurl his Hemo Orbs, Andrew dashed at him. Osiris expected an easy string of connections when he sent four of his orbs at Andrew, but the Kruna of Shadow literally ran right through them. Andrew then dashed straight through Osiris and sped up towards Dark Matter.

When Osiris turned around to launch the rest of his Hemo Orbs at Andrew, Warra jammed a Focus Palm into the Demon God's back. Stunned, Osiris lost control of his remaining Hemo Orbs. The orbs scattered in random directions as Warra hurried past Osiris, whose turmoil had temporarily ceased. But once Osiris regained feeling in his body, the severity of his plight reached an all-time high.

As Andrew and Warra rushed towards their teammates, they saw Dark Matter circling around the others with a rapid-fire of shadow bullets pumping off the tip of its Dark Blade. Marut had his Dome Rotation up around the group to deflect the incoming bullets, but his defensive technique soon fizzled out. Without anything protecting its targets, Dark Matter shots swarmed and pelted the Kruna and Marissa. The speedy rate of fire at which Dark Matter released its shots and Dark Matter's otherworldly flight motion combined to make for an overwhelming offensive that cut down the gathered elemental wielders with ease.

After felling all of its tired and drained targets, Dark Matter prepped its Dark Blade for another vicious thrusting assault. But before Dark Matter launched ahead, it felt a shadow burst knock it in its back. Dark Matter turned around and shifted just in time to avoid the water blast that followed. With Dark Matter's attention now on Andrew and Warra, the other Kruna and Marissa got a chance to force themselves back to their feet for the umpteenth time in the past several hours. They were running on fumes, and Andrew and Warra did not have much more power left than they did.

Dark Matter, however, had plenty of energy to use. Its Dark Blade charged up, it soared at Andrew and Warra in a slashing frenzy. Warra leapt over Dark Matter and its barbaric sword swings, and Andrew sidestepped out of the way when Dark Matter angled its flight at him. As Dark Matter flew by, Andrew rifled a shadow burst into its back. Almost immediately after sustaining the hit, Dark Matter withdrew and pulled back into the air overhead of the two Kruna.

"This thing's going for the kill right away, huh?" said Andrew.

Raising its Dark Blade, Dark Matter siphoned its power through the shaft to prepare more of the concussive dark orbs that it had previously fired at the others. Dark Matter's rare absence of movement presented an opportunity, but Warra had a feeling that the shadowed entity would either move or release its still charging attack early. Because of that, Warra got an arm up in front of Andrew when the Kruna of Shadow took a few steps towards Dark Matter. And though Warra had intended for them to wait for Dark Matter's attack, none came.

Instead, a light burst struck Dark Matter in its side and disrupted its charging move altogether. Dark Matter directed its attention to the other Kruna and focused on the light wielder responsible for the blast, who did not fire a second burst. Considering the low amount of power she had remaining, Ramona did not want to waste any on an attack that Dark Matter would likely float around.

The moment Andrew noticed Dark Matter fly in Ramona's direction, he flared a monstrous amount of dark power in his hands and sidearmed it at the sentient mass of shadows. Dark Matter let out a pained grunt when Andrew's blast hit it, but the attack did not bring down the shadowed entity. With a raise of its cape, Dark Matter roared as a large eye with a piercing red pupil opened up on its spherical black body. The eye looked as angry as it did sinister.

A dense amount of shadow power gathered around Dark Matter's eye. The next thing anyone knew, a streaky shadow burst structured in a similar way to lightning shot out of Dark Matter's iris and struck Andrew dead on. Before Warra got off the water bullets he had created, Dark Matter zapped him with the same move the very next second after it had scored a hit on Andrew. A quick charge later, Andrew and Warra both got hit with two more of the painful attacks. The earth, rocks, and flames Daisy, Athelstan, and Bowser launched at Dark Matter missed as the shadowed being circled around the two downed Kruna.

When Dark Matter stopped its momentum, it raised its Dark Blade and aimed its point at Andrew. The power flowing through and around Dark Matter's Dark Blade doubled, its high reserves of energy showing a stark contrast between itself and the depleted Kruna Yura and demon witch. In anticipation of Dark Matter's next move, Neva gasped and dropped her Blizzard Bladestaff in a frantic, hasty sprint for Andrew.

"Neva! What are you doing?!" Ramona shouted.

Daisy's mouth drifted wide open, her focus on her Seismic Wave preparation fading. Andrew had no defense for when Dark Matter pulled up and dove into a sweeping thrust of its Dark Blade. For what transpired next, frozen silence and shock overtook all who witnessed.

Neva dove at just the right moment, her body flying in front of Andrew as Dark Matter charged at him. The piercing feeling she felt through the base of her neck dulled her senses to everything, including the fatal injury she sustained from Dark Matter's stab. Dark Matter pushed Neva over Andrew and jerked her off of its blade, sending her into a bloodied roll along the transparent floor. Andrew and Warra both got their heads up in time to see Neva's body come to a rest face-up and away from everyone; including Osiris, who now floated in the air as if traumatized into paralysis.

Andrew sprang to his feet and ran towards Neva, only for Dark Matter to lower its hover and encircle him with its Dark Blade up and charging as he went. When Dark Matter came back to the front of Andrew and positioned itself to strike, the Kruna of Shadow snapped.

"GET LOST!" Andrew screamed. In a near instant, he generated his Shadow Ripper. Dark Matter thrust itself and its energy sword at Andrew, yet the Kruna of Shadow somehow shifted out of the way of the rapid, up-close impale attempt. The moment Dark Matter got behind him, Andrew twisted his body and whipped his Shadow Ripper into the entity of darkness. The raw force behind his attack alone notched a critical hit on Dark Matter and granted him free passage to Neva while the sentient shadow being reeled with spasms.

Andrew knelt at Neva's side and got his arms under her to prop her up off the ground. Aside from futile attempts at breathing, she was completely unresponsive to him and the world around her. As the other elemental wielders gathered near them, Neva's eyes drifted to a close.

"Neva! Why did you do that!" Andrew yelled in tears.

The Kruna of Ice did not reply. The tempo of her hoarse breathing slowed with each passing second.

"Damn it, Neva!" Andrew cried. "Just snap out of it! Come on! Neva! Don't leave me! Please wake up!"

Now bouncing back from Andrew's Shadow Ripper, Dark Matter closed in on the regrouped elemental wielders and entered another circular flight pattern. With the increase in dark wisps flowing off of its body as a result of the cumulative damage done to it, Dark Matter's form appeared unstable. But even its heavily damaged state did not stop it from resuming its merciless offensive. Red orbs again flew out from under Dark Matter's cape as its lone eye glared at the Kruna and Marissa.

Athelstan had enough power left over to summon rocks and boulders from Final Destination's stone pads. He got several heaps of stones up to block against the red orbs coming at him and his teammates, the defense holding strong against the fortified projectiles. After blocking the last of the red orbs, Athelstan launched all of his rocky masses at Dark Matter. Despite its movements, Dark Matter could not avoid the wide scope of Athelstan's stone assault. And from there, the floodgates opened.

Marissa shot off a Burning Magic Attack from her charged scepter while Dark Matter sustained damage from the pounding of Athelstan's rocks. With no time to dodge or protect itself after the last of the stones crashed into it, Dark Matter took a direct and brutal hit from Marissa's careening, sparkling burst of mystic flames. Marissa's hit knocked Dark Matter close to the Final Destination floor, setting up for a speedy Crystal Kick that Daisy dished out mere seconds later. The Drill Dash Marut rammed into Dark Matter with following Daisy's attack further broke down the sentient mass of shadows.

An agile advancing spin forward led Bowser into a prime position to take up the offensive as Daisy and Marut both retreated back to the group. Fires escaped from Bowser's mouth before he even released his Super Flame Breath; and when Bowser did unleash his flaming cannon, Dark Matter took the full force of the technique. The extended fire waves of the Super Flame Breath had accumulated a wealth of damage on Dark Matter by the time it ran its course, but the entity still had life to it.

"That thing looks like it's barely even holding together now," said Athelstan. "We're so close to finishing it off."

"I bet if we can get it restrained somehow, I can deal the finishing hit," said Ramona.

"But how are we going to do that?" asked Bowser.

"Way ahead of ya!" Daisy hollered. She had activated her Orianthi and exercised the Pendant of Reanimation's ability on the koopa and the yoshi Dark Matter had killed not too long ago. Not only did she grab control over their bodies, but she had also stretched her Orianthi's influence out to the abandoned dead Osiris body from earlier. Now, the corpse of the Demon God flew at and positioned itself alongside the reanimated koopa and yoshi pair.

Daisy stepped forth in front of Bowser with her three undead bodies and pointed a finger at the floating, one-eyed shadow entity. "Destroy Dark Matter."

The lifeless yoshi, koopa, and Osiris bodies complied with Daisy's command and headed for Dark Matter. Emitting a distorted roar, Dark Matter shot out shadow bolts from its eye and scored hits on the koopa and the Osiris corpse. A second pair of shadow bolts struck the undead yoshi and stalled it long enough for Dark Matter to again power-up its Dark Blade.

Desperation evident, Dark Matter's rabid, aggressive slashing dive dismantled the reanimated stone wielder koopa into gory bits. The reanimated yoshi stuck its tongue out at Dark Matter, but the shadowed entity slipped just out of reach and swiped its extended gustatory organ clean off. One supercharged slash later out of a circular aerial drift, the yoshi collapsed onto the ground as top and bottom halves.

Daisy withdrew her influence from the destroyed yoshi and koopa bodies, but she still had one more reanimated corpse she could use. That undead body grabbed hold of Dark Matter from behind and began crushing the sentient shadow mass between its hands. Immobilized and suffering more damage to its form, Dark Matter expended as much energy around it as it could to resist the Osiris corpse's squeeze. Under the forceful crunch, Dark Matter found itself unable to do anything more with its Dark Blade other than wiggle it.

"There, that ought to do it!" Ramona said. She had charged the lion's share of her remaining power through her Luster Swordstaff, and she now took aim at the captured embodiment of darkness.

Dark Matter tried to wriggle itself free and even shot off shadow bolts out of its eye at the elemental wielders. Though Bowser got zapped, Daisy and Ramona both eased clear of the bolts that came after. The Osiris corpse increased its crushing pressure on Dark Matter and stymied subsequent attempts at shadow bolts, but Dark Matter still had one thing it could try.

The red orbs that Dark Matter grew and fired off of its body pelted the Osiris corpse. Unfortunately for Dark Matter, the undead figure holding it did not register pain. The orbs did knock the Osiris corpse back some, but they did not loosen its grip on Dark Matter.

Her light burst ready, Ramona released its bright shine from out of her swordstaff. The last thing Dark Matter saw was a luminous gold light, and then it saw nothing at all. The light beam busted straight through and exterminated the weakened Dark Matter, also burning much of the Osiris corpse's decaying organic tissue in the process.

At the conclusion of Ramona's beam of light, the Osiris corpse collapsed onto the ground as Dark Matter's remains scattered over and around it. All of Dark Matter and its Dark Blade evaporated. Only Dark Matter's armor, cape, and helmet remained. Its essence rose up over the Osiris corpse and dissipated into the ether. The Kruna Yura and Marissa then felt a bone-freezing chill around them in the moments following Dark Matter's eradication.

"That might have been the scariest thing I've ever seen," said Ramona.

Daisy deactivated her Orianthi. "Whatever that thing was, it wasn't normal."

With the sinister Dark Matter threat gone, all eyes turned to the ice wielder on the verge of death in their shadow teammate's arms. No one paid any attention to the live Demon God hovering in the air a fair distance away from them. But then again, Osiris had been too engrossed in his tormenting affliction to antagonize them. As they stared at Neva and the fatal wound on her neck, they soon came to a silent realization. In addition to losing their friend, they also lost their ability to create an Elemental Seal and consequently lost their ability to beat Osiris. However, an idea crossed Marissa's mind that could pull Neva out from the depths of death before she plummeted out of reach.

Andrew cringed, trying in vain to hold back his sobbing. So stricken with grief, Andrew did not notice the hands on his hip that undid the Master Pendant from the belt loop of his pants. Marissa wasted no time in fastening the Ankh's metal brace to her neck. As soon as its gem turned red with its pure, untainted synchronization to her, Marissa focused its powers onto Neva with all her will and intention.

His tearful eyes closed, Andrew did not notice the sparkling, ethereal mist that surrounded and rejuvenated Neva. All he could think about was the loss of someone he held so near and dear to his heart and how she sacrificed herself to save him. But soon enough, he heard a voice he thought he would never hear again.

"Hey...quit crying over me already," mumbled Neva.

As soon as he heard that vocal tone, Andrew's face lit up in utter shock. The joy the other Kruna had did not match that which filled the Kruna of Shadow, who embraced Neva as she wrapped her arms around him. The little Kruna of Ice clutched him as if she thought he would drift away if she did not hold onto him tight enough. The Ankh's power had healed the injury to her neck, restoring normal function to the area and to Neva's body as a whole.

"You did good, Marissa," Daisy said. She rested a hand on Marissa's shoulder, drawing a faint smile from the witch.

However great and relieving the moment was overall, it soon passed. Osiris once more resumed his trembling, quaking convulsions; but now, they had reached a new zenith of severity. A hair-raising, echoing scream from the Demon God grabbed everyone's attention.

"Looks like he's back at it again," murmured Warra.

"Seriously, what's the deal with that guy?" said Daisy.

Osiris suddenly shot a hand up to his mouth to cover a spontaneous outburst of blood that tried to escape from him. He hunched over and buckled in wheezing, gasping shakes. None of the Kruna had done anything to elicit the string of effects that had plagued the Demon God, and Marissa had not either. Soon, his trembling increased. To the others, it seemed like Osiris had developed a seizure. He curled his upper body in more as his head drooped, though he stayed suspended in midair.

"Don't you dare!" Osiris growled. "Stop! No more! Don't do this to me..."

Again, the Demon God seemed to be talking to no one in particular. Nobody, not even Marissa herself, had any idea as to the cause of Osiris's sudden turmoil and panic. His spasms escalated in tandem with a growing sense of fear and horror showing through his face.

As Andrew helped Neva to her feet, Marissa activated the Ankh and distributed its restorative abilities among herself and the entire group. The surreal sparkling cloud that flowed from Marissa to all the Kruna Yura invigorated them and replenished their energy. Each of the nine elemental wielders felt a soothing revitalization run through their bodies that eventually brought them all to full power. Once the Ankh had finished the task Marissa gave it, her and the Kruna braced themselves for whatever was to come next. With Osiris's cryptic behavior, no one could tell just what to expect.

"Why now?!" hollered Osiris. "No, it's not my fault!"

"Hey, Marissa," said Daisy. "You wanna, like, let us in on what's going on here?"

"I would if I knew!" Marissa replied, an anxious sweat running out from under her hat.

"As if today couldn't get any more twisted," muttered Neva, catching her bladestaff from Bowser. "I just want this all to be over already..."

Bowser grimaced. "The way I see it, this could either end now, or a whole nother Pandora's box could burst open."

"Or Osiris could burst open," said Athelstan.

"You joke, but it almost looks like he might literally explode," said Warra.

"Yeah, that's good for us, isn't it?" said Athelstan. "Well, he'll just resurrect himse-... Woah...wait, if he _does_ explode, then-"

Warra gritted his teeth. "This could be some sort of designed self-destruct attack to take us all out!"

"I'll protect us!" Marissa declared, channeling power through to her body Malocchio Eyes. "Just huddle close together, and we should be safe behind my Ultimate Barrier!"

"No! Please! Stop it!" Osiris cried. "I promise I'll do better! I won't fail this time! Stop it! You owe me! Just stop! STOP IT! NO! DON-"

His voice cut off altogether in tandem with a total immobilization of his body. Osiris had essentially froze in his midair hover. No sound came from him. He produced no movement. Not a single emotion broke through his empty face. Nothing more happened to him. Nothing at all.

Marissa canceled the charge for her defensive technique and let her power calm. "What..."

The astral space warp taking up the entire background of their battlefield split apart and drifted away in wispy pieces. As the warp faded, the see-through floor underneath them revealed a vast field of pastel pinks, blues, and reds below. With a massive moon occupying space in the darkened, mystical black, purple, and blue sky above; the Kruna Yura and Marissa soon recognized the world below them as an actual planet. Several gems and crystallized pieces of the same material as Osiris's wings hovered in scattered fashion in the atmosphere underneath the transparent floor. Other varied planets and more auroras also became visible in the sky with the last of the astral space warp dissipating.

Osiris now seemed as if he had no knowledge of his own identity. He did not even look like he had any sort of consciousness or life to him; at least, not from what the Kruna and Marissa could tell by his face and body. They could still sense a potent energy signature coming from the catatonic Demon God. Yet, despite his divine abilities, he seemed dead – and not dead like before.

"What's going on now?" murmured Neva. "I swear, today has been nothing but twists and turns, and I'm so tired of it."

"Maybe we just won?" asked Ramona.

"No, I still sense his energy signature," said Bowser. "Can't you all still sense him?"

"I _think_ I'm sensing him," said Marut. "But he feels...different."

"Different? It's unrecognizable compared to what it was before," said Andrew.

"And now it's rising," Warra added. "It's somehow boosting to an even higher level."

"How?" murmured Bowser. "He's just floating there... He's literally not doing anything at all!"

Not long after Bowser uttered that statement, Osiris's head tilted up. Another period of eerily silent inactivity transpired. The change in setting did little to alleviate the group's unease.

Neva shook her head, flustered. "That's it. That's it. I don't wanna be here anymore! Can we please just leave?!"

"We can't leave this place at all until we beat Osiris," said Bowser. "Tough it out."

A swirling, broken, stringy aura of pink, black, and light blue flared around Osiris. His body remained immobile and suspended off of the clear floor.

"Tough it out..." Neva murmured. "Andrew, you and Ramona aren't going to at least try to bridge a portal out of here?"

"Nope," said Andrew.

"You suck," muttered Neva. "You know that?"

"Even if they tried and could, you want them to get us out just for Osiris to follow us back?" said Daisy. "We're good right where we are now. It's just us and him involved here. Better here than back where we were."

The aura around Osiris thinned out. Its coloration gradually transitioned to only black and purple, and it slowed its flow to half the speed of what it was before the switch in color. Soon, the aura died down altogether as a transformation began to morph – and damage – his body.

From out of the infinitely leaking hole in his chest erupted a pointy, four-pronged gold crown with red jewels at the base of each tip. A dense mist of darkness shot out from his shoulders and obliterated his arms. The thin shadow extensions that remained now served to keep his dismembered hands linked to his body. His legs received similar treatment, a tapered dark cloud now flowing from his ravaged hips in their place. Spiked, glowing, magic pink octagons formed at the armless wrists.

A second, smaller copy of wings materialized under Osiris's current ones. The original wings expanded its segmented pieces to take on an appearance similar to a pair of clawed hands. Purple and black wisps now emanated from both the crown and his empty eye socket, and spillage doubled from both exposed holes. Osiris's skin turned gray with a slight red tint to its otherwise unsaturated tone.

Transformation complete, the new Osiris seemed neither dead nor alive anymore. Unknown to the Kruna and Marissa, his own spirit and will had been uprooted and eradicated completely. There in his spot in the air, he stared down the nine elemental wielders as no more than a vessel for the small portion of an ancient evil's essence he harbored that now held complete control.

"Marissa, what's this?" asked Daisy.

The witch shook her head. "I have no idea. I've never seen this before."


	82. Chapter LXXXII

Unfaltering Will Forever:

The demonic roar that came out of Osiris Soul's horrific chest hole sounded gruesome and harshly metallic. Wasting no more time, the gory, nightmarish form facing the Kruna Yura and Marissa from afar teleported up close to the group to go right on the offensive. Osiris Soul crossed its dismembered hands in front of itself as its enlarged wings glowed pink with magic power.

A rapid discharge from Osiris Soul's wings let loose four horizontal waves of power. Unprepared for the Off Wing attack, the Kruna and Marissa could not put up an adequate defense in time. Each of the Off Wing's waves barreled over the elemental wielders with ease, the four successive hits sweeping and scattering them far away from Osiris Soul. Already, the Kruna and Marissa had a large portion of their health ate into from just one move. By the time they all returned to their feet, Osiris Soul had entered a zigzagging teleport chain on its way towards them.

"Ramona, you remember when you said Dark Matter was the scariest thing you've ever seen?" asked Marut.

"Oh, yeah, um, I did say that," mumbled Ramona. "This might be worse."

"I swear, I have never seen Osiris do this before!" exclaimed Marissa.

Once it appeared near the Kruna and Marissa, Osiris Soul pulled its fists away from one another in front of its chest. Twelve Hemo Orbs pumped out of the thoracic hole and hovered above the undead vessel. The Hemo Orbs this time had a much darker tone to their red hue.

With a forceful thrust of Osiris Soul's fists, the Hemo Orbs dove at the Kruna and Marissa. As they did before, the nine elemental wielders used their respective tools to bat away the incoming orbs; even with Marissa, Warra, and Andrew getting two thrown at them. However, a second wave of Hemo Orbs came right after the first with the same execution. A quick, shielding slash of light power from Ramona took care of most of the projectiles, but a few got through and hit Warra and Athelstan anyways. Immediately after its orbs struck the two Kruna, Osiris Soul disappeared into another chain of wild, random teleports.

"Alright, well..." said Bowser. "I got a feeling this isn't the same fight it was earlier."

"We can _not_ let him get back to Earth!" Andrew asserted.

Osiris Soul teleported overhead of the center of the group with a quick draw of its Life Sword for the Great Cutter. Flaring its sword's energy blade, Osiris Soul made a slash that divided the blade into six widespread, rapidly gyrating talons that flew at the nearest Kruna. Again, Warra and Athelstan sustained damage; as did Bowser and Marissa. Like boomerangs, the talons of the Great Cutter rotated around and reformed into the Life Sword's blade.

The very next instant, Osiris Soul swung its sword back across its body to initiate the Great Cutter again from the opposite direction. Osiris Soul's efforts racked up more slashing harm on Warra, Athelstan, Bowser, and Marissa; but it had stayed in a stationary position long enough for Daisy to slam a Crystal Kick into it and for Neva to snipe at it with her bladestaff crossbow. Such attacks dealt relatively insignificant damage to Osiris Soul, who teleported away again before Neva could get a second round of ice arrows off.

"My sentiments exactly, Andrew," said Daisy.

"Didn't seem like he minded those hits we gave it, huh?" said Neva.

Marissa readied her Dominion Scepter with mystic flames. "You chose weak attacks to hit him with."

"I was just trying to hit him before he teleported again!" replied Daisy.

"Yeah, me too!" said Neva.

"Have something pre-made," said Marissa. "It doesn't seem like he's going to stop this teleporting gimmick any time soon."

Of every attack Osiris Soul made so far aside from its use of Hemo Orbs, a harrowing, grisly roar accompanied the move. The trend continued when Osiris Soul's body transformed upon reappearing to the left of the nine elemental wielders. Osiris Soul once more morphed into the demonic bladed goat head for the Hell Blade, but its dismembered hands now existed outside of the bestial skull and elongated into wide open claws. The Hell Blade II featured a darker overall tone and a larger, sharper cutting edge running the entire mid-sagittal length of its skull and face.

Osiris Soul charged at the Kruna and Marissa in a straight rush, its movement boasting quicker acceleration in Hell Blade II than in the original, untainted version of the technique. Andrew and Neva just barely slipped out of the way of Hell Blade II. Then Marut and Daisy leapt to the side on the attack's second charge. With a rapid, unstable spin, the Hell Blade II aimed at Marissa and Ramona, only for their individual evasion to leave nothing for Osiris Soul to crash into but the clear floor of Final Destination. However, Osiris Soul's hands did clip both the Kruna of Light and the demon witch on its last rush.

Another roar escaping it, Osiris Soul turned its bladed head around after recoiling off of the floor with the intent of executing another zooming aerial tackle. The undead being only advanced a short distance before it vanished in a teleport and then appeared behind the group of elemental wielders. Luckily, Bowser and Marissa both saw Osiris Soul coming on account of their enhanced scope of vision. Marissa fired a Berserker Star flurry at the incoming vessel, but her string of mystic stars bounced off of it without any significant damage. It took a well-timed fireball exhale from Bowser to knock Osiris Soul off course and save Warra and Athelstan before the undead demonic angel got to them. After shaking off the hit, Osiris Soul undid its Hell Blade II transformation and entered yet another chain of teleports.

"Apparently, this guy has developed _Mass Teleportation Impulse Disorder,_ " said Athelstan. "Or, MTID, for short."

"Heh, M-tid," Marut mumbled with a chuckle.

"Is that even a real thing?" asked Daisy.

"You mean his bad schtick?" said Andrew. "Yeah, that's a thing."

Osiris Soul teleported to a point not too far away from the Kruna and Marissa, a dark red and purple mass bubbling over from the nauseating hole in its chest. The undead vessel stayed silent except for a gurgling, splashing noise rising in volume emanating from its crimson uprising of fluid. No such effects or disturbances came about from any Hemo Orbs beforehand, and the amount of power generated dwarfed that used for the comparatively quick technique.

Marissa shook her head and flared a red wall of power around her. "I don't know what that is, but-"

The red force field of Marissa's Ultimate Barrier expanded to encompass her and the Kruna just in time to catch the Great Hemobeam that erupted from Osiris Soul's chest hole. The chasm that took up almost the entire width of Osiris Soul's chest released a column of magic power intermixed with Osiris Soul's endlessly regenerating life fluid supply and...something other. Marissa's Ultimate Barrier held up against the blood red mystic cannon harboring streaks of purple; for a while. As the last of the Great Hemobeam bombarded the Ultimate Barrier, the force field shook and shattered under the attack's unworldly force. The Ultimate Barrier lasted just long enough to keep everyone safe, but no longer. Osiris Soul once more retreated into its teleport tactic at the conclusion of its blast, just avoiding the water, shadow, and ice that flew at it.

"Damn it all!" grunted Marissa. "That's supposed to be impenetrable!"

"That just about tells us all we need to know about Osiris's power now, it seems," said Daisy.

"Osiris is an insane fool," grunted Warra.

"That's assuming this transformation of his was done under his own will," said Bowser.

Osiris Soul came out of a teleport and created another rack of Hemo Orbs. As it did the last time, it hurled twelve; all of them aimed at Marissa. A swift swipe of her scepter knocked a majority of the orbs back at Osiris Soul, but a couple got through and struck her still. None of the deflected Hemo Orbs even touched Osiris Soul, who floated away in evasion and made more in their place. Twelve of the viscous spheroids again flew at Marissa, their offensive nullified when Daisy leapt in front of the witch with earth and crystal pulled along for a modified Crystal Smash counter. The crystalline spikes Daisy projected in front of her from the ground clashed with the Hemo Orbs and crumbled as the orbs lost stability through its punctures and disbanded.

From behind Daisy, Marissa whipped a Dream Shuriken at Osiris Soul and caught the undead being before it teleported away. The Dream Shuriken slammed into Osiris Soul once, twice, thrice, four times, seven times – essentially over and over, knocking back Osiris Soul less and less with each hit until the rotating star ran out of steam and eroded. For as much as the Dream Shuriken hit it, Osiris Soul did not display any signs of pain even though the attack had done some noticeable harm. Though successful in minor ways, the Kruna and Marissa expected the Dream Shuriken to elicit more damage with the velocity and power Marissa packed into it.

"I suppose that was more underwhelming than I'd like to admit," muttered Marissa, watching Osiris Soul teleport again.

"Marissa, I don't think even you are capable of matching up to Osiris," said Warra. "Whatever happened to him, he's outclassing you by quite a bit! And that's with you wearing the Master Pendant!"

"Why not try creating people?" asked Bowser. "Like Osiris did?"

"You think creation of sentient life only needs the same level of focus that restoring power and health does?" said Marissa. "Not only do I need to figure out how to actually create everything that would make up a living being; but, with the way Osiris has been fighting so far, I don't see myself getting a chance to."

Osiris Soul appeared high overhead of the Kruna and produced even more Hemo Orbs. It rained down all twenty of its red spheroids onto the elemental wielders below in a spiral and retreated into another teleport. The winding nature made the Hemo Orbs difficult to anticipate and defend against, so the group as a whole aside from Warra and Athelstan scattered and evaded. Warra and Athelstan got their staffs around to deflect the orbs that curved at them, though the task demanded a high level of precision.

"If anyone sees that red cannon charging again, just run!" yelled Marissa. "I obviously can't do anything to stop it..."

"I think I'd rather deal with the Insta-Beam at this point," said Bowser.

The Kruna and Marissa got an unpleasant surprise when Osiris Soul teleported far into the distance with its Great Hemobeam appearing to charge again. In a quick response, Ramona and Andrew shot off light lasers and shadow bolts at Osiris Soul. The blasts got to Osiris Soul in time, but the undead being ejected some of its inner fluid out of its chest hole to counter the incoming attacks and protect itself.

"Yep, saw that coming," grumbled Andrew.

"But at least that blood defense used up his charge," said Ramona. "His chest isn't bubbling over now."

Ramona was right, but Osiris Soul once again disappeared into a teleport sequence the moment after she said it. Osiris Soul appeared near its previous charging spot and made another attempt at powering-up the Great Hemobeam. Bowser and Marissa sent out flame bursts at Osiris Soul, only for the undead being to float to the side and avoid any contact.

"Okay, well that stinks," mumbled Athelstan.

The massive cannon of sanguinary power discharged its overwhelming force at the Kruna and Marissa. Due to the elemental wielders' spread positions, the Great Hemobeam did not actually hit anything at first. But as the continuous burst kept firing, Osiris Soul turned its body to try and aim its attack at its opponents. Daisy, Athelstan, Warra, Bowser, and Marut hit the ground to go prone and avoid the Great Hemobeam that passed over each of them. Osiris Soul then swung its powerful cannon at the others, effectively forcing them to mimic their teammates and drop to the Final Destination floor as well. The undead being's Great Hemobeam subsided before it could alter its vertical aim.

Marut sprang back to his feet first out of the group. "Hey! We still livin'!"

"This time," said Daisy, gathering earth around her right hand. "I think he'll be a little smarter about targeting if he gets another one of those off."

"I haven't been able to copy any of his attacks the whole time we've been here," said Neva. "The limits my pendant has chose the right day to show themselves."

"I don't know, Neva," said Daisy. "Do you _really_ wanna copy any of his moves?"

Osiris Soul appeared at a point in the sky very near Marissa's group. Its wings expanded and churned out magical power, which provoked an evasive response from Ramona, Neva, Andrew, and Marissa. The wing slam of Angel's Judgment smashed onto the floor and pulsed shocking energy out around the impact zone, but Osiris Soul did not catch anyone in its attack.

That time, Osiris Soul did not. It raised its wings off of the floor and teleported directly behind the other Kruna to slam down Angel's Judgment again, not only as a surprise attack but with a quicker release since it was already pre-charged. Though the Kruna it targeted heard it warp into being behind them; only Daisy, Bowser, and Marut got away in time. Warra and Athelstan moved too slow, and the undead vessel's wings crashed onto them. The power that pumped through Osiris Soul's wings added to the two Kruna's trauma, further accumulating the mass amount of harm they had endured in the current phase of the battle.

Things got worse for Warra and Athelstan when Osiris Soul's wings grabbed and flung them high overhead. Though Daisy bashed a Crystal Fist into Osiris Soul as it threw her friends, her attack did not do enough to free them before the undead being launched them skyward. Daisy's Crystal Fist had dealt the most damage to Osiris Soul thus far, but that was not saying much considering Osiris Soul's exceptional resilience and durability. Rather than retaliate against Daisy, Osiris Soul teleported to a point near where it threw Warra and Athelstan and brought its dismembered hands up with the intention of hammering both of them down. In a hurry, Marut and Marissa flew up to try and get Warra and Athelstan out of the way of Osiris Soul's impending strike. Unfortunately, Osiris Soul got its fists down on all four of them and sent them hurtling towards the floor in a brutal crash.

Daisy anticipated Osiris Soul's teleport and slammed her Crystal Fist into it again while she still had it when the being appeared over the four sprawled out elemental wielders. Bowser followed up Daisy's second, more forceful crystallized punch with a Whirling Fortress tackle that aimed his shell's spikes into the undead vessel. After Bowser spun his shell hard into Osiris Soul, Neva blasted an ice arrow with a head several times thicker than the usual sizes she uses for them. Their combined efforts got Osiris Soul to back off and retreat into its teleport tactic before it could do anything more to the critically injured four on the floor.

"See that?" grunted Athelstan, sitting up some. "We just have to work together! Nine against one helps our cause!"

"Muscle man, we might be beyond the point of having any advantage over him," Marissa said under her breath.

Warra pulled himself to his feet, putting away his swordstaff and clutching his left arm. "I can not feel my shoulder."

Unable to stand, Marut got into a hover just a few inches off of the ground. "We got bodied bad, man. Ugh... Both of my knees..."

As Andrew readied a Shadow Ripper and as Ramona got a full charge of light through her swordstaff, Osiris Soul continued its crazed teleporting. It stopped its maneuvers overtop of Marissa and swiped a Great Cutter at her, which subsequently slashed at some of the others after the talons' wide-arcing, boomerang-like, curving flight careened into the demon witch. Though Marut elevated his hover in avoidance, Warra and Athelstan took even more punishment. Osiris Soul sent a second Great Cutter slash at Daisy, Bowser, and Neva; all of whom misjudged the track of the attack's six cutting energy talons and suffered for it in much the same way Marissa, Warra, and Athelstan had just a few seconds ago. Andrew's attempt at thrusting his Shadow Ripper after Osiris Soul's Great Cutter reformed into its Life Sword resulted in a whiff, for the undead being teleported at the exact instant before Andrew could land his strike.

"We need to put up an offense quick," said Andrew. "And it's gotta be a speedy one."

"We could just sit back and defend," said Ramona, stepping up to the rear of the recovering group. "Osiris has to wear out eventually. And if something bad happens to one of us, I'm sure Marissa could restore us."

"We are not going through what could be hours upon hours of this," said Daisy. "Because that's the scenario that wearing him down would lead us into."

"Painful hours," added Athelstan.

Daisy ran over to Warra, who had not returned to his feet. While the Nova Form earth wielder tended to the Kruna of Water, Andrew pumped more power into his Shadow Ripper and kept his senses alert to their constantly teleporting enemy. A couple of times, Osiris Soul faked out the elemental wielders and teleported to the exact same spot it was in before going to a new location.

"Quit moving around!" snapped Andrew.

"I don't think he'll stop just because you told him to," Daisy said.

"This dude just keeps spamming his teleport," said Marut. "Totally cheap."

Osiris Soul appeared near the Kruna Yura and shifted its flight around similar in movement to how Dark Matter flew, only to disappear into teleporting again. Marissa took the opportunity to work some healing on Warra, who so desperately needed it after the bludgeoning Osiris Soul had laid down on him. Athelstan's endurance gave him protection Warra just did not possess; protection that would have helped the Kruna of Water better endure the godlike power driving Osiris Soul's techniques. At least the Kruna Yura had Marissa and the Ankh on their side, but that far from guaranteed anything even remotely close to victory.

"Get over here already!" Andrew barked at the teleporting, undead being. He forced even more power into his Shadow Ripper, partially out of impatience.

By now, Neva and Ramona both had their respective Ultima Staffs up in support of Andrew and fully charged with elementals. After a few more teleports, Osiris Soul appeared to the right of the group and shifted all the way over to their left. It then got itself in position to ready its Sinful Chain, at which point Ramona and Neva shot off ice and light at it. Andrew sprinted at Osiris Soul right behind the two elemental blasts and cut to the side of their flight upon nearing the hovering vessel. Osiris Soul's chest defense let loose a goopy, sloppy red mess to counteract the incoming blasts, but it did not account for the Kruna of Shadow jumping at it from its side.

Warra got his feet under him just in time to see Andrew jamming his Shadow Ripper low into Osiris Soul's waist. The monstrous hit disrupted Osiris Soul's Sinful Chain preparation; but more importantly, the attack launched Osiris Soul away and notched a serious amount of damage on the undead being. His Shadow Ripper might have outdid Nova Daisy's Crystal Fist in terms of effectiveness in harming what had proven to be a stubborn, hardy enemy with superb endurance. The attack also did a number on Andrew himself, however. He backpedaled in fatigue, unable to continue his offensive after exhausting so much of his power at once.

"Wicked hit, Andrew!" Neva shouted.

"Way to pull through!" yelled Daisy. "We totally needed that!"

As if in response to Daisy's and Neva's cheers, a sudden change occurred. After regaining its balance, Osiris Soul drifted to a still hover and emitted the harshest, most deranged, sinister roar any of the Kruna had ever heard. The primal, heart-sinking auditory barrage came in tandem with a startling spike in Osiris Soul's already titanic energy signature. In addition to the purple and black extensions linking its dismembered hands to its body, the same-colored wisps emanating from both Osiris Soul's empty eye socket and the crown sticking through the undead being's chest now glistened with sparkles and gained a striated, ribbon-like texture to their appearance. Veins popped up all throughout Osiris Soul's gray skin and developed a bold, pronounced dark purple coloration. The lone eye Osiris Soul possessed turned a solid black, and its halo darkened into a deep midnight purple.

After giving Andrew a quick energy replenish, Marissa readied a Death Beam in her index finger. She shot it at their distant foe, though the attack would prove unsuccessful. Osiris Soul teleported just once, avoiding the Death Beam entirely and appearing right in front of the Kruna and Marissa. Then, Osiris Soul gave them the first dreadful indication that the fight had transcended into something well beyond its previous state.

Holding up its Life Sword, Osiris Soul morphed the energy blade into a massive hammer. With a hefty heave, Osiris Soul flew at the elemental wielders and smashed its Great Hammer down. Not only did the Great Hammer shake everyone and knock them off balance upon striking the ground, but energy waves emanated from the hammer outward in all directions. Through being the only one off of the floor, Marut avoided the shocking blitz that jolted each of the others. But shortly after its Great Hammer, Osiris Soul released its Off Wing and bombarded everyone – Marut included. The six-wave discharge added onto their wealth of pain on a day that had not lacked such a feeling by any means.

Its Life Sword reverting to its normal state, Osiris Soul escaped into its teleporting tactics. The speed of Osiris Soul's teleport increased following its apparent power-up. It took everything the elemental wielders had to pick themselves up and stand against Osiris Soul once more. They knew they had to, for they were the only ones preventing Osiris Soul from ravaging Earth.

"How is he this strong now?!" shouted Bowser.

Before Marissa could even get the Ankh activated again, Osiris Soul reappeared near the center of the group. Its abrupt presence forced the Kruna and Marissa into a short retreat, but its glowing wings elicited more alarm. Magic power materialized into heads of arrows for Heaven's Onslaught.

Any defensive effort the Kruna and Marissa had failed due to the overwhelming number of arrows that Osiris Soul ejected from its wings. The arrows Heaven's Onslaught unleashed covered all directions and foiled every dodge, block, jump, twist, roll, and cut the elemental wielders made; mostly because of the unexpectedness of the attack. Though the arrows did not fell the elemental wielders, it brought forth the highest pain response so far of all of Osiris Soul's attacks. The moment she saw Osiris Soul enter another teleport sequence, Marissa activated the Ankh to heal as much of everyone as she could before their enemy brought out another move.

"Osiris has become exceedingly more powerful than he was when I faced him in the past," said Marissa. "I don't understand how this could happen from being stuck inside a pendant for so long..."

Marissa did not even get to restore much of her and the Kruna's health before Osiris Soul appeared again with another technique brewing. As if any of its attacks were preferable or appealing; Warra, Neva, and Ramona flinched hard and winced when Osiris Soul prepared its Homing Ax. The undead vessel transformed its Life Sword's energy blade into an ax and hurled it at Bowser, the tool wobbling in its spin at the Kruna of Fire.

Bowser flared flames around his shell and retreated inside of it in a deflective twist. However, the ax did not hit Bowser at all. Osiris Soul teleported to the ax right as the weapon's momentum stopped. The undead being then slashed with its ax just as Bowser came out of his shell, catching the koopa in the shoulder and launching him far off to the side of the group. Osiris Soul executed Homing Ax II on Marissa for a similar result; then it tried the technique on Daisy. The Nova Form earth wielder rolled underneath as Osiris Soul swung its ax down, likely only able to evade the attack because she anticipated it based off of the successful strikes on Bowser and Marissa.

Osiris Soul teleported away and reverted its Life Sword back to normal, at which point it raised its tool skyward and tripled the thickness of its blade. Dozens of smaller copies of the Life Sword's energy blade flew out from the thickened light blue mass and lined up in front of Osiris Soul to form what resembled a spiky force field. With one vertical thrust, the shield of miniature Life Sword blades cascaded upwards in an arc and then curved into a scattering flight at the gathered Kruna Yura.

Since Bowser and Marissa still had not rejoined the group, they did not have to come up with a defensive answer to the fanning rapid-fire of Osiris Soul's Divine Rain. The group that Divine Rain hailed down on had a split response. Athelstan, Ramona, Neva, and Warra used their elements to block. Daisy, Andrew, and Marut jumped up and back with the intention of letting the projectile blades hit the ground in front of them. Their efforts backfired horribly, for the glowing blue blades possessed a special attribute. Divine Rain's blades deflected off the floor and maintained their speed as they angled back into the air, unaffected by gravity. Instead of a clean evasion, the three Kruna caught several of the energy blades and flopped hard onto the clear ground.

Osiris Soul teleported one time to alter its position in relation to the elemental wielders. Putting away its Life Sword, it hovered in wait with its dismembered hands facing one another in front of its chest hole and the pointy crown sticking out of it. Now with an opportunity, Marissa and all the Kruna broke out an assault of magic and elemental blasts respectively. However, Osiris Soul did not seem at all concerned with the trivial damage they effected on it. It was more concerned with the pink energy burst in its right hand and the light blue burst in its left.

Once Daisy, Marut, Andrew, Bowser, and Marissa neared the other four elemental wielders, Osiris Soul sent one final pulse of power through to both of its glowing energy masses and hurled them across its body. The pink and light blue blasts crossed paths with one another – light blue burst passing first – and swung their flights in an arc to pound the gathered elemental wielders at their left and right sides. By no means were their evasive efforts easy considering the heavy amount of harm and trauma the Kruna and Marissa all had, but they got themselves out of the way of the Dual Burst as both blasts sailed by one another. They had to stay mobile even after both components of the Dual Burst passed by, for the pink and light blue blasts circled around them several times to try and connect with one of them before fizzling out and dispersing altogether. And just as it had for most of the fight, Osiris Soul retreated into a teleport chain at the conclusion of its technique.

"There's just no end to this, is there?" said Neva. "He just keeps going, on and on..."

"The fight's already over," Warra said under his breath. "There's no offense that can slow him down, and there's no defense that can wear him down. We can't beat him..."

"We will fight to the bitter end," said Andrew. "It's becoming increasingly obvious that this is an invincible enemy, but there's nothing honorable about giving up..."

Osiris Soul stopped its teleporting and summoned more Hemo Orbs. It threw down four from one angle, four from another angle, and four from the direction opposite the second quartet. Some confusion among the group let the second batch go through untouched and slam into Daisy, Marut, and Athelstan. What should have been one of the easier techniques to avoid did not turn out to be so this time. Bowser and Andrew got a couple shots of fire and shadow off at Osiris Soul before it teleported again. Though their attacks connected, they failed to produce much in the way of progress towards felling the undead demonic angel.

"I'm so sorry for all of this," Marissa murmured.

"Marissa, it's fine," Daisy assured. "Everything will be alright once we beat this guy."

"That's if we even beat him," said Ramona. "This is just way too much. I can't take this anymore, Daisy! I can't stand another hit!"

"Sad to say, but I don't think I can either," said Bowser. "I know I should be one of the toughest here, but no amount of thick skin can account for this kind of abuse."

Osiris Soul appeared near the group and slashed out a Great Cutter with minimal time given to react. Warra's quick water wave reflex splashed the Great Cutter back at Osiris Soul to cut into it instead of him and his teammates. Out of the successful counter, Osiris Soul teleported away and realigned the talons that got stuck in its body back into its Life Sword. The undead vessel then flew in close and swiveled its hover around the Kruna and Marissa before resuming its teleport chain.

"None of us would be here right now in this situation if it weren't for me," Marissa said.

"Marissa, enough already," said Daisy. "We can get through this. Please, stop trying to blame yourself-"

"No, I really wish I-" Marissa started to say. "Well, it doesn't matter now. What's done is done."

At that moment, Marissa undid the Master Pendant from her neck. She flipped the Ankh over to Daisy, who caught it with confusion. With her normal, true biological set of eyes, Marissa flashed a quick glance at the other Kruna before she turned to face Osiris Soul and left the ground. The witch dropped her Dominion Scepter and focused power through to her palm Malocchio Eyes.

"Give it all you've got in this next stretch," said Marissa. "When you see Osiris rendered immobile, then's your chance to trap him in an Elemental Seal."

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Bowser. "At what point has Osiris been motionless long enough for us to even hit him as is? We can't just let loose a sealing wave with the few brief opportunities we get to attack!"

"I'll do my best to make sure you have enough of an opportunity to do so," said Marissa.

"She said to give it all we've got!" Athelstan yelled. He pulled stone from the Final Destination floor and encased his Obelisk Swordstaff with the element. "Let's do it before this gets any more out of hand than it already has!"

Ramona charged up her Photovado at the same time Neva readied a Novado. While they prepared their ranged elemental waves, Andrew advanced ahead of the group in a dash at their teleporting enemy. Bowser, Warra, and Marut set up for their combined Firestorm Thunder attack; and Nova Daisy formed a Crystal Fist on her left hand that she soon bolstered into the denser, harder Final Crystal Fist.

The Kruna Yura would get the time they needed to prepare their moves with Andrew ahead and facing off against Osiris Soul, who had already thrown a Great Cutter at him. His Alkemei Fwin active, Andrew let the cutter talons pass through him and got in a free Multi-Thrust of his bladestaff at Osiris Soul. Towards the end of the rapid string of staff jabs however, Osiris Soul teleported just out of the way. Though fast, the Multi-Thrust's individual hits did almost nothing to the undead being.

Just as Osiris Soul tried to get in a lethal slash of its Life Sword on the Kruna of Shadow, Marissa flew up from behind with the twin bladed heads of her Lion's Crescent formed around her fists. Her timely jab-jab-jab-hook combo saved Andrew from an attack he did not have his Fwin active against and knocked Osiris Soul off balance in its aerial hover. Marissa pressed her assault on Osiris Soul and landed more hits on the undead vessel. She kept punching even after her breathing deepened with the burden of bodily fatigue. But with Osiris Soul now trapped in her string of hits, she knew she had to keep going and maintain her rate of attack. Andrew looked on in awe at the witch, noticing how much more driven she seemed now than she did when facing the Kruna Yura earlier that same day.

Marissa kept slugging at Osiris Soul and pulled away only when a monstrous flaming water tornado tore along the Final Destination floor at them. She smashed one final Lion's Crescent hit into Osiris Soul before she turned and zipped out of the way of the combination attack Bowser, Warra, and Marut had produced. While the flames, water, and scything winds of the Firestorm Thunder barreled into Osiris Soul; the high-powered, refracted light of Ramona's Photovado slammed into the undead being on its right. The column of ice and frost Neva's Novado sported came on Osiris Soul's left, an attack Andrew made sure to get clear of.

The three elemental techniques smothered and blitzed Osiris Soul in a spectacle of a display there in Final Destination. Though they had no idea how much damage they were doing, the attacking Kruna kept up their offensive all the way until their techniques had run their course. At the tail end of the Firestorm Thunder's final revolutions before withering, Athelstan dashed at Osiris Soul with his rocky club at his side and his Alkemei Odina doubling his strength. The Kruna of Stone converted the rocks of his club into dense metal chunks as he ran. Once the way to Osiris Soul fully cleared, Athelstan leapt and hooked a vicious, shattering swing of his fortified elemental tool on it.

Osiris Soul sailed far to the left of Athelstan at tremendous speeds and crashed into the ground several times off of its successive ricochets. The moment Osiris Soul hit the floor the first time, Daisy broke into a sprint at it to try and meet where its momentum would take it. A handful of hard, twisting bounces later, Daisy caught up to the undead being and smashed her Final Crystal Fist into it as the finishing connection in the full team combo. Out of the brutish strike, Osiris Soul flopped into the air with a curve to its haphazard momentum before slowing to a hovering stop. For a moment, it appeared as though the Kruna had carved out a veritable portion of their enemy's vitality. But despite their best efforts, Osiris Soul did not seem nearly as damaged as they hoped.

"Damn, are you kidding me?" Daisy grumbled, disbanding her Final Crystal Fist. She continued eyeing down Osiris Soul as it made a shaky descent to the floor. The other Kruna ran over to regroup with Daisy, but Marissa did not. No one had paid any attention to where the witch went until she soared overhead of them.

"Daisy!" Marissa yelled. "Here!"

"Marissa?! What are you doing?!" screamed Daisy.

Just as Osiris Soul neared the ground, Marissa slammed herself down on top of it and secured her arms around its waist. "Hey!" she yelled. "Elemental Seal! Do it!"

Daisy gasped. "What?!"

"Don't 'what' me!" Marissa snapped. "Do your Elemental Seal! Now!"

"But then you'll get trapped too!" replied Daisy.

"Whatever!" Marissa screamed. "JUST DO IT! BEFORE HE STARTS MOVING AGAIN!"

At the end of Marissa's demand, Osiris Soul began squirming under her. The witch struggled to keep the undead being pinned down, but their fight against it had taken just as much out of her as it had out of the Kruna Yura. With each passing moment, Osiris Soul weakened Marissa's hold on it.

"Please, you have to seal him!" Marissa hollered, crying. "I can't hold him forever! Just end this already!"

"Daisy, come on!" Bowser yelled. Warra, Athelstan, and Marut already had their Ultima Staffs joined with his. "We have to do this while we have a chance!"

Daisy stared at Marissa and Osiris Soul as Neva, Ramona, and Andrew linked their staffs with the others. In a shocking display, Osiris Soul's wings lifted both it and Marissa into the air. It stuck its dismembered hands behind its back to try and pry Marissa off of it. In response, the witch forced power through her body Malocchio Eyes and resisted the pull of Osiris Soul's hands. Before long, Flamer Storm's fireballs erupted from her Eyes and not only pounded Osiris Soul but got its hands off of her.

"Daisy, if you don't get over here, I'm snatching you by the hair and dragging you here!" Neva snapped.

"Marissa's giving us this chance!" Bowser yelled. "She's giving us permission to do this!"

"Please, Daisy!" Ramona begged. "Let's just do it! The nightmare needs to end!"

Osiris Soul increased its altitude and then made a complete direction reversal into a vertical dive. Right before Osiris Soul crashed onto the ground, it angled its body so that Marissa would take the full force of the impact and get crushed under its momentum. As absolutely relentless of a slam as that was, the now hatless witch maintained her hold on Osiris Soul. Even so, the Kruna Yura recognized almost right away that she could not take a single hit more, mild or critical.

"I can't keep this up..." Marissa groaned. "I can't do this... But I gotta keep him down..."

Daisy sighed and hurried to her friends, Terra Bladestaff now in her hands. As Marissa used her Flamer Storm on Osiris Soul again, Daisy joined her bladestaff to the semicircle formed through the staffs of the other Kruna. The eight Kruna Yura raised their remaining energy and focused their elemental powers through their Ultima Staffs. Marissa did her best to pin down Osiris Soul, but she could feel her consciousness slipping. Before long, the resilient undead being stirred and wriggled. Its movement tested more than Marissa's fading physical strength.

"Are we all ready?" asked Bowser.

"Hold on just a quick second," said Ramona. "Um...okay, I'm good."

"I'm making an adjustment too," said Warra. "... Alright."

"That's great," said Bowser. "It seems like we're all in balance. We should be ready to get this off in a matter of moments."

Marissa kept holding Osiris Soul down, even in spite of her fading awareness of it. However, Osiris Soul had already started charging its Off Wing to blast her off altogether. The Kruna Yura had no spare time left.

"We gotta get this thing on its way!" said Andrew.

"Thank you, Marissa!" Daisy called out. "We really couldn't have done this without you-"

"Fire it off!" yelled Bowser. "Now!"

The special Elemental Wave the eight Kruna Yura released from their Ultima Staffs soared close to the Final Destination floor on its way towards Marissa and Osiris Soul. The elements held their bond all the way through to their targets, at which point a reaction occurred upon contact with the witch and the undead vessel she had stuck under her. With all eight elements present in balance in the Elemental Wave, the sealing process began.

All movement from Marissa and Osiris Soul ceased as an Elemental Seal formed around them. Light and darkness melded together and encompassed them both. Fire and pressurized air then surrounded the mixture of light and shadow before a cage of stone enclosed the elements. Earth filled the gaps in the stone cage, and water surrounded the barrier. A thick sheet of ice materialized around the whole conglomeration.

From there, the Elemental Seal morphed and rearranged itself. It transitioned into something beyond understanding as power from the Kruna Yura's Elemental Wave continued to flow over it. The entire barrier around Marissa and Osiris liquefied and then solidified into an unknown, translucent white substance similar in appearance to ice, though much of the new material's structure also fused to the ground in the process.

Streaks of all eight elements coursed within the unidentifiable material that now housed Marissa and Osiris Soul. The circulation of the elements continued at a constant rate even though the beings trapped within did not move a single millimeter. For all intents and purposes, Marissa and Osiris Soul were frozen in suspended animation. The only movement inside of the Elemental Seal came from that of the endless, branching circulation of fire, ice, water, stone, earth, air, light, and shadow.

With the Elemental Seal finalized, the Kruna Yura cut off the flow of their combined wave. A still calm returned to Final Destination, and a portal opened up in the ground far behind the Kruna. With the appearance of the portal leading out of the area came confirmation that their battle had come to an end. For a while, they stared at the bodies of Marissa and Osiris Soul through the translucent material making up the shell of the Elemental Seal. The ongoing flow of elements throughout the inside of the seal blocked sight of the relaxed look of true peace on Marissa's face.


	83. Chapter LXXXIII

Finally! Victory in the Future!:

As soon as all eight Kruna Yura stepped onto the turf of One World Park, the portal to Final Destination disbanded. The air had grown calm, and the clear sky had darkened into soft oranges, reds, and blues with the now descending sun. For nearly the entire stretch of daylight, the Kruna Yura had been fighting; against Kokoro, against Giga Bowser, against King Boo, against Marissa, and against Osiris. Their fates and the fates of everyone on Earth – and possibly beyond – remained subject to change until the very end. Despite all the close calls, twists and turns, surprises, and sheer amount of abuse endured throughout the day, they emerged from the hellish gauntlet of successive battles victorious.

Terran broke from his meditative state and stood up from his seat in the remains of the stands to see the eight Kruna lumbering towards the infield. He jumped onto the turf and met them halfway near the pitcher's mound. All eight of the Kruna looked broken down and tired. Neva leaned on Andrew, almost ready to pass out. Bowser held Marissa's Dominion Scepter. Ramona held Marissa's hat. Daisy reverted back to normal out of Nova Form and held up the Alkemei Ankh, the Master Pendant.

"It's over," said Daisy.

Terran rested a hand on Daisy's head and grabbed the Ankh, murmuring, "Great job."

Taking a few steps back, Terran put on the Ankh himself and used its abilities to heal all of the Kruna Yura's injuries. By the time the Alkemei's effects ran its course, the Kruna felt physically refreshed. The mental, emotional, and spiritual drain would take time to recover from, however.

"So you're really gonna take the Master Pendant away from the world entirely, huh?" asked Daisy.

Terran nodded and took off the Ankh to grasp it in his hands. "The powers of the Master Pendant really don't belong anywhere that is readily available to the public. Even if hidden in a temple somewhere, I'm willing to bet someone would stumble upon it eventually. The Master Pendant should only see use in times of dire emergency; not help catalyze one."

"But if it's ever needed..." Warra started to say.

"Then it will return," said Terran. "But until then, it must be kept out of reach to prevent its misuse. As far as Osiris and Marissa..."

"They're both sealed," said Daisy. "They're somewhere I don't see anyone ever deliberately traveling to, so nobody'll tamper with them."

"That's the ideal scenario," said Terran. "Alright then...now that I have the Master Pendant, I must hurry back to the Otherworld. I've already overstayed my welcome here with as long as your fight took."

"What?!" snapped Daisy. "But, you, like, just got here! That's totally not fair!"

"Daisy, I'm dead," said Terran. "Under normal circumstances, I shouldn't even be here at all."

Daisy sighed. "Yeah, whatever, I guess..."

"You've all done excellently on your campaign here," said Terran. "Because of you, the Master Pendant is secured, this planet is free, and Marissa and Osiris are sealed away."

"Sealed in some far off, unknown place I'll bet no one even knows about," added Bowser.

"Yes," said Terran. "Fantastic work. All eight of you. Though, this is not the end. I'm sure you're well aware of how the world works by now. It's only a matter of time before something else goes wrong. But for the time being, you've set things right. Now, the post-Nirvana Barrier Earth can heal its wounds."

Terran's tone lowered as he continued. "You're bound for even more battles and danger in the days to come with the responsibility you hold. No matter what you come across or what challenges lie in wait, don't ever give up. Big or small, see it all through to the end. Keep the fight going. What you choose to do and how you live your life will play a role in how the world moves forward. Your actions define your legacy and who you are. Wherever you go, always take a path with a foundation of honor, respect, and unwavering resolve."

Daisy smiled. "Of course."

"You're never just living your life for yourself," said Terran. "Live for those around you. Live for everyone you love and are loved by. After all, they're doing the same for you."

Terran tightened his grip on the Master Pendant's necklace and gave Daisy a wave as he backed away. "I'll be watching you from the world beyond this one. Thank you for being my student, Daisy. May the stars shine down on you...always and forever."

"Bye, Terran," said Daisy, rubbing at her eyes. "Thank you...for everything."

Terran took a few more steps before he halted his movement and frowned. He was quiet for a while. Daisy stared at him in confusion over why he had stopped.

"What?" said Daisy. "What happened?"

"Maybe, before I go, I should thank you for something else," said Terran. "Besides saving the whole planet, I mean."

"Yeah?" said Daisy.

"Thank you for being about as close to a daughter as I could have asked for," said Terran. "It means a lot more than you realize... I always loved kids and wanted to have my own someday...but I was never able to."

"Did you just not find the right person?" asked Warra.

"No, it wasn't that," said Terran. "Well, yes and no, but... The reason I was physically incapable of it was because...let's just say that there's something that's supposed to be inside of me, but it's not there. Everything else with me is fine, but because of what I'm lacking, I could never have a son or daughter of my own. Maybe it was wrong to try and act as though you were my own kid, Daisy, but...well, I was a pretty depressed person before I came on to teach you earth wielding. Really, I shouldn't have-"

Terran's speech got interrupted with a rough thud hitting him. To his surprise, Daisy had run at him and gave him a hearty bear hug. Smiling, he reciprocated for just a few moments before he pulled away, patted her on the shoulders, and turned to march through the same gap in One World Park that he had entered from. As Daisy and the other Kruna Yura watched him go, he went around a corner and continued on out of sight. Shortly after he did so, no one felt or heard anything of him.

One World Park had now fallen silent and still. The evening sky dimmed over the battered and demolished baseball stadium, bringing the day on its way to a close just as the Kruna Yura's journey had reached its end. The group of eight exited the stadium and stepped out into the former Mushroom City streets. Quiet, tranquil serenity pervaded all around them where it had not twenty-four hours prior. They stared off into the distance at the setting sun, their slate now wide open and clear with their campaign in the future over.

"We actually did it," murmured Bowser.

"I still can't believe Marissa helped us out in the end," said Marut.

"That only happened after we freed Osiris," said Warra.

"So the world could have arguably become much worse because of something we did," said Athelstan. "It's a good thing we didn't suck!"

"Osiris got freed from us trying to seal Marissa," said Neva. "And it's because Marisa helped us that we beat him. That's pretty crazy."

"Makes you wonder how crazy life is, doesn't it?" asked Daisy. "You just don't know what's gonna happen."

"It makes me wonder how much is predetermined versus how much is left up to personal decision and free will," Bowser said.

"Maybe it's not one or the other," said Andrew. "What about both? Maybe everything is predetermined at first, but we all have the power to change what'll happen."

Neva wedged herself up under Andrew's right arm. "And we can change who we are too, right?"

"Sure can," said Daisy, giving a nod to Bowser.

For a while, the eight Kruna stood there on the streets and gazed at the diminishing sun. They all stayed quiet and took in the moment; a moment they had fought long and hard for that served as the goal point for their adventure in the future. So much wonder now filled their heads on what to do, where to go from here, what would happen with the world, and many other things personal to each of them. They knew that they had unfinished business in the past still waiting for them; but for now, they could rest easy and relax.

"This has been a truly remarkable journey that I am grateful to have shared with all of you," said Warra.

"Bro, it's been a trip though," said Marut. "If we get to do stuff like this all the time, I'ma be set for life!"

"Well, let's hope stuff like this doesn't happen too often," said Bowser. "Otherwise, the world's seriously messed up if we gotta do this kind of thing on a regular basis."

"I'm more than perfectly fine with us living normal lives and this being a rare occurrence," said Ramona.

"Aw, c'mon, Ramona!" said Daisy. "You gotta have a sense of adventure!"

"I've got no gripes with just writing about adventures," said Ramona. "Certainly less dangerous."

"But there's a feeling of thrill and excitement that comes with the danger!" replied Daisy. "It's a feeling you can't match anywhere else!"

"And we actually helped out an entire planet because of what we did!" added Andrew.

"Hey, Andrew!" Neva said. "Here's a totally normal, not awkward, un-weird, not ill-timed question! What do you think about Daisy's hair?!"

"Not talking about this," Andrew grumbled between his teeth.

"Not talking about what?" asked Daisy. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing's wrong with it at all, apparently," said Neva.

"I'm not still in Nova Form, am I?" asked Daisy.

"You mean you don't know?" asked Bowser.

Daisy shrugged. "Well, my skin looks normal, so I'm guessing I'm not. I don't have a mirror."

"It's gotten to the point where she can't even tell without looking at herself; my gosh," mumbled Warra.

"Just don't go anywhere important looking freaky like that," said Athelstan.

"Pfft, if people got a problem with how I look, I don't need to associate with them at all," said Daisy. "They can just get to steppin'! Oh yeah! How ya like that?!"

"Okay, now you're just getting loud when there's no reason to," muttered Warra. "Again."

"I can be as loud as I want!" snapped Daisy. "We're outside, aren't we?"

"But there's no one here to hear you!" Warra snapped back.

"All the more reason to make myself heard, don't ya think?!" shouted Daisy. "For once, can you not be so stuffy?"

Warra sighed and took out his radio transmitter. "I'm just going to stop and call for the cruiser. Unless, Ramona and Andrew want to try and do a portal-"

"Nah, let's go for a ride," said Andrew. "It'll be nice knowing we can fly a ship without worry now."

"That sounds like some good cool down time," said Athelstan.

"Alright, let's go ahead and do that," said Daisy.

"Victory ride in the Koopa Cruiser, yeah!" Marut shouted.

"Then I will call them down," said Warra.

Ramona fiddled with Marissa's pointy hat. "So, uh...what should we do with this?"

"And with this?" added Bowser, twirling the Dominion Scepter Marissa also left behind.

* * *

Ramona and Bowser laid Marissa's hat and scepter by the case under the painting of her in the Comet Observatory's Kruna Hall. They then stepped back and looked upon the image of the former Kruna Genesis of Fire. The other Kruna Yura, Rosalina, and Polari stared at the painting as well, a short moment of silence and reflection transpiring.

"So in the end, Marissa did one final act of benevolence for the world," Rosalina murmured after a while.

"The old Marissa Nuria shined through the twisted Marissa Arkana," said Polari.

"Marissa Nuria was her full name?" asked Daisy.

Rosalina nodded. "Her true last name erased from the archives after her corruption. But maybe now..." Before she finished that thought, she turned away from the painting of Marissa and faced the Kruna Yura. "Oh, well, I've got a lot of archiving and recording to do now that your journey has yielded a successful victory. Let me ask; you're in no hurry to return to your time, are you?"

"No, not really," said Daisy. "Is there something more you need us to do?"

"No," Rosalina replied. "The world must go through a rebuild, and that will be a long and drawn out process for sure, but we don't require any assistance from you for that. I'm sure we've asked plenty of you already."

"Of course you guys did!" exclaimed Athelstan. "Man, I'm gonna need a long vacation thanks to all of this!"

"A well-earned one, I would have to say," stated Polari. "Listen. I do believe I owe you eight an apology. I have been too hard-pressed in comparing you to teams of past Kruna. Truth be told, you are all still somewhat weak compared to them. That's only because all the past Kruna have been so powerful. The vast majority of the time, the Kruna wiped out whatever perils threatened the world with minimal effort. Overall, they were unbeatable. So unbeatable were they, that many of us – including myself – took them for granted. We _expected_ there to be Kruna who could beat anything. We _expected_ there to be Kruna who could solve anything. We _expected_ Kruna to always win and to win without difficulty. We _expected_ them to be the most powerful eight beings of their time. We _expected_ them to protect and serve everyone and everything as they always had. Sadly, that may have led to a lot of us throughout the centuries treating them as tools more than as people. We didn't appreciate them enough. I know I didn't. I am too guilty of this."

"The more they did for the world, the less people seemed to care about them," said Rosalina. "It was such an odd tendency. Even with the first team of Kruna, Marissa's team, people hailed them as heroes rather than as fellow living beings. And as time passed, and as weapons and technology became more advanced and widespread as things more 'effective' for domestic and defensive purposes than elemental wielding, people cared even less. That didn't make Kruna any less needed, however. Being Kruna has been tough for you because all the enemies and obstacles you've had to face have been so challenging and daunting. For past Kruna, the difficulty came from...well, just filling a role for people that, by and large, didn't care much about them."

"Perhaps it is our fault, to a degree," said Polari. "Though we had no policy against it, we discouraged mass socialization and pushed for Kruna to stay humble, modest...reclusive, even. We wanted them to be something of a form of police, and we favored getting the job done as the most important thing by far. In the process, this could have easily led to them being seen as stiff and unrelatable, which may have made them seem more like robots than people."

"But still, at least those on the same Kruna team tended to develop a close bond with one another," said Rosalina. "I like to think that that didn't make things so lonely and isolating. And yet, that wasn't always the case. Hopefully in the not too distant future, elemental wielding as a whole will experience a resurgence, and new Kruna-caliber elemental wielders will rise up. When that happens, we need to make it a point to not only accept them as heroes or guardians, but as ordinary, everyday people too."

"That sounds like a mighty fine idea to me," said Polari. "Again, I apologize for having such strong, stubborn doubts about you, Kruna Yura. Of course, I do believe that if you see me in the past, you'll probably have to deal with those doubts again. But, I know you'll erase them rather quickly."

"Speaking of which, you were saying you weren't in a hurry to return right away, is that correct?" Rosalina asked the Kruna.

"Yeah, we're gonna rest up some and then see where we're at in a few days," said Daisy.

"You must stay a couple of weeks," said Rosalina. "If you do that, I should have something special for you by the time you're ready to go home."

Daisy grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Sure. Rainbow City's a nice place anyways. I'm sure we won't get bored!"

"And we've got so much of the planet open to explore now too!" exclaimed Marut. "I think I might need a month here! Or two! Or ten!"

"Or you could stay here indefinitely," said Rosalina. "That's always an option. If you don't go through the Gate of Time at all, the timeline will stay unified. So technically, you won't have to worry about beating Marissa in the past. I know this is not the most ideal of futures by any means, but if you decide that you want to stay here after all..."

"No, we do need to set things right in the past," said Daisy. "And that's where we belong."

"Is it really, though?" asked Neva. "I mean, we could all just stay here and live on in this world, couldn't we?"

"We could, but we need to go and do what we were supposed to do in the first place," said Daisy. "The whole reason we're here now is because we failed in the past. We have to right that. It's our responsibility."

Rosalina closed her eyes and smiled. "It's what you've been saying all along. Wherever you and your team end up, you're going to do exceptionally well."

* * *

Late that same night, the Kruna Yura gathered with Toad, Alden, Toadsworth, Lubba, and all of the Rainbow City Guard at the water fountain in Central Island's Courtyard Square. There, the Kruna described everything that went down that day; some of which they had already told Waluigi and Toadette about on the ride back from the surface. The story astounded every last one of them.

"You guys are insane," said Koops. "Absolutely nuts! I can't believe you got through all that!"

"And in one day?!" exclaimed Donkey Kong. "That's more than nuts! That's bananas!"

"It's _banana nut_ ice cream," said Lubba.

"I'm just glad that it's finally over," said Toadsworth.

"And it's all thanks to these guys," said Wario. "Who would've thought these scrubs could have pulled off something like that?!"

"You kidding me?" said Daisy. "You didn't think we could win and free the world?"

"Oh, I thought you could," said Wario. "But I never would've thought that you would have in the way that ya did!"

"Yep, these guys did excellently," said Waluigi. "They sure did their part in a little slice of history I think we would all do well to call, 'Waluigi's Crusade.' "

"Come again, now?" grumbled Bowser.

"Yeah, run that by us again," said Neva. "Something didn't sound right there."

"Waluigi, remind me what you did to beat Dark Summoner," said Daisy. "Oh yeah! Nothing."

"HEY! Who was the one driving that airship?!" snapped Waluigi. "If it weren't for me, you'd have to fly yourselves down there, park since no one could fly the ship back up, and get stranded once someone found the ship and either shot it down or stole it! Then how successful would you have been, huh?! That's right! You guys only won because of me! I am the straw that stirs the drink around here!"

"I'm right here," mumbled Toadette. "I'm literally standing right next to you..."

Waluigi rubbed a palm hard on Toadette's head. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! If I was a real jerk – like I am – I wouldn't have been so willing to help you guys out. You did all the hard work! I'm not gonna put myself out there to risk my life for millions of people I don't even know! Not without a decent reward, at least. But anyways, nice job cleaning up your own mess!"

"I swear, everything this guy says is a backhand," muttered Andrew.

"But we really are grateful for your and Toadette's piloting," said Daisy. "And the same goes for you guys here on the island who have helped stand guard and keep everything secure up here. And Toad and Alden especially get a huge thanks for all the awesome equipment."

"You better give us our thanks!" replied Toad. "We spent hours slaving away in a hot forge!"

"Isn't that what you like doing?" asked Marut.

"We like making stuff," said Alden. "But that doesn't make it any less tedious."

"So you'll be staying here for a little while?" Donkey Kong asked the Kruna.

"Yeah, but not for too long," replied Daisy. "Oh, and Rosalina said she wants everyone in Rainbow City outside at around two tomorrow afternoon. She didn't actually say for what, but she just said to make sure that we notify everyone before then."

"Right, we can take care of that for sure early tomorrow," said Donkey Kong.

"You know, when you guys do leave, this world will be left without any real protection," said Toadette. "We can't really turn to anyone if another crisis pops up in the near future since Mario and Luigi are both gone."

"I think the world's in good hands with you guys," said Daisy.

"Woah, really?!" exclaimed Toadette.

"Sure!" Daisy replied. "You, Donkey Kong, Wario, Waluigi, Koops, Toad, and Alden; elemental wielders or not, that sounds like a more than solid team! You can take care of things with us gone! You just have to train hard and then get out there and give it your best shot whenever and wherever a problem develops!"

"Actually, since Daisy brought it up, how about I get ya started?" said Andrew. "We could always stay for a few months. I could get y'all on a real nice five-day split of some training sessions I usually like to do with some two-a-days and three-a-days sprinkled in here and there. It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, you guys really should try to get back as soon as you can," said Waluigi. "No point in stalling here when you've still got business to take care of back in the past, right? In fact, leave tomorrow! We've got things covered and under control here!"

"Why are you inching behind Toadette?" asked Daisy.

Everyone in the group either laughed or smiled as Waluigi grumbled and stopped trying to slip away. Even so, they all soon decided to split and retire for the night much like most of Rainbow City already had. A peaceful slumber awaited each one of them in their respective beds, and a new sunrise would arrive in just a matter of hours.


	84. Chapter LXXXIV

Final Descent:

At just after two in the afternoon the following day, the Kruna Yura gathered with the Rainbow City Guard and Toadsworth in the Courtyard Square of Central Island. All the residents of each of Rainbow City's islands, including the Black Mages, had filled the streets per the citadel-wide mandate originating from Rosalina. The Elder of the Cosmos herself now hovered in the skies over Central Island with Lubba and a mass amount of Lumas.

All on the islands watched those above work their influence and power. Through their combined might, the cosmic beings pulled off a feat of divine proportions. The seven islands making up Rainbow City began to fall.

It was not a fast drop, but a controlled, fluid one that all of the inhabitants of Rainbow City could feel. The islands stayed connected and descended at a constant, equal pace. More Lumas joined the group above Rainbow City to assist their command over the citadel. As Rainbow City lost more altitude, the cosmic beings lowered their hover height to keep pace.

"Now this is an elevator ride!" hollered Athelstan.

Cheers and applause erupted throughout the citadel, amplifying with each passing moment as Rainbow City's islands continued their descent. By the time Rainbow City had dropped low enough for the surface world to not appear blurry, the collective celebration became something beyond raucous. All of the island city harbored roars of glee, bouts of laughter, cries of joy, and loud chants of "Kruna!"

Rainbow City drifted closer to sea level and got to where its highest points of altitude dropped below that of the tops of some of the surrounding mountains. The cosmic beings controlling Rainbow City's descent lowered the citadel into the air above a valley in the westernmost portion of the eastern world. In contrast with the colorful nature of Rainbow City, the maritime climate of the valley between mountains appeared muted, dreary, and wet.

Rainbow City's drop in altitude stopped at a point where the underside of the lowest of its seven islands had only a few hundred meters to go before touching the valley floor. At that point, the cosmic beings above eased their focus and split up across Rainbow City's seven islands to secure the current positions of the floating landmasses. The celebrations and cheers of the citadel's inhabitants then transitioned into mixed conversation and discussion over a wide array of topics; most of the talk centering on their freedom and restored accessibility to their home world.

"This is just truly amazing," said Ramona.

"It's the great return to the surface!" said Athelstan. "That's how you know we really won!"

"All these people are finally able to return to the homes they left behind," said Warra.

"Or stay here in Rainbow City," said Toadsworth. "Only now, we can once more step foot on the world we left behind."

"Yup. Everything seems just about as perfect as can be now," said Donkey Kong.

"How about we all take a walk around the city's islands?" asked Daisy. "You know, like we did when we first got here?"

"That sounds lovely," said Ramona. "It'd be nice to get some perspective after all the time that has passed since then."

"Walking? I don't know," said Wario. "I'm supposed to be working right now. Not walking."

"You need the exercise!" snapped Waluigi. "And besides, there's no need for us to be on guard against sky monsters if we're not in the sky!"

"Technically, we still are in the sky," said Wario. "We're just really low in it now."

"Okay, but we're not super high and way up there!" replied Waluigi.

"Are these islands touching the ground?" asked Wario. "No?! I didn't think so!"

"Come on, dude," said Marut. "Just walk with us! Don't be a drag!"

"Yeah, man," said Daisy. "It's nice out! There's a little bit of sun peeking through the clouds, and it actually feels a little warm out here."

"Alright, fine; I'm coming, I'm coming," said Wario. "I just wanted to relax some for a while, okay?"

"I thought you just said you should be working," stated Bowser.

"I should!" said Wario. "But that doesn't mean I can't take a load off when I'm on shift and there isn't anything to do!"

"WAH?! And after all those times you got on me for slacking off?!" hollered Waluigi.

"Slacking off when there's things to do," said Wario. "Now that we don't have to do anything as guards, we can afford to relax."

"Still, it would be nice to walk around some and just have a good ol' time," said Athelstan.

"And man, do I need to unwind," said Marut.

"And a walk is relaxing, isn't it?" said Toadette. "Let's at least do that while we're all here together. We've got a big rebuilding task to take care of in the days to come."

"Alright, let's just take the stupid victory lap already!" grumbled Wario.

The Kruna Yura, Donkey Kong, Wario, Waluigi, Koops, Toadette, and Toadsworth waltzed through the Central Island Town Center on their way out to Western Island. As they strolled past the item shops and the center's fortress, they continued to receive praise and applause from the many residents of Rainbow City. So many noteworthy remarks resonated within the Kruna.

"Thank you so much!" a Noki called out. "Oh, it's really over! We're safe! We're free!"

"I can't wait to go back to my real home!" shouted a koopa.

"I'll actually have solid ground underneath my feet!" yelled a toad. "I don't have to worry about falling off floating islands anymore!"

"We're finally back on land!" hollered a Shy Guy. "I thought this day would never come!"

"It's just like mommy said!" a Pianta told his kid. "Now you'll get to know what it's like to be on the surface too! You'll get to see everything me and your mommy got to see!"

"The clouds are all above us from now on," said a Twilighter.

"Land now," said a Whittle. "Happy feet. We are safe. World a better place!"

"That's amazing," Neva said to Daisy. "We did that, didn't we?"

"We sure did," replied Daisy.

As the group of fourteen sauntered through Western Island, South Island – where Toad and Alden joined them from their forge – and Southeastern Island, they heard much of the same and more from the people there. The group even heard talks of a few people already packing up their stuff and getting ready to leave. Rosalina and some Lumas flew by overhead a few times with copious amounts of Star Bits in tow, likely with the intention of forming bridges from the Rainbow City islands to the ground.

"Everything really is wrapping up pretty nicely around here," said Bowser.

"I can imagine that we'll need to help get the word spread of Marissa's defeat," said Toadette. "If people haven't caught on already, that is."

"I don't know; less than twenty-four hours after the fact sounds too soon for anyone to notice," said Athelstan.

"Yeah, so that's probably something we'll have to think about getting to soon," said Toadette. "I don't know how we're going to do that. I mean, it'll have to be by air since we have no land vehicles. I'm just not sure where we'll go in terms of locations."

"We should stop by Memory Forest," said Daisy. "And we should also go by Pi'illo Island. Those are the only populated places I can think of that we've been to."

"We can just ask Rosalina when we see her again," said Warra. "We could go talk to her once she's finished working with the Lumas."

"Oh, Wario, I've been meaning to ask something," said Marut as the group got on the bridge to East Island. "Do you think I could get a job with Wario Ware Inc.?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Wario. "I thought you were leaving! How do you expect me to employ you if you're not even gonna be here? What – you think you're being smart?"

"No, I meant get a job with Wario Ware Inc. in general," said Marut. "Like, do you think I could work for 'Double Dub' in the past. That's what I meant."

"Oh, I see what you're getting at," said Wario. "Well, a lot of good that does me! Any profit you help make would only be good for some alternate timeline version of me! You must have a screw loose!"

"He was asking about getting a job," said Toadette. "Not about making you money."

"Uh...oh, right, whatever," mumbled Wario. "Just go and apply and see what happens. What do you think you could contribute to the company?"

"I have a rad idea for a hit video game!" said Marut.

"What would it be about?" asked Athelstan.

"Just take everything we did as a team and turn it into a video game!" replied Marut. "Done! It'd be a 3D action-adventure-platformer-RPG-strategy-puzzle-beat 'em up-fantasy series with tons of levels! Or, make them open-world missions! There can be a story mode where you play as us eight, and there can be a versus "battle" mode with a bunch of other characters too! And maybe a time attack mode where we try and speed run the game!"

"Now those are some ideas to profit off of!" exclaimed Wario.

"Man, that sounds more egotistical than I do," grumbled Waluigi. "Make a video game of yourselves – what kind of stupidness is that?!"

"Hey, I thought our adventure was cool!" said Marut. "Really, the way I see it, why _wouldn't_ it work?"

"I'm not a betting man, but I actually would bet ya that that wouldn't sell," said Andrew.

"You wouldn't know 'cause your gaming cred is trash!" hollered Marut. "What're you calling for this bet?"

"If your idea bombs, we gotta go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and you only get to use one plate," said Andrew.

"Actually, you mean if his idea _bob-ombs_ ," said Athelstan.

"Okay?!" Marut hesitantly said. "Brutal, but I can work that. And if it's a success?"

Andrew sounded careless and somewhat nonchalant when he gave his reply. "Then I'll wear water wielder colors into the nearest stone wielder capital and wave around a water emblem flag as I say to the locals, 'Climbing sucks, science and history is boring, y'all are slower than a car stuck in park and drier than stale crust, go kick rocks and pound sand – as if you do anything else – y'all wouldn't be alive if it weren't for water, bow and dance for me, you lumbering lummoxes;' and then I'll scream 'Hoo! Hah!' and see how many people I can piss off before I get pelted with rocks and run out of town."

"Deal!" exclaimed Marut. He and Andrew then shook on it.

A few extra clusters of clouds rolled in as the group got off the bridge and onto East Island; natural clouds in no way reminiscent of the sickly, occlusive ones that made up the Nirvana Barrier when it still existed around the planet. More cheers and thanks from Rainbow City residents awaited the Kruna, though most of the people by now had moved on to resume what they were doing prior to the citadel's great descent from the sky.

"Maybe when we get back to our time, we could go hunting for Alkemei!" suggested Marut. "You know, after beating Marissa. Again."

"Yeah, that one last thing to take care of in this saga," said Bowser. "And it should be easy with as powerful as we've gotten in this time. Plus, she was pretty beaten up, from what I remember."

"Yeah, you guys literally can _not_ screw up when you go back and face her this time!" said Toad. "Otherwise, you guys might actually be garbage."

"Thanks for the encouraging words," muttered Daisy.

"You're welcome!" Toad replied. "Oh, and Alden and I could make more copies of your armor to take back with ya, if you want."

"Nah," said Daisy. "We're actually not going to take the armor back with us. We shouldn't have to. Our wielder uniforms should be protective enough. We'll be taking the staffs and belts though. But we won't need the armor where we're going."

"Still, you should take the sets you already got," said Alden. "Even if you're not going to wear them anymore, it'll be a nice memento, wouldn't it?"

Daisy snapped her fingers. "You know what? We don't need to take the Ultima Staffs back either!"

"We don't?" asked Warra.

"Nah, we should leave both the armor and the staffs here," said Daisy. "I just had the best idea, but we gotta wait until we see Rosalina again."

"Hold on," said Warra. "If we don't take the staffs with us, we won't have any elemental tools."

"But we'll have our Alkemei," said Daisy. "And besides, the staffs were really symbolic of us in this time. When we go back to our time, we'll just get some new stuff. And we won't be completely bare. Bowser still has his Blazer Claws, Marut has his Gust Boomerangs, Athelstan has his Boot Clubs and Stone Launcher, and I've got my wrist and ankle weights-"

"Which you refuse to take off," said Neva. "Will you ever?"

"Maybe if I really need to," said Daisy. "But they're still more serviceable for control than they are a hindrance to anything I do."

"Hey, you guys totally sidetracked from my idea!" snapped Marut. "We can go hunting for Alkemei! Maybe there's some even cooler ones out there than the ones we have now!"

"You'd give up your flying?" asked Athelstan.

"If I can find something better, then yeah!" hollered Marut. "Plus, it's an adventure, isn't it?!"

"Conceivably, there's still well over a hundred and fifty different Alkemei out there," said Toadsworth. "That's not counting duplicates of weaker, common ones. Where could you look for them? Well, aside from people who may have grabbed some as collectibles without any knowledge of their true capacities, you'd probably have to look in some exotic, unpopulated areas."

"Adventure right there," said Marut. "Who's with me?!"

"We'd need Ramona's Motomeru to detect other Alkemei," said Daisy.

"Ramona, you're up for going, right?" asked Marut.

"I don't think so," said Ramona. "I need a break."

"Seconded," said Neva.

"Thirded," said Athelstan.

"Fourthed," said Bowser.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do, actually," said Warra. "I'm kind of confused on that."

"Dude, you just talked about wanting to work with Wario Ware," Andrew said to Marut.

"Yeah, but that can wait if we go Alkemei hunting!" replied Marut. "Come on, guys! You can't tell me you don't want to go on another journey after the adrenaline rush that we've had! Daisy! My bro! Help me out here!"

"I've gotta take care of some business after we beat Marissa," said Daisy. "I don't know how long it'll take, but maybe we can go afterwards."

"Noooo," grumbled Marut. "How you gonna have me sittin' and waiting?"

"Just can't wait to get on the road again, huh?" said DK.

"Such youthful energy," said Toadsworth.

"At least a hundred and fifty, or more to see; to be an Alkemei hunter is my...destiny!" Marut sang. "I'll search across the land! Look far and wide! Release on command, the power that's inside! I want to be the best! That I can be! I'm on a wonderful quest – and I'm feeling free!"

"Marut, I can lend you my Alkemei if you want," said Ramona.

"Girl, noooo!" groaned Marut. "I want to go with somebody! I don't want to go by myself!"

"You could ask the past me," said Toadette, blushing some.

Marut shrugged. "I guess."

Toadette gasped. "HEY! I'm totally ready to go! I can be a good partner! We can go right now! You don't think I can hold my own?! I can show you! And past me can too!"

"Okay, okay! I believe you!" replied Marut. "I'll ask you in the past."

Toadette grinned. "That's better! Although, if you wanna do something right now-"

"Not right now," said Marut. "I'll admit I do need a break after all this; especially with how yesterday went. I'm sore in places I didn't even know I could get sore in!"

"Oh, okay..." Toadette replied. "I mean, I'm totally ready if you change your mind. I can handle a spear pretty well. And I can be a good travel buddy."

"Why are you acting so eager?" asked Toad.

Toadette threw her hands up. "Because piloting the cruiser and listening to them talk about their journeys really makes me want to go on one! More than I already did!"

"Toadette, you guys'll essentially be in our place when we leave," said Daisy. "So if anything happens, the responsibility is yours."

"And it's not as easy as it seems," said Bowser. "Trust us."

"But it still seems so super cool!" squealed Toadette. "You guys remind me of Mario and Luigi, always going on missions and being heroes and stuff!"

"Really?" asked Daisy. "Wow, that's...that's really something. I mean, that's quite a thing to say. Thanks, Toadette!"

"I think what I would much rather do right about now is get some fishing and golfing in," said Athelstan.

"I'm with you on that," said Warra.

"Count me in too," said Bowser.

Marut frowned. "You guys would rather fish and golf... What..."

"Andrew, um...I wanna ask you something," Neva said. "The next chance we get...you wanna go ice skating some time? With me?"

"Oh yeah, that sounds great!" Andrew replied.

"What it sounds like is a date," said Daisy.

"So what if it is?" Neva snapped with a grin. "What, are ya jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" said Daisy.

"Because you don't get to show him off," said Neva.

"Okay, first of all, I don't remember saying that I wanted to be shown off," muttered Andrew. "Second, don't you think it would have been better if you asked me this while we were alone?"

"I gotta make it known that you're mine," said Neva. "I don't wanna have to deal with any competition! Especially not from _you,_ dirt-sniffer."

"Why me?" asked Daisy. "I don't even like him in that way! You're paranoid!"

"Oh my go- is this about the hair thing?" Andrew grumbled in a blush. "Why are you so hung up on this?!"

"You see my hair color?!" snapped Neva. "No one likes hair that looks like white bread dough!"

"Alright, what is with this hair thing?!" shouted Daisy. "What did I miss?!"

"Nothing!" Andrew replied. "Nothing at all important or possibly subconscious that certain best friends should have kept quiet about!"

Ramona stayed silent and looked away. A nervous smile crept on her face.

"And _you_ ," Andrew said, nudging Neva with his elbow. "Quit worrying about that. I don't care what your hair looks like or what you look like in general for that matter. You're totally awesome regardless."

"I always thought I was the most unlucky girl ever," said Neva, beaming. "Now I know I'm the luckiest ever!"

"You're gonna have to tell me eventually someday what this hair thing is all about," said Daisy. "I seriously wouldn't mind if it has to do with mine."

"Andrew has a thing for red hair," said Ramona.

"Alright, I'd like to jump off this island now," said Andrew. "It was nice knowing ya, blah blah blah, whatever-" Just as he tried to turn and step away, Neva latched onto him and kept him from leaving.

"Dude, I just had a sick idea," said Marut. "If you jumped off this island and dropped to the ground with your Fwin active, could you just fall right through the ground?"

"You know what; that's actually a good question," said Andrew.

"But don't you dare try it!" said Neva. "And don't you get any ideas either, mud-slinger! You keep your colorful hair to yourself!"

Daisy laughed and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Okay, Neva. I'll try."

"And I'm not done with you yet!" Neva screamed at Andrew. "Remember all those months ago when I asked you what kind of girls you like and if you had a type? You said you didn't know! You said you didn't think about that! Both are LIES!"

"What were you expecting me to say?" snapped Andrew. "What kind of a question is that?!"

"A question you should've answered!" Neva yelled. "Now you tell me what the real answer is!"

"You mean right now?"

"Yes, I mean right now! I don't care who hears! Spill it, Shady!"

"You better listen to her," said Bowser. "Otherwise, you might have to test Marut's idea after she throws you off the island."

"Yeah, I wanna hear!" said Waluigi. "Public embarrassment is funny!"

"I think we're all curious now," said Toadette. "C'mon. There's no shame here!"

"Except for how Waluigi thinks Rosalina is hot," said Wario. "That's just sad."

"You ought to be keeping your mouth shut with that onion breath of yours!" Waluigi barked.

Andrew sighed. "Okay, whatever. Sometimes at night, I dream of..."

And then he stopped talking altogether, turned, and made a mad dash in the opposite direction away from the group. Neva sprinted at him with as much speed as she could muster up to chase him down. Just as Andrew slowed up to check behind him, Neva caught up and tackled him to the ground. Her hit combined with the impact on the street under him knocked all the breath out of his lungs.

"Oh-KAY?!" hollered DK.

"I don't ever remember her running that fast," said Daisy. "Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention to her actual speed at the time."

"That tackle though!" said Marut. "My mans here just got bodied like nobody's business!"

"What was she trying to do – break his legs?!" cried Toadette. "Geez, man!"

Ramona gave an anxious laugh. "Well, that would make it so he can't run away..."

* * *

Later on at night, the Kruna Yura met up with Rosalina and Polari at the Comet Observatory's Kruna Hall once again. The eight elemental wielders did not have their armor or their Ultima Staffs with them. Instead, the equipment rested inside eight different glass cases among duplicates of each of the Kruna's standard uniforms and any alternate getups they had used. Sans photographs, which would come later, the Kruna Yura now each had their own individualized section in the Kruna Hall.

"Not too shabby," said Athelstan. "Not too shabby at all."

"This makes sense," said Warra. "It's only fitting."

"Could you explain this for me again?" Bowser asked Daisy.

"These were the things we used in this time," said Daisy. "We accomplished what we did as Kruna Yura in this time. This is one story. The story that's to come in the past will be a different one from the one that took place here. So if we get a spot in the Kruna Hall in the past, it will be different from the one we got here. The one here represents us and what we did here in the future. The one in the past would represent us and what we do there."

"This is one version of who we are," said Warra. "But we'll evolve into something else entirely when we return to our time."

Daisy nodded. "That's a great way of putting it."

"We can either go into the database and take the photographs used on your IDs, or we can take new pictures," said Rosalina. "And those would be used specifically as the portraits to go over your display cases."

"Let's all just do new pictures," said Ramona. "Seems like kind of a hacky bit to reuse pics."

"And we'd probably all be in much better moods with these than we were when we took the ones for the IDs," added Athelstan.

"We can do that tomorrow," said Rosalina. "It's pretty late now. Thank you all for gathering all of these mementos for the archives here. You've cemented your place in history with your actions in this time, and I am sure you will back in your time as well. The exhibits here are not finished, but they're put together enough to say that you are unofficially a part of the Kruna Hall. These sections should be completed and finalized in the coming days."

After some celebratory high-fives and hugs among the eight Kruna, Rosalina spoke up once more with firmness behind her tone. "Bowser Koopa, Kruna of Fire; Athelstan Hayer, Kruna of Stone; Marut Kaze, Kruna of Air; Warra Jidlaph, Kruna of Water; Neva Alekseeva, Kruna of Ice; Ramona Maggie-Lynn, Kruna of Light; Andrew Mitchell, Kruna of Shadow; and last but certainly not least, Daisy Sarasa, Kruna of Earth... Thank you all for your service and for the contributions you've made to the world. Now and forever, you are enshrined in the Kruna Hall as the Kruna Yura."


	85. Chapter LXXXV

Free the Present:

On a Sunday morning two weeks after the end of Marissa's reign, Daisy finished packing up all of her belongings in her Rainbow Suite room into her Hammerspace Belt. Whatever did not fit through the opening, she stuck into a backpack. With one final look at the quaint place she had stayed in for so long, she walked out and closed the door. Daisy entered the hallway right as Warra and Athelstan left their rooms, the two of them with their own backpacks as well.

"How's this for a moving out day?" said Athelstan.

"You know, I feel like I might actually miss all this," said Daisy.

"Only because you've been here for so long," said Warra.

"Maybe," Daisy replied. "Have the others finished already?"

"Yup!" Athelstan replied. "They're outside."

"Well, let's turn in our keys to the front desk and join 'em," said Daisy.

* * *

The three Kruna Yura stepped outside of Rainbow Suite for the last time into the sun and strolled over to the Courtyard Square where everyone else waited for them. The other Kruna Yura, Rosalina, Lubba, Polari, Toad, Alden, Toadsworth, Donkey Kong, Toadette, Koops, Wario, Waluigi, and the Black Mages all stood together by the courtyard's water fountain. Now all together, the Kruna were ready to go.

"It's been quite a trip, guys," said Daisy. "You all take care."

"You take care too!" said Lubba. "We can't thank you enough for all that you've done!"

"Indeed," said Rosalina. "May the stars shine down on you until the end of time."

Rosalina walked towards Daisy and handed her a thick book. Confused, Daisy flipped through some of the pages and noticed several references to her and the other Kruna Yura. She picked out a section to do a quick scan through, recognizing that the selected passage told of their descent to the Monsoon Jungle.

"This is what you wanted to give us before we left?" asked Daisy.

Rosalina nodded. "This is a copy of the book we now have in the Cosmic Archives detailing the whole accountof your time here. Of course, it is limited in some aspects since the Nirvana Barrier prevented us from watching over what exactly happened until you destroyed it. Still, things like the enemies you faced, the locations you went to, the objectives and tasks of your travels, and much more are chronicled within these pages. Take it back to the Cosmic Archives of your time so that your accomplishments exist in both worlds. The multiple seals of approval inside the book validate the legitimacy of these records."

"Awesome," said Daisy. "Thanks a lot for this."

"Even without the book, we'll never forget you guys," said Rosalina.

"I don't care what anybody says; you guys are the greatest!" hollered Koops.

"There's no disputing it!" added Toadette.

All three remarks widened Daisy's smile.

After a heartfelt exchange of goodbyes among the group, Ramona and Andrew got set to try and create a portal to the Angel Islands. However, Waluigi cut in front of them and stopped them. Toadette also got in Ramona and Andrew's way.

"Hold on! Why don't we fly you over there in the cruiser?" asked Waluigi. "For old times' sake?"

Daisy gave a small, smiling shrug. "Actually, that sounds quite alright to me."

With the other Kruna in agreement as well, Waluigi and Toadette went with them to the Western Island Docking Bay while the others of the group waved them off. The Kruna Yura were now on their way to the true end of their journey.

* * *

That glistening, golden afternoon, the Koopa Cruiser arrived at the Angel Islands. The airship landed at the same spot Toadette and Marut had parked it in on their initial trip to the floating islands above the North Pole. With the Nirvana Barrier gone this time, they could see all of the arctic region of the planet below and much of Earth's northern hemisphere from their extreme height of the airborne islands. Once everyone stepped off the airship onto the small islet it rested on, Waluigi and Toadette gave the Kruna one final salute.

"It's been fun," said Waluigi. "Harrowing, but fun."

"The world's just not gonna be the same without you," said Toadette.

"Alright, alright, let's just go already!" snapped Waluigi, trying to cover his face.

"Aw, Wally! You're not crying, are you?" asked Toadette.

"No, my eyes are just burning!" Waluigi grunted. "If you see me crying for anything, you oughta just throw me off a building!"

"So are you gonna follow us to a building, or should we just throw you off this island?" asked Daisy.

"Shut up!" shouted Waluigi, walking back to the ship entry. "Just, bye, or, whatever! Who needs ya?!"

As Waluigi reentered the Koopa Cruiser, Toadette followed him onboard and waved at the Kruna. Soon, the great airship activated its engines and flew off into the distance. The Kruna watched the Koopa Cruiser go until it became nothing more than a dark dot in their vision. Now, the eight elemental wielders had only one place to go.

* * *

The Kruna traversed through the clouds, landmasses, and old-world towers and bridges making up the Angel Islands as Daisy, Marut, Athelstan, and Ramona did before. When they got to the tall tower on one of the central islands housing the Gate of Time, they entered its double doors and waited for Apollymi to show up. Before long, the divine gatekeeper appeared before them.

"It appears your quest has been successful," said Apollymi.

Daisy nodded. "We're ready to go back to our time now."

Apollymi gestured to the Gate of Time. Her and the Kruna went over to the ancient device, and Ramona took out one of the sixty-four Crystal Tears contained in the case she held on her person. Shortly after Ramona touched the tear to the Gate of Time's frame, the gate turned on and activated its lights. A low hum accompanying it, a swirling black vortex with white streaks formed within the gate's arch. Ramona then returned the Crystal Tear to its case with the rest of them and put the case away, awaiting instruction from Apollymi.

"There are no buttons for this," said Apollymi. "There are no switches. There are no special gimmicks. All you have to do is walk. When you go in, take the left turn and continue down. You will know what I mean once you enter."

"Um...okay?" said Marut. He was not the only one Apollymi's cryptic directions bothered.

"If my past self should give you trouble for whatever reason, just recite my name: Apollymi," the divine woman said. "Because none of your world know of my name, it will let me know that I granted you passage and that your presence in the Angel Islands is okay. Now... Now, you will proceed in. Following the directions I described, you will return to the point in time right after the point in which you were ripped from the timeline. And your return will create a new continuity, a separate timeline distinct from this one. When you are ready, step through the portal. All eight of you."

"Thank you, Apollymi," Warra said with a bow.

"Last one in is a Slowbro!" Marut shouted. He sprinted into the Gate of Time's portal, a momentary distortion forming at the point of entry. Warra and Bowser followed him in.

"Oh, c'mon! He's gotta know by now that I've got no real speed," said Athelstan. "That's just cruel calling that. In fact, that's _Tentacruel_."

"And I'm so glad they left before they could hear that," said Ramona.

"Goodbye, future!" Daisy said. She went in next with Ramona and Athelstan, leaving just Neva and Andrew behind.

"You ready?" asked Andrew.

"I'm ready," murmured Neva.

"Are you sure?"

Neva nodded, her eyes glistening. The two of them turned and headed for the Gate of Time, their fingers interlocked on their way into the portal the other Kruna entered just moments ago.

* * *

After a warp into and through a rainbow, the eight Kruna Yura stepped into a dimension beyond their wildest imaginations. The Gate of Time's portal had led them into a vast hallway with transparent walls that possessed thick, white outlines. Even the very floor they stood on was see-through. A cosmic background surrounded them in all directions. Somehow, the realm had a constant appearance and feeling of perpetual animation.

The utterly surreal realm left all of the Kruna bewildered. They marched down the hallway with caution to the lone split at its end, where they only had the option of going left or right. Somehow, the intersection itself dragged along the hallway that seemed to go on indefinitely in either direction. As instructed, they went left.

The halls resembled something of a museum; featuring pillars, paintings, and models. Like the walls, floor, and ceiling; these features also were transparent and had nothing to their form other than neon white outlines. The paintings hung low to the ground and had enough size within their frames to fit someone like Bowser without issue. Not much in the hall had any opaqueness to it, yet everything held depth. The realm had little ambient noise aside from some indescribable, otherworldly echoes.

High above the hall on either side, glowing figures hovered with their legs crossed. They sat spaced out and across the hall from one another, a pair near each blacked-out painting hanging on the walls. None of them moved or reacted to the Kruna's presence. They observed but did nothing more. Aside from their glow, the figures all wore varied wardrobes of clearly discernible elemental affiliation. The style of attire sported also seemed more dated the further the Kruna progressed down the hall. The bright glow of each figure made it difficult to determine their facial features, let alone their race.

The Kruna kept walking through the straight, decorated corridor, their silence resulting from pure awe over their current location and situation. They marched on for what seemed like a very long while until a sudden wall of whiteness emerged from the transparent ground and prevented them from continuing their trek down the hall that previously had no end in sight. The figure on their right descended from above and gestured to the painting below him.

"You are not allowed to proceed any further," the being stated. "Exit here or turn back."

"Why can't we keep going?" asked Daisy.

"You were removed from the timeline at the point behind the barrier that just cut you off," the being replied. "Time progressed and moved on without you until your reemergence eight years after your disappearance. You are forbidden from proceeding past this barrier."

"That's fine," said Daisy. "We intend to go back to the point in time right after we left."

The being gestured to the painting below him again. "Then enter. Through here, you shall return to your world at the instant in time after your initial departure. Your return to this point in time will create an alternate continuity that will not interfere with the natural flow of the Main Line, and both timelines will coexist. Once you pass through here, there is no turning back to the world you have left. Do you agree to these terms?"

"Yes, we do," Daisy replied.

The being nodded and said nothing more. He returned to his height above the hallway, resuming his seated hover. One by one, the Kruna Yura each leapt into the painting. Within the painting, the black void around them swallowed up the entrance they had passed through. A rainbow from above and from below stretched out and spread over all the darkness in a glimmering, wavy sparkle and glittery sheen. Such a wondrous sight astonished the eight elemental wielders.

The rainbows stopped and receded after their extended swirling dance around the Kruna, revealing all-encompassing darkness once more. Except now, a lone white arch-shaped doorway stood a fair distance in front of the Kruna. With nowhere else to go, the Kruna started for the door.

* * *

The Kruna Yura stepped out of the Gate of Time into a dark world. Though, the world was only dark because of the time. They had emerged just as the sun had set. A few moments after all eight of them had stepped out into the dark silence, the portal within the Gate of Time's frame dissipated. The Gate of Time shut off altogether soon after.

"We actually made it, didn't we?" asked Ramona, gazing around the interior of the tower.

"Hey, Apollymi!" Daisy called out. "Apollymi!"

After no response, the Kruna ran out of the tower's doors and gazed at the Angel Islands surrounding them in the late evening sky. All was quiet and still. Daisy called out for Apollymi a few more times before the divine being appeared in the distance. Apollymi gave a simple nod before her form faded away.

"See ya 'round," murmured Daisy.

"The Nirvana Barrier hasn't formed," said Bowser. "We can go and beat Marissa before the barrier even envelopes the Earth!"

"And beating her would break the link she has with the barrier and prevent the spell from finishing!" said Warra.

"Ramona and Andrew; you can get us to Sarasaland in a hurry, right?" asked Daisy.

"Yup!" Ramona replied. She and Andrew moved to the front of the group and prepared their elemental powers.

* * *

High above on the Bellbridge Terrace, Marissa turned away from the Sarasaland Campanile to stare out over the central and southern portions of the snow-dusted Sarasaland Castle Town. Stretching her arms out to her sides, she gazed into the distance and then up into the aurora-filled sky and the full moon. Though the Nirvana Barrier would not be noticeable for at least a few days, it was well underway in building up and spreading out into what she had described earlier before she had sent the Kruna through the Chronos Aeon portal. At no point did she notice Umbra King Boo's eerily suspicious smirk behind her.

Marissa closed her eyes for a little while and took another deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she looked upon the land below and ahead with a steady but dangerous simper. "Time to do something about this eyesore of a planet," she said. "... Let the future...begin..."

Not two seconds after the demon witch said that, a portal appeared at the entrance to the circular terrace. The eight Kruna Yura leapt out from it and spread out along their side of the rainbow-lighted metal and Plexiglas field suspended in the air. Ramona and Andrew's portal now disbanding, Marissa and King Boo stared at the Kruna Yura in utter bafflement.

"Oh, what fresh hell is this..." said Marissa.

King Boo grimaced. "Marissa! What's the big idea?! Too old to do spells right?!"

"I swear, I did that spell exactly the way I was supposed to!" snapped Marissa.

"Then why are they here?!" King Boo roared. "You done fluked up!"

Marissa growled in a nasty frown. "I fluked up?! Well, fluke you too! You want to explain how they...wait a minute..."

The witch's voice trailed off as she noticed the lack of elemental tools among most of the Kruna, their change in garb, and the fact that they now all wore an Alkemei instead of just some of them. In addition to that, Marissa noticed the veritable spike in each of their energy signatures compared to when she last saw them not too long ago. King Boo soon picked up on the same changes as well.

"Maybe I misspoke," King Boo said under his breath. "The spell had to have worked if they changed _this_ much in a matter of minutes."

Marissa frowned. "But if it worked _and_ they made it back here, then that means they...they must have..."

"Your little time trap didn't quite work out the way you wanted it to," said Warra.

"It's all over now," said Bowser. "You're done. Finished."

"Me? Finished?" grunted Marissa. "Nobody says that to me – I reign supreme over all!"

"No, you don't," said Daisy. "And you won't. We can't let that happen."

"You don't have a choice in the matter!" Marissa boomed. "Come on, King Boo! We'll make short work of them!"

King Boo did not respond. The next thing Marissa knew, she turned around and saw that King Boo had powered-down back to normal with a Paranormal Portal already opened up over him.

"Have fun, Marissa!" King Boo said, waving an arm at her.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" asked Marissa.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" King Boo replied. He promptly zipped into the Paranormal Portal and dispelled it once inside. A nervous sweat beaded on Marissa's head as she turned back to the Kruna Yura, who now advanced towards her.

"I can't believe that jerk," grumbled Marissa.

"Yeah, he had no loyalty to you whatsoever," said Athelstan.

Marissa got her arms up to try and set up a defense, but she then felt a stabbing nerve pain shoot through to her right hand and left leg. Her bleeding body jerked and buckled over. She had almost no power left to combat the eight heading towards her.

"You're definitely losing this time," said Daisy. "You've got no one here to help you. You can barely even stand."

"I'd destroy us both before I let you beat me," Marissa hissed. "Either way – you'll never make it out of here alive!"

"That might be your intention, but you can't fool us," replied Daisy. "We haven't forgotten that you're immortal!"

"How did you even make it back here?" grunted Marissa.

"It's a long story," said Andrew. "But the short answer is-"

The Kruna of Shadow sprinted at Marissa with a hand up and charging dark power. Marissa tried to make a quick cut in evasion, but a sharp jolting sensation in her body made her stumble. Andrew got in an easy hit when he sidearmed his dark burst at her at point-blank range. Just after she hit the ground, Andrew picked her up and threw her at Daisy, who jumped and slammed her onto the terrace floor with two hammer fist strikes. Off the demon witch's richochet, Bowser breathed a burst of fire and Athelstan shot rocks from his Stone Launcher. Both attacks smothered and battered Marissa, as did the sweeping gusts that Marut slashed her way along his Gust Boomerangs. Once Marissa hit the ground again, she did not get up.

The eight Kruna Yura assembled into a semi-circle formation and joined their hands together. Marissa stayed motionless for a while before she finally forced herself into a roll onto her stomach, only to see an Elemental Wave forming with the capacity to create an Elemental Seal. Though she tried pressing herself up off of the ground, she did not have the strength or stability left in her body to do so.

"You can't be serious," groaned Marissa. "This is not how things are supposed to end... I had this won... Hey! Koopa! You know you're wasting your potential fighting with these humans!"

"I know I'm not," replied Bowser. "There's nothing you can say or do that can change what I know... And I know I'm free to do what I want, as I want, how I want. _That_ doesn't sound like a waste."

"Oh, of course you are," Marissa grumbled in rising distress. "Shadow wielder! I need to tell you something! But you can't seal me! I can make you a deal!"

"Okay, now you're just getting desperate," said Andrew.

"Please, just hear me out!" grunted Marissa. "If you stop and help me, I can make your future a very happy one!"

"Not listening," said Andrew.

"My gosh – what's a girl supposed to do around here to sway some wannabe heroes?" said Marissa. "I thought guys like you were supposed to be stupider than this!"

The Kruna Yura finished charging their wave and aimed their outstretched hands at the downed demon witch. Marissa's level of alarm made an exponential jump in intensity. A mixture of rage, sadness, and even psychosis overtook her as she let out a furious scream.

"Sorry Marissa," murmured Daisy.

An Elemental Wave erupted from the Kruna Yura and rushed at Marissa, who now seemed to have lost awareness of everything around her in her state of manic madness. In much the same way that the elements sealed around Marissa and Osiris Soul in the future, the elements surrounded and encased the demon witch of the present time. The elemental powers of the Kruna melded and fused together in controlled chaos, trapping Marissa in a perfect, timeless Elemental Seal.

Geno arrived from the winding paths of Bellbridge onto the Bellbridge Terrace in time to see the last remnants of the Kruna's Elemental Wave disband. As he hurried to join the group, he saw the demon witch bound to the ground and suspended in livid vexation under the surreal, newly formed Elemental Seal. Circulation of each element coursed all throughout the translucent, solid white substance resembling glassy ice that now contained Marissa.

"Where'd King Boo go?!" Geno asked. "I thought for sure he was heading here!"

"He was here," said Daisy. "But then he left. He just abandoned Marissa when he realized we were about to beat both of them."

"You don't know where he went?" said Geno. "And while I'm asking questions, what happened to you eight? Why do you all look so different?! And how are you all unharmed after everything that has gone on tonight?! And how did your powers increase so substantially?! And is that the Orianthi?!"

"Yes, it is," Daisy said, running her fingers along her Alkemei. "All those questions are really great ones. We'll have to tell you all about it after we get Marissa out of here. We can't just leave her out here as she is."

"We're probably going to have to saw off part of this terrace to move her," said Bowser. "We'll have to see about getting Rosalina down here to check this out."

Geno said nothing. He took slow steps towards the sealed demon witch, a being who used to be his former teammate in ages past. Kneeling at her side, he breathed a sigh of relief and tapped a closed fist on the seal. Several moments passed in which Geno stared at Marissa, no words uttered.

"Geno, are you okay?" asked Ramona.

"I'm fine," said Geno. "It's just a strange feeling I'm experiencing over this... A goal that has kept me going all these years has been met. It's something I almost never thought I would get to see; and yet, I am so confused over how to feel about this. It's something that had to be done, but still... I still wish it didn't have to end like this. Nevertheless, Marissa has been defeated. I can't thank you enough for your aid. I am eternally thankful..."

"Geno, we got sent into the future," said Daisy. "Marissa sent us there before you got here...and we learned some stuff about her while we were there. In fact, you specifically – a future version of you – also spoke to me..."

Geno sighed. "I shouldn't feel sorry for her. But I do. Indeed, she brought this all on herself...but I just wish I could have done something to save her...to keep her from taking the fall that she did...to prevent any of this from happening... Just, something..."

Geno gazed at the furious, partially visible expression on the sealed demon witch's face. "For as long as I've known Marissa – dating back to when we were a part of the Kruna Genesis – she was a person of fake smiles. She always seemed happy and okay when in public or around someone else...but quite a few times – more than I would have liked – I caught her in terrible moods. I'd see her by herself in angry rage, ballistic crying, and utter despair. Whenever someone asked her what was wrong, she would always respond in either an exceptionally harsh tone, or she would brush it off and pretend as though everything was alright. I don't believe any of us knew what to make of such behavior. But, well, we were in no real position to help. She spoke very little of her life and where she came from. We essentially just had to go along with what she said, or else risk making her even madder in trying to figure out what was wrong. The one thing we knew for sure after a while, and maybe a little too late, was that for as joyous, cheery, and perky as she almost always seemed, she was a deeply depressed person under it all. I always used to wonder if one day, living would just become too much for her, and she would just... Well, that's kind of ironic with what actually turned out to be."

Geno stood up from where he had knelt. "When we faced Marissa to get her to stop her rapidly spiraling descent into corruption, we saw something we did not see in any of the enemies we had faced before her. Never before had we seen such hatred and animosity. Osiris came nowhere near close to the kind of raw fury Marissa possessed. It was almost as if she had a monstrous vendetta against the entire world. But she also seemed incredibly confused as well. Altogether, it doesn't make for a great combination at all."

Again, Geno sighed. He subtly shook his head before turning around to face the Kruna Yura. His demeanor still harbored uncertainty over how to feel.

"You never really know what's going through someone's mind," said Geno. "And similarly, you never know what they're going through or have already went through. Have the patience and empathy needed to reach out and help them in a positive manner. Maybe we all could have done well in paying more attention to each other rather than just putting most of our focus in our roles. But take this as a lesson for you all to keep in heart going forward. If you see someone having a tough time, do your best to be as supportive of them as you can. Even if they don't want your help, be there for them anyways. Even if they're making it nigh impossible to be there for them; please, just try to... Alright?"

"I will," said Daisy. "We all will. Thank you for telling us that. All of it."

Geno nodded. "Good... That's more than good."

Just a moment later, Geno's body fell over and collapsed onto the ground. Shocking surprise arose in all of the Kruna, for no one had hit him. Perhaps even more unsettling, Geno did not get up or make any attempt to. He remained stretched out on his back while they rushed over to him.

"What happened, Geno?" asked Warra.

Geno's body began to dematerialize into sparkles of light. "Do not worry. I will be fine. It is simply time for me to leave. That's all. Thank you. Thank you, Kruna."

"I don't understand," said Daisy. "What's this all about?"

"You have succeeded in helping me accomplish something I could not do myself," said Geno. "And in doing so, you have brought peace to the unrest here in Sarasaland...and you have brought peace to me. I no longer have to roam the world with regrets... I no longer have unfinished business haunting me... Now, I can move on. Finally."

Bewildering amazement filled the Kruna Yura as Geno's body continued to release sparkling glints at an increasing rate. Soon, a large, shimmering mass of golden light broke off and hovered over the remains of Geno's body. All of the Kruna felt too astounded to say a word.

"Godspeed, Kruna," Geno said. "You are the youth that will help progress this world forward into the future. Wherever you go from this point on, you house in you the spirits of true heroes. The will of past Kruna lives on through you eight now. May the stars shine down on you all..."

The last of Geno's body turned into light and drifted away into the ether. In confused wonder, the Kruna watched the spectacle unfold until all had grown still. Though they did not fully understand what had just happened, one thing had become clear as the last of Geno's energy signature faded away.

"He's gone..." murmured Daisy. "Just like that...he's really gone..."

"Wow..." mumbled Marut. "We didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."

"Technically, we did," said Athelstan. "We just had no idea that whatever just happened would happen."

A period of quiet reflection transpired in the cold, late night. Geno's passing almost entirely overshadowed the fact that the Kruna Yura had completed the very last task they needed to do to put away their grand saga against Marissa. The event had come without any prior warning, notification, or indication. Geno had not said a thing beforehand about or in any way related to what had just happened to him. Now at the true end of their long and arduous quest, the Kruna did not know whether to be cheery and glad or sad and somber.

"We shouldn't be sad, should we?" said Andrew. "From what I understand, he only stayed alive as long as he did to beat Marissa, so now he can rest in peace, right?"

"How could he have suspended his life like that..." Bowser wondered aloud.

"Was he even still alive to begin with?" asked Neva.

"He had to have been," said Athelstan. "How else could he have been here?"

Daisy shook her head. "I don't know, man. I'm gonna need some time to take this all in, but we have to do something about Marissa. Ramona, Andrew; can you go to the Comet Observatory and get those guys down here to take Marissa somewhere?"

"Yeah, we can do that," said Ramona. "Are you guys coming along, or are you going to wait here?"

"We'll stay here to make sure no one shows up to try and do anything suspicious," said Bowser.

"Great," said Daisy. "I've actually got something else I need to do. There's a hospital in the northwestern part of town here that I'd like to check out."


	86. Chapter LXXXVI

No Person Determines:

With Daisy, Ramona, and Andrew gone, the Kruna Yura stood atop the Bellbridge Terrace by the Sarasaland Campanile with the demon witch safely encased in an Elemental Seal. The five Kruna waited in quiet, saying little until a portal appeared towards the center of the terrace through which Ramona, Andrew, Rosalina, Polari, Lubba, and a bevy of Lumas emerged from. The Lumas assembled around the Elemental Seal and released some of their power onto the surrounding portion of the terrace floor. Before long, they had carved out the section of the floor to which Marissa was bound to in her seal. Polari and Lubba assumed control of the separated mass with their cosmic power and wasted no time getting it through Ramona and Andrew's portal.

"Where are you taking her?" asked Warra.

"We've got a special area in the Comet Observatory reserved for her," said Rosalina. "In fact, you all should come along. There's some business we need to get to."

"Well, we're gonna have to go get Daisy first," said Bowser.

"Oh, that's right," said Rosalina. "Where did she run off to?"

* * *

Daisy sat in the lobby of Castle Town's northwestern hospital with Donkey Kong, who had delivered her father into emergency care there. Permission inside of his room had not been granted to them, for the wound Marissa had inflicted on him threatened his life and required extensive attention without distractions. Even with as fast as Donkey Kong tried to get King Sarasa there, the monarch's status remained up in the air.

Soon, the other Kruna Yura arrived and joined Daisy and DK in their wait. An hour or so passed before they got any word on the King of Sarasaland's health. The nurse that came from the hallways leading into the ICU presumably held information on the fate of Daisy's father and Sarasaland's future. The presence of the young lady got the Kruna and DK up onto their feet with the expectation that they would not have to wait any longer for answers, but she did not seem optimistic.

"It's a tricky situation," the nurse said. "We don't really have much confidence in making an accurate prediction on this. From what I last saw of him about a half hour ago, he was in better condition than we would have expected. However, it has been a couple of hours since he had sustained the injury if we go by how long it has been since your ape friend got him here."

"So what are you saying?" asked Daisy.

"I'm saying that if he recovers, it's going to be at least a day or two before he does," the nurse replied. "Maybe even a few. It's hard to tell at this point. So with that said, you all don't have to stay in the lobby here any longer."

"Bummer," Marut said under his breath.

"I guess we should have expected it considering it may well have been a heart-damaging injury," said Warra.

"Yes, I believe the surprise is more from him surviving as well as he has," said the nurse.

"Well, where to now?" asked Neva.

"I guess we go to the Comet Observatory," said Daisy.

Suddenly, a koopa nurse ran out from the same hall the first nurse had come from. Her expression seemed almost as excited as her body language, for she acted as if a legion of Boos had snuck up from behind her and breathed down her neck.

"You're never going to believe this!" the koopa nurse said. "He's awake! King Sarasa's awake!"

"You can't be serious!" the human nurse exclaimed.

"Yeah, I sure am!" replied the koopa nurse. "He actually has consciousness and everything! And his wound is already beginning the healing process! You should see his markers right now! It's unreal how well his body is handling this!"

"There's that earth wielder resilience for ya," said Athelstan. "Can't keep black and silver down, huh?"

"I never thought an earth wielder could recover from something like that so well," mumbled Daisy. "I certainly never came across an earth wielder that could. I sure can't..."

"But if you can't, then how come he did?" asked Marut.

Athelstan shrugged. "Maybe the gene didn't get passed down? Maybe it's a mutation that amplifies the earth wielder's inherent traits?"

"Whatever the case, I gotta see this," said Daisy. "Let's go-"

"Hold on," said the koopa nurse. "You're still not allowed inside. Only medical personnel are-"

"That's the King of Sarasaland, and I'm his daughter," said Daisy. "Ergo, I'm the princess here. And none of you would still be here if it weren't for us; so are you gonna let us in, or am I gonna have to force my way in there?"

* * *

Daisy flung open the doors of the room where her father lay in bed. The other Kruna and Donkey Kong followed right behind her. With plenty of medical equipment hooked up to him, King Sarasa had at least some semblance of consciousness. The doctors in the room shuffled around to give space for the Kruna and Donkey Kong to get near the king's bed once they saw the nurses that came behind the newcomers.

"What are you all doing here?" asked King Sarasa.

"What do you mean?" asked Daisy. "I came to see my dad, and I brought my friends along. And Donkey Kong here is the one that got you to this place."

"Then you have my thanks," King Sarasa said to DK.

"As for the witch and her gang and her dogs, they've been dealt with already," said Daisy. "Castle Town's clear of danger."

"You did all of that?" murmured King Sarasa.

"Yup," said Daisy. "And I couldn't have done it without my friends here."

King Sarasa sighed. "That's good. That's outstanding..."

"So, it looks like you're gonna make a recovery," Daisy half-asked.

"If he keeps improving at this rate, he will with certainty in a matter of days," a doctor said.

"Right," Daisy replied, somewhat muted. The conflict of emotion within her distracted her and did not let her say anything else. She tried to keep down a scowl that would have showed if not for her conscious effort against it. But after a short period of quiet, King Sarasa decided to speak all that he had to and wanted to tell his daughter.

"Daisy, I can not express how sorry I am for everything," said King Sarasa. "Partially, it's because of regret and remorse for all that I did...but potentially even more than that, I don't really know how much I can even recollect of what I've done. It almost feels like I've sleepwalked through most of my life for as long as I can remember. It's no excuse for what I've done, but I wish I had more awareness over everything that has happened. Or, maybe my memory is going bad. I don't know. From what I could tell; one moment, you had become this bulky, beastly creature; and then the next, you were bronzed with gold eyes and some spiky hair. And now, you're back to normal...I think, at least."

"Oh, yeah, that's all a funny story," said Daisy.

"Nonetheless, I should have done better than I did," said King Sarasa. "I single-handedly made a mess out of everything. I've sapped so much out of this nation. I've ruined the family. I've failed you as a father. I've let down so many and harmed so many more. I've made a villain out of the 'Sarasa' name. I'm no longer even human. I'm just a walking cocktail of drugs and genetic experimentation...all for some selfish, fearful pursuit that I don't even know if I ever wanted in the first place. I wish I knew just what went through my head to put me on this path. But I don't. I can't figure it out. And I'm so frustrated over all of it. I can't take this anymore. I should not even be allowed to live. For as much as I've tried to avoid it, death should be the only outcome for me. And immediately. I order that these attachments be removed and all this healing work be undone-"

"Woah, woah, woah; no no no no no," said Daisy. "Nuh-uh. That's not happening here. Nope."

"Only the highest of penalties will suffice for my fouls-" King Sarasa started to say.

"You're not getting any penalties, alright?" said Daisy. "Just chill out. You're getting all extreme on this when I'm not even trying to! Look, I'm not mad about that stuff anymore. Let's just forget about it and move forward. I'm trying to dwell less on past crap and keep looking ahead."

"You mean after all that I've done, you're actually going to forgive me?" asked King Sarasa, his tone shaky.

"Well, no," said Daisy. "It's not going to be that easy. A lot of...well, trauma...built up from it. I'm not gonna say it's not something I can move past...but I'd be lying to everyone, myself included, if I tried to say that I'm not at least mentally screwed up or subconsciously affected in some way. In what way, I don't know. I'm not some doctor dude or whoever does that kind of stuff."

"Don't worry, Daisy," said Andrew. "If nothing else, know that I'm like, twenty times more screwed up than you are. And if I'm doing okay right now, then at least you have that going for ya. I am unironically serious. If I sound like I'm not, I'm not trying to sound like I'm not."

"You're just fine the way you are," Neva said to Andrew. "You too, dirt-eater."

Daisy smiled and shook her head among the scattered laughter in the room. "Okay, in all unironic seriousness though, it's going to take time before things between us get to a point where I can say we're good, Dad. But, I'm not holding on to any hate or spite now. I'm dropping it. I'm not hating anyone anymore. It's just not in me to keep that up."

"Except for Kokoro!" added Marut.

"There's exceptions to everything," Daisy said, biting her tongue with a grin.

King Sarasa nodded. "I understand. Although, I do have something to ask of you."

"What is it?" Daisy replied.

"Listen," King Sarasa said. "If we are on okay terms now, I would like for you to have an active role as the princess here in Sarasaland. I could use your help in righting the wrongs I've caused, and I need to clear your name around here. I'm sure you could lead this nation on a path to greatness and restore its old glory. However, I can't make you do something you do not wish to do. I am not in control of your life. No one is. No person determines what you want to do and who you want to be but you. I am just presenting the offer for you. If you so choose that it is not your place, then I am completely okay with that. And if that is what you choose, then I will just have to find another candidate."

Daisy shrugged and shook a thumb at Bowser. "Well, I say you got a pretty good candidate right here."

"The koopa," said King Sarasa. "Okay. Are you qualified and ready for such a position?"

"Of course he is," said Daisy. "Much more than I am! I've never been a fan of politics. I'm not coordinated enough for that. I believe Bowser would be much better with this stuff."

"Me?!" Bowser asked, beyond surprised. "You think I'd be good for the job?"

Daisy smiled. "It's yours if you want it."

"Princess Bowser," Marut said in a muffled giggle.

"Hold on – I am _not_ going to be a princess!" snapped Bowser. "Let's get that out of the way first!"

"Actually, you'd be the prime minister here," said King Sarasa. "Daisy, you would get to keep your princess title, but you can share your powers with him so that he can act in your stead."

"How about it, Bowser?" said Daisy. "That's a great way to kick off a new start, huh?"

"How's that for job titles on your resume?" said Athelstan. "Bowser, King of Koopas, Prime Minister of Sarasaland, and Kruna Yura of Fire!"

Bowser's voice quivered, his eyes starting to water. "I'm only here in this position because of you guys. Less than a year ago – less than half that – I was in such a dark place. If it weren't for you, I'd... Man, I'm so grateful to be on this team. I couldn't ask for a better group of friends."

"Aw, dude, come on," said Daisy. "If you start with the waterworks, then you're gonna get me doing it too."

"You all really saved me from myself," Bowser murmured, wiping an arm across his eyes.

"Dad, he's ready to go if you'll have him," said Daisy. "He'll do great."

"If that's what you want, then it shall be so," said King Sarasa.

"I'll do my best," said Bowser. "For everyone involved and all of Sarasaland, I will."

"When I get out of the hospital, there's going to be a wide swath of changes in this nation," said King Sarasa. "As prime minister and superseding Daisy's roles as the princess, you are going to help me usher in the new era. And it will be an era of true prosperity among everyone."

King Sarasa grunted, a sharp jolt of pain shooting through him and bypassing the anesthetics the doctors put in his body. Even though he survived the injury from Marissa, he still had a lot of healing and recovery ahead of him. For that reason, the king would have to be left alone for a while.

"We should probably go and let you rest," said Daisy.

"Yes, that seems like the sensible thing to do," King Sarasa replied. "I'll be out of this bed and back on my feet the next time you see me, for sure."

"Here's wishing you a speedy recovery," Daisy said with a salute.

"Guys, I'm gonna be on my way," said DK. He slapped fives with Marut, Athelstan, and Andrew as he headed for the door. "What a crazy night it's been! Glad I could help you out. You get well soon, King."

"Thank you," King Sarasa replied. "Farewell."

"You're not gonna stick around?" asked Marut.

"Nah," said DK. "Not this time. I'll probably see ya at some point later on."

"Hey, you take care, man," said Andrew.

"Always cool having you around," said Bowser.

"Hey-o, some guy told me your secret about mixing Starbeans coffee and sticking bananas in it!" Andrew shouted at DK.

"You're lying, because nobody knows about that but me," DK replied. With a thumbs up and a grin, he exited the room. Neva and Daisy giggled as he left.

"You think he got that?" asked Andrew.

Neva shrugged. "I don't know – you might have to tell him about that one!"

"And now, we should get going too," said Warra. "We have to get to the Comet Observatory, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," Daisy said. "Let's go. Later, Dad. I'll make sure Bowser's ready for when you're out of the hospital."

"I don't need you to make sure I'm ready," said Bowser. "I'll be ready and over here when he's ready."

"He'll be more ready than ready-made pasta," said Athelstan.

"I'm leaving," said Andrew, going for the door.

As the other Kruna turned to depart, King Sarasa called out to them. "Daisy, if you could just stay behind for a brief moment, I've got something else I need to tell you."

Daisy exchanged looks with her teammates and shrugged. The other Kruna and Donkey Kong left the room, and Daisy walked back to King Sarasa's bed. King Sarasa held a certain seriousness to his tone when he spoke.

"I don't know how you would feel about this," the king said. "But, what you choose to do is up to you. Shortly after you initially disappeared years ago, your mother left this place. She was almost as upset with me as she was stricken with grief. I know where she went. Well, I know where she had last went, or where she intended to go. She could have gone anywhere since then... I understand if you don't want to do this; but if you want to try and seek her out, I can tell you where you might be able to find her."

* * *

Later on in the Comet Observatory's Cosmic Archives, the Kruna Yura told Rosalina, Lubba, and Polari everything that had happened in regard to the time skip Marissa had sent them through. At the end of their retrospective from the future, Daisy presented to Rosalina the book of records that the future Rosalina had given her to take back to the present. Everything the Kruna told of astonished Rosalina, Lubba, and Polari to no end, and the cosmic beings had confirmation of it all with the book that Daisy gave them.

"Okay, I have to ask this," Rosalina said. "Kruna _Yura_? How did you come up with that one?"

Daisy glanced at each of her teammates in turn before replying, "Oh, it just came to us one day. Rolls off the tongue easily, you know?"

"And yet, I can not think of a more fitting name," said Rosalina, closing the book. "You had quite an eventful run."

"A legendary run," added Polari.

"A nasty gauntlet," said Lubba. "You must be tired from all that."

"You don't even know the half of it," muttered Neva.

"Well, I'm sure you've probably heard it before from us in the future, but I'll just say it again," stated Rosalina. "Thank you for all that you've done, Kruna Yura. You've helped make this world a better place. This world and another world. That is truly remarkable."

"And it looks like you'll be getting some time off from your Kruna duties," said Lubba.

"Wait, really?" asked Daisy.

"Ha! Yes!" hollered Athelstan. "That's what I wanted to hear!"

"So there's just nothing going on now?" Daisy asked. "Nothing else that needs to get taken care of?"

"Nothing that would call for your assistance," said Rosalina. "The Nirvana Barrier eroded before it even got a chance to take on a definitive form once you eight sealed Marissa. Wherever King Boo and Kokoro are, they're not likely to cause any huge stir on their own. Maybe Kokoro because of the Master Pendant – or, the Alkemei Ankh, as you discovered – but tracking him down would be a considerably difficult task. The time will come when you will face him and secure the Ankh. But that time is not yet. Now, it seems as though there is a relative period of peace in the foreseeable future for you to take advantage of. Normalcy shall return for the time being."

Rosalina patted the book and held it up by her head. "So for all intents and purposes, this adventure of yours is completed."

"So, you can rest easy for a while," added Lubba. "Which means you probably won't be seeing us again any time soon."

"But you'll let us know when you need us again, right?" asked Daisy.

Rosalina nodded and smiled. "Most definitely."

* * *

In Mushroom Kingdom's Toad Town, the sun had just begun to set when the Kruna Yura stepped out of Ramona and Andrew's portal and onto the streets. Their sudden appearance grabbed several strange looks from townsfolk and passersby, but the stares went away when they noticed no hostility from the group. A few still seemed concerned with Bowser, though not after some mumbles and muffled words from other nearby people that alleviated their worries.

At Peach's Castle on the patio in the backyard, the eight Kruna Yura told of all that went on during their journey to Peach, Toadsworth, and Toadette. As they sat at the tables set up, the Kruna recounted everything from the Fire Shrine to the final sealing of Marissa on the eastern side of the world. Much like with Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba – or even more – awe-inspired astonishment filled Peach, Toadsworth, and Toadette.

"That was a really wicked month!" Toadette hollered.

"A month to you guys," said Ramona. "Much longer for us."

Daisy handed Peach a case. "This is for you."

Peach took the case and opened it. Inside were all sixty-four Crystal Tears from the future. Toadette and Toadsworth leaned in to get a look at the tears for themselves.

"We had to make sure we brought them back," said Daisy. "Now, they're with who they belong to."

"What a special gift," murmured Peach. "I'll cherish it always."

Peach closed the case and put it in a pocket in her dress. She got up from her chair and walked over to the path that would lead to the front of the castle. The others followed her around to the castle anterior, where they stood and saw all of Mushroom City's Toad Town suburbs and the last of the setting sun. Seeing the area now in its whole glory as opposed to how it was in the future inspired a relieving sensation of accomplishment in all of the Kruna Yura.

"Do you have any business you need to get done with in the coming days?" asked Peach. "Are you in a hurry to go home? Could you stick around until next weekend? I know you've got your palace, Bowser, and you've got your house, Daisy; but the rest of you, if you're not in a rush to leave, you can stay here in the castle with me."

"What do you want us to stay here for?" asked Warra. "Is there trouble?"

"No trouble," replied Peach. "I just think we need a celebration for you eight and your efforts."


	87. Chapter LXXXVII

Light up Saturday Night!:

Mario and Luigi returned Saturday Afternoon from their mission to find people finishing setup of decorations throughout Mushroom City. The level of decorations increased the closer they got to Toad Town, and they overheard mixed conversation on the way among the lively, bustling citizens talking about a celebration in a matter of hours. Apparently, word had spread quick of the Kruna Yura's efforts in Sarasaland from the previous weekend. Many of the people Mario and Luigi strolled past spoke of Daisy, Bowser, and the other Kruna along with Marissa and her assault on Castle Town in Sarasaland.

"Bro, did we miss something?" asked Luigi.

"I don't know," said Mario. "I'm kind of thinking I'm just hearing things because of how tired I am."

Mario and Luigi kept hearing more about the celebration and the Kruna as they continued deeper into Toad Town. When they neared Peach's Castle, they saw Bowser directing a group of toads and Shy Guys decorating the bridge to the castle's doors. The theme had been consistent throughout Mushroom City; a rainbow-centered aesthetic with several multicolored attributes that represented the eight elements. Bowser waved the two plumbers in red and green over when he saw them.

"What's going on, bros?" said Bowser. "I mean, Mario! And Luigi!"

"Hey! You remembered my name!" said Luigi.

"What _is_ going on?" asked Mario.

* * *

"A PARTY!" Marut yelled at a soccer field in Toad Town. "Today's the day! What's good?! Get hype!"

Daisy kicked a ball to Toadette, who then passed it to Koops. He launched the ball in a curve at Donkey Kong. With a forceful headbutt, he sent it over to Marut. The Kruna of Air activated his Furaito and kicked the ball up over him. Shouting and hovering off the ground, Marut kept kicking the ball higher and rising to it to the point where he and the ball appeared to all below on the soccer field as two specs.

"I don't want to set the world on fire!" Marut screamed. "I'ma rain down fire though with these shots!"

"He's got the spirit surging through him, doesn't he?" asked Toadette. "I call dibs on him."

"We're not picking teams yet!" replied Daisy.

"Tell him to quit foolin' around up there and bring the ball down!" Wario yelled. He and Waluigi walked over to the group, just arriving from the south side of the field. Behind them, Petey Piranha trotted up too. Some Toad Town residents took seats in the bleachers.

"He better not be doing that during the actual game," grumbled Waluigi. "I don't take too kindly to cheaters!"

Toadette narrowed her eyes. "You don't take too kindly to cheaters..."

"I don't!" Waluigi shouted. "I will not stand for it!"

"Then sit," said Daisy.

The ball came rocketing down and popped on contact with the ground. A loud boom assaulted everyone's ears as the ball flopped to a deflated stop. Wario, Waluigi, and Koops glared at Marut when he landed.

"We only have so many of those, you know," said Toadette.

"Good thing we brought spares, huh?" said DK.

"I have a right mind to rip that pendant off your neck, fly boy," said Daisy. "Oh, hey! Petey! Good to see ya!"

Petey Piranha spoke some garbled, warped gibberish. No one really understood what he said, but they could tell it was probably something pleasant by his tone.

"Alright, no English from Petey," said Daisy. "Now that sounds normal."

 _That sounds normal, huh?_ Petey Piranha said in thought. _Look like you took a bunch of chewed up carrots and glued it to yo' head and called it 'hair.' Get your carrot head lookin'-ass on back, man._

Daisy smiled when she saw Petey Piranha laughing to himself. "Nice to see you're in a good mood."

* * *

Neva and Andrew walked into the voluminous kitchen inside Peach's Castle, carrying heavy bags of food. They saw Athelstan cooking with some toads and koopas by the stove. The Kruna of Stone had a large platter of burgers set beside an equal platter of sausages, both ready to go on the grill outside.

"Just set 'em on the table," Athelstan said to Neva and Andrew. The two let go of the bags on the table taking up the center of the kitchen, and a few toads went into the bags to pull food from them for their cooking.

"They didn't have half of what you asked for," said Neva. "I didn't even know some of this stuff existed."

"Whatcha tryna be?" said Andrew. "Some world-class gourmet chef?"

"Look, I'm just doing what Peach asked," said Athelstan.

"Peach asked for 'star anise?' " said Neva.

"With my own little personal additions to it!" Athelstan finished.

"Whatever, dude," Andrew said, grabbing the sausage platter.

"Wait, take the burgers out first," said Athelstan.

"What does it matter?" snapped Andrew. "They're all gonna get cooked in the end!"

"If the sausages get done first, then pork flavor'll seep into the burgers."

"Okay, but then beef flavor'll get into the sausages."

"That's alright."

"What?!"

"Yeah, that's fine. It'll add to the smokey taste of the sausage."

Andrew cocked an eyebrow. "So it's okay to have beef in your pork, but you can't have pork in your beef? Man, what kind of jacked-up rectangle-square argument is that?"

"You wouldn't have fish tea, would ya?" asked Athelstan.

"Oh nah, see, now you really trippin'," said Andrew. "Like, I love fish, and I love tea; but I sure ain't putting fish in my tea."

"But would you put tea on your fish?"

"No. I mean... I...guess a little? Not gonna soak it in tea, but I guess if some drizzled onto it, that might be fine?"

"There ya go."

"Hold on – how are those even related?!"

Neva grabbed the burger platter and headed for the doors to the backyard. "Don't argue with him, Shady. I don't get it either."

"You probably get it more than I do," said Andrew, setting the sausage platter down.

"Boy, I sure hope one of you knows how to cook by the time you two start a family," said Athelstan.

Both Neva and Andrew turned blood red and hurried out of the room with flustered haste; Neva to the backyard and Andrew out into the halls. The nearby toads and koopas looked at Athelstan, who seemed confused over Neva's and Andrew's reactions.

"What did I say?" Athelstan wondered aloud.

* * *

Andrew stomped into the main hall of Peach's Castle, catching sight of Mario and Luigi coming through the doors. "Sup," he said with a head nod, continuing on his way.

"Hi," said Luigi. "You guys got a party going on here, huh?"

"Not my idea!" Andrew called out, not stopping his pace. "I got outvoted 9-2! Numbers suck!"

The Kruna of Shadow passed by Warra and Ramona, who were moving in the opposite direction with what appeared to be a Christmas tree in their hold. Mario and Luigi stared at the two approaching Kruna as they set the tree down near one end of the staircase that ran around the perimeter in horseshoe fashion of the grand hall.

"Oh, hey guys!" Ramona said to the Mario Bros. "You made it just in time!"

"Don't worry about setting up," said Warra. "We're taking care of it."

"Why the Christmas tree?" asked Mario. "Isn't it a little early for that?"

"Well, about a couple months early, yeah," said Ramona. "But it adds to the décor, and that means we can keep it out after the party!"

Mario and Luigi watched Warra and Ramona head back through the hall they came out with the tree from. After a quick adjustment of his cap, Mario rubbed his chin and shrugged. Peach soon came walking down the stairs in an old pink shirt and gray jeans and with her hair up in a loose bun. Her relaxed appearance typically indicated a physical, labor-intensive day for her.

"Peach! Can you fill us in on what's going on?" asked Luigi. "We're kinda lost! What's this party for?"

"For the Kruna," said Peach.

"Kruna?" asked Mario. "You mean Bowser? And Daisy? And those other wielder friends of theirs?"

"What did they do?" asked Luigi. "Geez, I feel like I missed out on something big!"

"Come with me into the kitchen and I'll tell you all about what you missed," said Peach. "It's quite the story."

* * *

Decorative lights shined bright that night, making for a festive environment all through Mushroom City; Toad Town especially. A whole intersection just outside of Peach's Castle had been cleared away. Peach had got a jazz-rock-orchestra band to play on a stage there for the brisk autumn night. Rectangular tables lined the intersection all the way to the castle with food, and an equal amount of round tables sat along the sidewalks and crosswalks for seating.

Residents from all around Mushroom Kingdom and outside of the nation came. Humans, toads, koopas, yoshis, Shy Guys, Hammer Bros, Piantas, Nokis, and more from several other races gathered together for the event celebrating the Kruna Yura's long, arduous adventure. The clear space between the tables and concert stage offered an area for dancing among the party guests.

Warra had grabbed a table by himself towards the back of what was the main dining area. He watched the dancing people as he fiddled with his bottle of water until Daisy and Ramona came over and took a seat next to him. His sober, muted mood was apparent, and perhaps, the party made it more pronounced in contrast. In looking at him, Daisy felt as though Warra held back a hidden dolor from surfacing.

"You picked out a good table," said Daisy.

Warra tried to smile, but it came out as a frown. "I just took one that was not in a congested area."

"It was still a good choice," said Daisy.

"I like how it's not at the center near the busiest area," said Ramona. "It looks like those guys over there are getting rowdy."

"Shouldn't expect anything else at a party," said Warra.

"It's pretty awesome how we got all these people together out here," said Daisy.

"You got us down here too!" Lubba's voice called out.

Daisy reversed herself in her chair and saw Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba come from behind her. "Hey! You guys made it down here!"

"We wanted to celebrate with you," said Rosalina. "You guys are more than just Kruna, you know."

Daisy smiled. "That means a lot to us."

"Where's everyone else?" asked Polari.

"They're around," Daisy replied. "I'm sure you'll bump into them at some point if you try hard enough."

"I wonder where the Black Mages went," said Ramona.

Warra shrugged. "I guess we'll never know unless we come across one of them at some point in the future."

"They didn't say where they were going, did they?" asked Daisy.

"They didn't," said Warra.

"Well, wherever they are, they have a new life ahead of them," said Daisy. "Just like you do, Warra."

"We'll see you again a little later on," Rosalina said.

"Sounds great," replied Daisy. She watched Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba head towards the castle and disappear behind party guests. After they left, she turned back to Warra. He still seemed to be in low spirits.

"Come on, dude," said Daisy. "You're the only one here feeling down. You can't tell me you're just always going to be like this."

Warra sighed. "I don't know. I really don't. I know I should probably be feeling okay right now, but, I'm not."

"You just need to relax and cut loose," said Daisy. "I keep trying to tell you that, man. Don't be all down and depressive! We're at a party! Have some fun! You're allowed to have fun, you know."

"What's going wrong here?" Peach asked, taking a seat next to Daisy.

"Sourpuss here is being a grouch," said Daisy. "I'm trying to get him to not be sad, but he's being stubborn instead."

"Are you worried about something, Warra?" asked Peach. "What are you going to be up to in the coming days?"

"I have not a clue," Warra responded.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Daisy. "Don't you have any pursuits or dreams?"

"Maybe once," said Warra, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do now. Ever since my family died and I let my Mekarsari division down against that Chain Chomp attack, I've felt lost as a guard member before joining you guys. I expected to be someone's husband and someone else's father, and I thought I'd stay on the Mekarsari Guard and rise in rank over the years to a leadership position. I don't even know if I want to go back to Mekarsari now. I wish I could just start fresh somewhere else, but that's not going to change what has already happened... It's a hollow, sickening feeling."

Daisy pointed a finger at Warra. "Okay, _you_ are bumming everyone out, and I am about to fix that. You wait here for me to come back, alright?"

Ramona and Peach watched Daisy get up and head off into the inner portion of the intersection's main party area. With a heavy sigh, Warra leaned back into his chair and looked into the sky.

"Why don't you start anew here in Mushroom Kingdom?" asked Peach. "I'm sure your experience and expertise would suit you and our Royal Guard."

"You think I'd be a good fit?" asked Warra.

"Sure you would," said Peach. "With as good of a Kruna as you've been, your presence alone could bolster our defense force."

"That sounds like a great opportunity," said Ramona.

"I'll think about it," said Warra. "But in truth, I feel like I need to just go away for a while."

"Why?" asked Peach.

"Because I...just feel like that's something I need to do."

"Okay, but why do you feel that way?" Peach then asked.

Some agitation snuck into Warra's tone when he responded. "I don't know; I just do."

"Then where are you going?"

"Somewhere. Just, somewhere. Enough on the subject. Don't bring it up anymore, please."

"We'd appreciate it if you at least let us know these things," said Ramona.

"When I know, then maybe I'll tell you more," Warra replied. "Now, that's enough. I'm not talking about it anymore. I don't want to talk about this. You keep pressing me, I'll just leave now."

Peach frowned. "That's not necessary."

"It's fine, Warra," mumbled Ramona. "We can't stop you from doing what you want to do."

"It's not something I want to do," said Warra. "I just have to leave. At least, for a while."

Neva walked up to the group and leaned on a chair. Peach, Warra, and Ramona stared at her in surprise, for she had made a small yet stark cosmetic change. One thin bunch of loose hair free from her ponytail hung off the side of her face with a bold black hue to it, and an adjacent chunk held a deep purple color. The rich shades contrasted against the rest of her snow blonde hair and her otherwise pale and unsaturated appearance.

"Wow! That looks so cool, Neva!" exclaimed Ramona.

"I helped her dye it before the party," said Peach. "Has Andrew seen it yet?"

Neva blushed. "He sure did."

"Ooh, that sounds like he liked it," said Peach.

Athelstan sauntered over and took a seat. "Am I the best chef around or what? People are all over those tables! We might end up out of food soon!"

"Unbelievable," mumbled Neva. "And this is because of your blasted ginger root and cumin?"

"And all the other extras I used!" said Athelstan. "Everyone's acting as if the food'll run away!"

"That may be due in part because this is their first time dining on such food," said Peach. "And because they enjoy it so much and don't know if they'll ever have such dishes again, they're trying to get as much as they can."

"I don't know what their problem is," said Athelstan. "I mean, the ingredients are right here in the store."

"Some of them are," corrected Neva. "You had me and Andrew running around looking for stuff nobody's even heard of before, let alone has in stock."

Daisy trotted to the group with Bowser and Marut, who took seats alongside of the others there. She and Neva remained standing, even though there were two more seats available at the group's table. Rosalina came and took one, and Daisy deferred the last seat to Neva as Polari and Lubba joined them.

"What's this you wanted us all gathered for?" asked Bowser.

"I'll tell ya when Andrew gets here," said Daisy. "Does anyone know where he went?"

No one could give an answer. Daisy was about to turn and go look for him when he came strolling over from the streets further away from the castle. As he neared the group, he rolled a football back and forth between his hands.

"Well, this is a bummer," Andrew said. "Seems like nobody around here knows anything about the gridiron game."

"Yeah, that football isn't popular here," said Daisy. " 'Football' as in soccer is big though."

Andrew sucked his teeth. "I mean, that's okay, I guess; but man! I wanted to get a game going! I've been aching to get some bullet passes out and split some defenders!"

"Yeah, nobody's gonna know what to do with that kind of ball," said Daisy. "That's one of the few sports that hasn't caught on here."

"I guess that explains why it only cost two gold coins in the store," muttered Andrew. "Totally not right for a good-quality regulation ball like this, but whatever. What are you guys up to?"

"Well, Daisy wanted us to be together for something," said Bowser. "So you should probably ask her."

"I got us all here because I wanted to tell you all how awesome you guys have been, as teammates and as friends," said Daisy. "The only reason we're here now is because of all of us. If one of us weren't here, the others wouldn't have made it. I wanted to thank you for that and for our bond. Our time together has been something special."

"Aw, you're nauseating me," said Neva.

Daisy put an arm around Neva and gave her a tight squeeze. "You know, I started off really hating you. And now, you're one of my favorite people."

"Yeah, she's the loudest one here besides you," said Bowser.

"And she's got a lot of heart," said Daisy. "She's a totally dependable, reliable, tiny powerhouse that we all benefited from having around."

"And she's one of the sweetest people anyone'll ever know," said Ramona.

"Alright, alright, alright! You guys can shut up about me now!" snapped Neva. "Move on! Talk about somebody else!"

"Warra, I know I probably annoy you a lot," said Daisy. "And I act and do things in a way completely different from how you would, and I can be pretty rude towards you-"

Warra perked up and sat higher in his chair. "I like where this is going; continue."

"And you annoy me a good deal too sometimes," said Daisy. "But, I have nothing but respect for you and who you are. You've got a tactical way of looking at things, you've got great leadership qualities, you've got smarts, you're great at planning and making quick decisions, you're a gentle and pleasant person to be around when you're not too stiff, and you've helped keep order for us wherever we've gone."

"Yeah, you kept us in line," said Athelstan.

"Warra, at the risk of sounding stupid, you gave us solidity even though water is a liquid," said Daisy. "So cheer up, because you're not a screw up. You're as important as everyone else is. You went through a tough time, but don't blame yourself or linger on your mistakes; because if you ask me, you've already proved you've learned from them. And for any future mistakes you make, you got us to fall back on. Always."

Warra gave his quiet, non-immediate response with wet eyes. "Thank you."

"Ramona, you've tended to be a pretty shy and reserved person," said Daisy. "And you've been quite timid and easy to scare. But, I don't think I've ever come across anyone as nice and kindhearted as you. Maybe you and Peach are tied in that respect. Even though you never liked all the fighting, you've been an amazing protector for all of us out on the battlefield. When I think of you, I think of purity and peacefulness. Both are way too lacking in today's world. Never change that. Protect that about you like you've protected us."

"What about me?" asked Marut. "What have I been good at?!"

"You've been good at being an absolute goofball," said Bowser.

"Marut, you are one energetic, cool, crazy dude," said Daisy. "You almost never take anything too seriously; but when you do, you know how to buckle down and get your business done. But maybe the best thing about you is that you always know how to have fun. You've helped keep things loose and easy-going for us."

"And I've got some pretty sick moves too, right?" asked Marut.

"Some of the sickest I've seen, for sure," said Daisy.

"Ooh! Ooh! I got something to say!" Andrew called out. "Athelstan, you make the worst jokes of all time!"

Nearly everyone there burst out in laughter from the remark, Athelstan included. Even Rosalina and Polari got a good chuckle in.

"Yeah, he does," said Daisy. "But not only are they terrible, but they're terrible enough to make everyone laugh in the end. Athelstan, you've always had the friendliest, happiest outlook day in and day out of anyone here. I literally don't remember a single day where you weren't in a good mood. You're definitely a chill guy. And, your top-notch brains and brawn have got us past some tough spots."

"And he's handled most of the boring stuff nobody wanted to deal with," added Andrew.

"Hey, if you think ancient history is boring, I feel sorry for ya," said Athelstan. "There's been some pretty crazy stuff that has happened throughout history, you know."

"I'd much rather experience history as it's happening over researching what already happened," Andrew responded.

"Hey, what about Shady?" asked Neva. "Huh, Daisy? What's he good for besides being smart?"

"What're you talkin' about?" said Andrew. "Nobody's got anything to say about me."

"Man, you don't even know just what kind of impact you have on the team," said Daisy. "Like, literally just your presence alone has an effect. There's a different atmosphere when you're not around."

"Yeah, like when we went to The Great Valley in the future," said Marut. "It actually felt pretty weird without him there."

"I'd probably have to agree, now that you mention it," said Warra.

"Yeah, no clue what you guys are even talking about," said Andrew.

"Of course you don't," said Athelstan. "You wouldn't know unless you left yourself and weren't around for a while. Then when you came back to yourself, you'd notice the difference."

"But since that's impossible to do, just take our word for it," said Daisy. "I don't think I know anyone else who's got so much emotional drive. It's frickin' amazing. The intuition and fiery passion you have is ridiculous. You're the heart and soul of the team and just all-around irreplaceable."

"I am?" asked Andrew.

"You are," replied Bowser. "And, like Neva said, you're too smart for your own good."

"But in a way, that's also a good thing," added Daisy.

Andrew grabbed at the base of his neck, taken aback. "Wow. You guys are giving me more credit than I ever thought I deserved..."

"And Bowser, the kind of turnaround you had was so significant in so many ways," said Daisy. "You've really reshaped yourself, man. I can't tell you how amazed and proud I am of that."

"Seconded," said Peach. "You've got a bright future ahead of you."

"And I can't wait to see what you accomplish," added Rosalina.

"You're becoming more of a role model," said Polari.

"You've shown how much of a noble hero you can be, for sure," said Lubba.

"Guys, really, I couldn't have made it here as I am now without your help," said Bowser. "Everyone here has helped me transition, and I couldn't be more grateful."

"You're gonna do a lot of good in Sarasaland, pal," said Daisy.

"And we can't forget about you, Daisy," said Athelstan.

"Me?" asked Daisy.

"Yeah, you," said Marut. "You made this team, dude. You're probably the biggest reason why we even made it here."

Andrew nodded. "Couldn't have asked for a better teammate. Now you're _really_ irreplaceable."

"You always kept us going, even when some of us just couldn't ourselves," said Warra. "Almost nothing ever got to you. You met everything head on and didn't ever want to back down."

"I don't know anyone else who could see the good in everyone the way you can," said Ramona. "I admire that so much about you."

"You have a ton of pride without going overboard with it," said Athelstan. "Mostly, anyways. But you always kept honor and respect among your top priorities, even when up against the underhanded tactics some of our enemies used."

"We could always count on you to be able to pull off some last-second miracle magic when we needed it," said Bowser.

"With you on our side, it was almost like we could never lose," said Marut. "And even when we did lose, we weren't actually out of it in the big picture."

"Daisy, remember when you made it to One World Park when we were fighting Marissa?" asked Neva. "You came at a brutal time. We were all pretty beat down, and she was having her way with Andrew when you showed up. It really felt like we had no chance of winning at all, but then you came and just walked right up to her like she was nobody special. I'll always remember that. Whenever things get tough, I can always think back to you walking forward like that without any hesitation or second-guessing. And then, I can try and move forward like that too. That'll never leave my memory."

"Wow...I really meant that much?" murmured Daisy.

"Yes. You're _that_ important," said Ramona.

"To all of us," said Warra.

"This is really quite the team you have here," Polari mumbled to Rosalina.

"I told you, didn't I?" Rosalina murmured back. "The stars revealed to us exactly who they should've."

"I suppose I don't have to be so skeptical from now on," replied Polari.

"Someone wanna go get us something to toast with?" asked Daisy. "I think we need that now."

"Yeah, I'll go get somebody over here," said Neva. She got up from her seat and headed towards the busy stage area.

"So I hear you'll be heading to Sarasaland tomorrow for a few weeks," Peach said to Bowser.

"Yeah, we'll be getting a whole lot done over there," said Bowser. "It'll be great."

"You're not gonna be heading out right away, are ya?" Daisy asked.

"Nah, but probably in the afternoon," said Bowser. "So it'll be right away if this'll end up being a late night and I sleep in."

"And I intend on leaving tomorrow," said Athelstan. "I gotta get back to the Kallantown Archives. My boss is probably freaking out over my leave without notice."

"Andrew and I have to head back to Christmas Village too," said Ramona.

"Is Neva coming along with you?" asked Bowser.

"Um... I don't know, actually," said Andrew. "She doesn't have anywhere else to go, so it only makes sense. But I don't know if she can. I mean, there's nowhere there where she can stay right now."

"She can stay here," said Peach. "Like Marut will. He'll actually be staying in a room in my castle. She can too."

"That's something I'll have to run by her then," said Andrew. "Man, I'd hate to just leave her like this, but at least she'll have friends here."

"Whenever you're available to visit, you're more than welcome," said Peach. "I know it would mean a lot to her. And to me, too. I don't know many people who enjoy tea as much as I do!"

"Do me a favor and make sure you make tea for Neva, okay?" asked Andrew.

Peach nodded with a hearty smile. "Okay."

Andrew held out his right hand. "Pinkie promise. If you don't make tea for her or stop altogether, I get to throw a barrel-full of banana peels at you one at a time."

Laughing, Peach interlocked a pinkie with Andrew's. "Deal."

"What about you, Warra?" Daisy asked. "Figure out what you'll be doing?"

"I've got business to take care of elsewhere," replied the cross-armed Kruna Yura of Water. He glanced at Peach and Ramona. Neither of them said anything.

"Well, wherever you go, don't stray too far," said Daisy. "And don't be gone too long."

"What are you, my mom?" asked Warra. A smile crept on his face when Daisy laughed.

"We need to make it a point to keep in touch, wherever anyone goes or doesn't go," said Athelstan.

Daisy snapped her fingers. "After this toast, we need to exchange everything. Email, address, phone number; whatever. No one here's falling out of contact. Especially when there's big moments in our lives."

Neva returned to the group with a wide tray of wine glasses for everyone there. She set the tray at the center of the table and passed around the glasses, each of them filled with milk. Polari and Lubba studied their glasses hard.

"Splendid job, Neva," said Peach.

"Wine glasses filled with milk?" asked Bowser.

"They're some special blend and I am super excited!" said Neva. "It's called 'Chateau Romani EX.' This might be the greatest milk of all time. All. Time."

"Again, wine glasses filled with milk?" Bowser repeated.

"Yeah, what else did you expect?" said Neva.

"This is a bizarre liquid, isn't it?" Polari asked Lubba. "It's thick, but it's not solid. But it's not lumpy. But it's not runny. This is what these earthlings drink?"

"Yup," Lubba replied. "I've seen it plenty of times, but I've never actually had it myself."

"Alright, so what are we toasting to?" asked Andrew.

"Or rather, what are we _milking_ to?" said Athelstan.

"That's it," said Andrew. "Done. Leaving. Bye."

Andrew turned to depart just for Ramona to snag him by his wrist and keep him from going anywhere. Stifling laughs, they raised their glasses up along with the rest of the group.

"Here's to the best teammates I'll ever know," said Daisy. "And to a new future. No matter what happens, even when our time as Kruna is over, we stay together as a team forever."

Clangs of glasses sounded off all around the table. From a distance and on their way to the food tables by the castle, Mario and Luigi watched the group sip and gulp Chateau Romani EX from their glasses. The two did not stop to go talk to them, but they got a good look at them before continuing on down the sidewalk.

"Hey, bro; you don't think we have competition now, do you?" asked Luigi.

"Nah," Mario replied. "I don't think so..."

"Hey!" Daisy yelled at the Mario Bros. "You guys keep being awesome!"

"Thanks!" Luigi shouted back. "You too!"

"Keep up the great work!" shouted Mario.

Daisy gave a thumbs up to Mario and Luigi as they walked away. She then glanced around at everyone in her group, all of them – including Warra – in good spirits. At that exact moment, all seemed right in the world.

"Now this is decadent!" Polari exclaimed, taking another sip from his glass.

"You're still not finished with yours?" asked Lubba.

"This is something to savor, not something to chug down," said Polari. "I had no idea something like this could be so rich and exotic!"

"I agree," said Ramona. "Neva knows her milk. Really good choice!"

Neva snapped her fingers at Andrew and grabbed hold of his glass. "You're not gonna finish this-"

Andrew did not even get a response out before Neva took the glass and drank the rest of the milk left in it. "Go ahead," he said as she chugged down the milk. "I obviously was totally, completely finished with it."

"Is there any more of this 'milk' stuff left?" asked Polari.

"Oh, there's _lots_ left," said Neva. "I'll go get us some more!"

"And I'll come along with you to make sure you don't drink it all before it even gets back here," said Andrew.

Neva burst out in laughter as she walked with Andrew towards the castle. "Oh, come on, Shady! I didn't drink any of it the first time I brought it over!"

"But that was before you got a taste of it," Andrew replied. "And now that you have, I gotta keep you under control before you go overboard."

"Pfft...yeah, okay," mumbled Neva, rolling her eyes.

The band playing music in the background on the stage switched up their key and tempo to go to a more upbeat, loud instrumental. A few small explosions echoed throughout Toad Town, after which several rising lights showed up in the sky. The glowing streaks burst into orbs of brown, tan, and yellow for all to see.

"Woah, fireworks?!" hollered Marut. "Rad!"

"Who'd you get in charge of that?" Athelstan asked Peach.

* * *

Waluigi snickered as he handed Wario assorted fireworks and bob-ombs to launch from their perch on a flattop portion of Peach's Castle's roof. At another end of the roof, Toadette and Koops handled more fireworks under Toadsworth's supervision. The explosives Wario fired off next lit up the sky with several shades of green, silver, and light blue wisps.

"I love that sound!" Waluigi boomed. "Explosions are the best way to celebrate!"

"Okay, now you guys," Toadette said into her handheld receiver.

* * *

On the roof of a Starbeans Café a short distance away from Peach's Castle; Toad, Alden, and Donkey Kong fed explosives to Petey Piranha for him to launch into the sky. Those exploded into flashes of white and gold. The next batch they sent sizzled over the city in red and orange ripples.

* * *

Daisy and the others with her stared up overhead as fireworks continued going off. Another burst flared in various blue tones. A wave of black and silver lights then followed; and white, gray, and light blues spread out afterward. Once the explosion of black and purple lit up the sky, the other color combinations went off again, one after the other at random. The light show drew raucous cheers and applause from the party crowd and anyone watching throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.


	88. Chapter LXXXVIII - FINAL

Later...:

The party lasted well past midnight, at which point people started going home. By two in the morning, the number in attendance had dropped to a mere fraction of its peak hours earlier. The temperature had dipped to a chilly low for those still lingering outside, and the band on the stage in front of the bridge to Peach's Castle played a slow, quiet tune for the people still hanging around. Many of the lights still on highlighted the mess that came about as a result of the party.

"That's the one thing bad about parties," said Daisy. "Cleanup."

"Ah, that's fine," said Peach. She and Daisy sat with Ramona and Neva at a table closer to the open area in front of the stage. "Tomorrow'll just be a big cleanup day. I hope I get a chance to try out making that Strawberry Cherry Berry Supreme Turnover Cake after everything's back in order around here. If I can make it right, that might just be my new signature cake. I can't believe how delightful that turned out."

"It was really sweet," said Ramona. "Almost too sweet."

"Uh, yeah – did you see the list?" said Daisy. "I'd've been disappointed if it wasn't that sweet with all that fruit stuck in it."

Neva fiddled with the straw in her cup and peered all around the streets and the intersection housing the band's stage. Rosalina, Polari, and Lubba left earlier after Polari had a little too much of the Chateau Romani EX. Wario, Waluigi, Petey, and Koops had left as well. Toad, Alden, and Toadsworth then called it a night, leaving Marut with Toadette and Donkey Kong. They joined Bowser, who had been talking with Mario, Luigi, Athelstan, and Warra at a different table from Daisy's for at least the past hour. One notable person remained absent, however.

"Where is he with my milk?" groaned Neva.

"I think you've had enough of that stuff for one night," said Daisy.

"No, I need just a little more," said Neva. "Just one more to ease me being mad at him. Then I'll...crack the glass over his head."

"Neva! That's not nice!" snapped Ramona.

"Yeah, well, it's not nice for him to try and ditch me like that," grumbled Neva. "Saying I can't go with you to Christmas Village. You wait and see what I'm gonna do to him when he gets here. As soon as he hands me my milk-"

"You're gonna do what?" asked Andrew, walking up behind Neva's seat.

"I'ma gonna..." Neva started to say. "Hey, where's the milk?!"

"I made sure I got it all put away," said Andrew. "You've had plenty already. Don't go snooping around the castle for any either."

Neva scowled. "First, you go and tell me you're leaving me tomorrow. Then, you take away my milk. Are you trying to go tic-tac-toe, three in row on me tonight for heartbreaks? What's next?"

"Let's dance," said Andrew.

"What?!" Neva squealed. Her anger went away in an instant. "You want to...to dance?!"

"That's what I asked," he replied.

"Andrew," Neva said in a furious blush. "You really... But I can't even dance!"

"Neither can I."

"But then we'll both look stupid and weird!"

"Who cares? If we look stupid and weird, we'll look stupid and weird together."

Andrew grabbed Neva's hands and helped her out of her chair. Daisy, Peach, and Ramona watched Andrew lead Neva out into the open area. The band continued playing their slow, quiet jazz-orchestral-rock instrumental for those still in attendance and for the few others still in the dancing area. Once they secured a spot, Andrew put his hands on Neva's waist. She then grabbed him by his shoulders. And for a while...nothing happened.

"Okay, regretting this already," said Andrew. "I have no idea how we start this."

"Do I step into you and you step back?" asked Neva.

"No, maybe we're supposed to go to the side?" Andrew said.

"Oh dear – hold on!" Peach shouted. She hurried off of her chair and ran to Neva and Andrew, grabbing the attention of Bowser's group while Daisy and Ramona cracked up in their seats. With Peach's cues and guidance, Neva and Andrew got the gist of what to do and began to step to the slow tune. Though awkward at first – and with a few instances of them stepping on each others' feet – they settled their dance into a comfortable, back and forth motion.

"Good, now just keep leading her," said Peach. "And you, go along with it. You'll probably mess up again at some point, but just don't worry about it. It's your first time, so you don't have to be perfect. Just stick with it."

Andrew and Neva both nodded and kept up their dance. They stopped paying any attention to Peach and focused on one another. For the duration of their dance, no one else would matter. That became obvious to all who watched. Soon, Peach left Neva and Andrew to dance on their own.

"I don't believe it," murmured Ramona. "You know what he told me when we were kids? He said he'd never fall in love with anyone, ever. And it really seemed like that was going to be the case..."

"You can't really help who you fall for, right?" said Daisy.

"Right," Ramona said with a soft chuckle. "I just thought that if he ever...oh; never mind."

Peach returned to the table and reclaimed her seat. "There's something really special there between those two."

"I just hope she goes really slow with him," said Ramona. "He's very selective about who he gets emotionally attached to, but it's a strong connection that develops when he does. So it'll hurt a lot if something happens. She better not be trying to take advantage of him."

"Alright, stop it right there," said Daisy. "You're going into that strange, overprotective territory again."  
"If I find out she's mistreating him, I'm taking him away and that's that," grumbled Ramona.

"Relax, Ramona," said Daisy. "She's cool. She's more than cool. She jumped in front of a sword for him. Don't be suspicious of anything."

Ramona sighed. "Yeah, I shouldn't. I mean, I encouraged him to get closer to Neva, but...maybe they're a little too close now. It feels weird."

"They'll be alright," said Daisy. She stared at Neva and Andrew dancing for a few more moments before she noticed Mario and Luigi come to their table.

"We were talking with Bowser for a while about what you guys have done," said Mario. "That's an impressive journey you've had."

"We really have been underestimating you and what you can do," said Luigi. "We feel kind of stupid. I mean, you were here and ready to help us out on our missions and adventures, but we never thought you'd actually be a big enough help to bring along at all."

"We haven't been giving you the credit that you deserve," said Mario. "We're sorry for that. You're capable of more than we thought."

"Much more," added Luigi.

"It's fine guys," said Daisy. "No hard feelings."

Mario wagged a finger at her. "You know, this could just be tired, late-night talk, but I have a feeling you're gonna shock the world someday. You're going to do something, and it'll amaze everyone."

"And we know we've got someone to go to if we need some help on the field," said Luigi.

Daisy folded her arms, leaned back in her chair, and put her feet up on the table. "If I'm not busy."

" _Are_ you going to be busy?" asked Peach.

"I've got a couple errands to run," said Daisy. "Nothing major. I'll see where I'm at when I get done. Can't make any guarantees."

"Right, you've got your own adventures and stuff now," said Mario. "We can't get in the way of that."

"But maybe someday, we'll cross paths out there somewhere," said Luigi.

"That'd be pretty wild if that happens," said Daisy.

"Here's hoping it won't be somewhere really terrifying..." Luigi mumbled. "You remember what Gloomy Woods was like, right Mario?"

"That place wasn't that bad," Mario said, shaking his head.

"You say that about every place we go to!" Luigi whined.

"That's only because you somehow find something to be scared about wherever we go," replied Mario.

"Oh," said Luigi. "Um...I do? Hmm..."

"Well, we've had a long couple of weeks ourselves, so we're going home," said Mario. "We've got a lot of recovery to do. It's been fun as always, Peach. Thanks for having us. Daisy, if we don't see you again for a while, you take care. And whatever you end up running into, I'm sure you can handle it."

"Yeah, and the same goes for your crew too," added Luigi.

Daisy gave them a salute. "I've got nothing but respect for you guys."

Soon after Mario and Luigi left, the remaining party guests diminished in number to a countable few. Daisy, Ramona, and Peach went over to Bowser's table, where Marut was the only one still wound up. But even he sobered with the party scene dying down.

"Looks like the party's over," said Toadette. "Awesome job. This was a huge success."

"Come on, the party can't be over already!" groaned Marut.

"It is all but over," said Peach. "All good things must come to an end. Thank you all so much for being a part of this. The party wouldn't be anything without everyone that pitched in and showed up."

"Things are gonna be different once the sun comes up, huh?" said Ramona.

Daisy sighed. "Yup."

"Wow, things turned bittersweet real quick!" said Athelstan. "Why are we ending off on a note like that?"

"That's life for ya," said Bowser. "It can't be helped."

With the band playing out its final song for the night, Neva and Andrew knew their dance would come to an end in a matter of moments. Much like the others did, they realized that the party was at its end. So now, they had to look ahead.

"How are you doing with what we talked about earlier?" asked Andrew. "With you staying here?"

Her head pressed against the base of Andrew's neck, Neva had a hazy look on her face. "I'm not commenting on that. Just...keep holding me. Don't let go until I say it's okay to."

Andrew knew he did not want to let go. But he also knew that at some point, he had to. He could not wait for her to say it was okay for him to, because she never did say so – even when the band began to pack their stuff up and when the others rose from their seats to end the night. Shortly after Neva and Andrew separated, the remaining lights still on shut off. Only the lampposts still provided illumination, making the night seem like any other.

* * *

The next day brought plenty of sun and mild autumn chill. That afternoon, out on a forested path just north of Peach's Castle, the eight Kruna Yura met to say their goodbyes to one another. Bowser had come in his Offroader with a few other koopas, for he would be returning to his palace to make his trip to Sarasaland through the air. Athelstan and Warra both insisted they were fine with leaving on foot. Marut just needed to go to Nimbus Land to bring back stuff from his house, so he had decided on using his Furaito to fly there and back. Ramona and Andrew arguably had the easiest trip to make through the use of their combined portal ability. All of them – except for Daisy and Marut – had their bags with them that they had brought back from their time in the future.

And with the time to split now upon them, Bowser decided to make the first move. "Guys, it's been fun."

"I can see you're going to have a lot of fun now that you'll be back and forth between here and Sarasaland," said Athelstan. "Way to shirk your responsibilities, Daisy!"

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Thanks. That's exactly what I was trying to do."

Bowser walked by each of the other Kruna. One by one, they gave him a high-five, dap, or – in the case of Warra – a simple parting handshake while the koopas that came with him waited in the Offroader. Each gesture carried a special, wholesome significance for him.

"Don't think this means I'm not ready to get back out on the field if I'm needed," said Bowser. He clasped a hearty hand with Daisy, the last one of the group.

"Of course," Daisy replied. "I'll have to come visit you a few times and bug you while you're on the job."

Bowser nodded. "Any time you feel like being an annoying pain in the ass, you're always welcome. It is your kingdom, after all."

"Yeah," Daisy said with a grin.

Bowser gave one last wave to the group before getting on the Offroader. A few seconds later, he was on his way down the dirt path. With Bowser gone, Marut activated his Alkemei Furaito.

"Well guys, I guess it's about that time," said Marut.

"Yeah, we oughta be going now," said Andrew.

"I need to head out too," said Athelstan. "Peace, everyone. While it lasts."

"I'll go with you, Athelstan," said Warra. "At least, until we get to a point where I need to continue on a different route."

"Sounds great," said Athelstan.

Marut bumped fists and high-fived with Athelstan, Warra, Ramona, and Andrew. "See ya when the next crisis comes!"

"Hopefully, that's a long ways down the road," Ramona said, quickly adding, "Well, maybe not too far down."

"I'm sure there'll be some idiot who thinks they can get away with something and screw the world over," said Daisy. "But that might not be for a while."

Marut lifted his feet and began to hover off of the ground. "I'm out! It's been real! You dudes have been the coolest! Daisy, Neva; I'll see you guys later on tonight after I get all the stuff I'm bringing back!"

After Daisy, Neva, Ramona, and Andrew waved Marut off as he flew into the skies above, Athelstan and Warra gave a few handshakes to them. The Kruna Yura of Stone and the Kruna Yura of Water then turned to depart from the group and head up the path, waving back at the four Kruna still there as they marched on.

"Thanks for the roller coaster journey!" Athelstan shouted. "It was an absolute thrill ride!"

"Thanks for being a part of it!" replied Andrew.

"You're sure you're fine with walking?" asked Ramona.

"Oh yeah!" Athelstan answered. "Peach told me about a Warp Pipe not too far from here that leads to an area close to Kallantown!"

"Hey – don't get into trouble on your way there!" yelled Andrew.

Athelstan laughed. "Can't help it if it comes looking for us!"

"Warra! Hey, Warra!" Daisy called out. When he glanced back; she grinned, winked, and gave a strong thumbs up. "Thanks for being an awesome friend! You're the best water wielder out there!"

"Thanks," Warra replied, smiling back with a wave of his own. "That means a lot coming from the best earth wielder out there."

Daisy, Neva, Ramona, and Andrew watched Athelstan and Warra continue on their way up the path until the two turned and disappeared behind the trees. With Bowser, Marut, Athelstan, and Warra gone, Ramona and Andrew were the next and final two to leave.

"Now it's just us who have to get going too," Ramona said to Andrew.

"Yeah," Andrew said. "We get to go back home now after all this time."

"Awesome, I'll get to see Christmas Village!" shouted Neva. "It sounds like a wonderland! I can't wait!"

Despite Neva's cheery giddiness, Andrew gave her a solemn stare. Before long, Neva noticed Andrew's lack of enthusiasm and calmed herself down. His expression made her anxious.

"Really?" muttered Neva. "Still?"

"Neva, we've been through this multiple times now," said Andrew. "It's best for you to stay here in the Mushroom Kingdom. At least, for the time being."

"I know, I know, but...I really don't want to be away from you!" cried Neva. "Just change your mind and let me come!"

"There'd be no place for you to stay," said Andrew. "I was with my dad and into a second year of college before I left. I know my dad wouldn't let you stay in the house, even though he's almost never around on a consistent basis. He's just stingy like that. And I can't speak for Ramona's dad, so I'd rather you not go there and have nowhere to stay should he not allow you in."

"But...I've got nowhere else to go other than with you, Andrew," said Neva. "I don't want to go anywhere else either. I'll be lonely without you."

"Peach already offered you a room in her castle, just like she offered for Marut," said Andrew. "I want to work on getting us our own place. And that won't be instantaneous. It'll take some time. I don't know how long, but I intend on visiting as often as I can."

Neva sighed. "This is hurting me."

Andrew cupped a hand around Neva's face. "It's hurting me too. Trust and believe it really is. I didn't expect myself to ever feel the way I feel about you now towards anyone."

"I never thought I'd meet anyone to feel this way about."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Daisy shouted. "Timeout! This isn't right! I can't take it – we don't need some sad separation like this! This is just too much. I bet I can get Peach to keep you here too, Andrew! And you too, Ramona!"

"Hey, yeah – don't you go running anywhere yet!" Neva said, perking up.

"You guys are adults, so you can go wherever you want!" said Daisy. "You don't have to be tied-down to your hometown! And there's colleges and universities around here for you to go to! Surely there's plenty of writing gigs around here, Ramona! And the gyms around here would be clawing at your feet for your help, Andrew!"

"Well, if we did move here, we still have to go back just to get things sorted and closed out at home," said Ramona. "I need to let my dad know what's going on and get transfers for my college stuff."

"Same for me," said Andrew. "Would Peach really do that for us?"

"Sure she would!" replied Daisy. "She's _that_ kind of person! And because you're friends with me, she'll be especially helpful! And if for some reason she can't, I got a spare room in my house here for one of you!"

"Well, what do you say?" Andrew asked Ramona. "Does that sound like something you want to do?"

Ramona was quiet for a few moments, but then she smiled and replied, "Yeah, I can do that. It'll be nice to be somewhere that's not cold all the time. And we have friends here."

"Alright!" Neva screamed. She jumped into Andrew and wrapped her arms around him, and he spun around with her in his hold. They both let out gleeful cheers until Andrew started getting dizzy and set Neva back down.

"A few weeks and we should be ready to come back!" exclaimed Andrew. "Think you can wait that long?"

"That's much more doable than however many months it seemed like at first!" replied Neva. "I will wait for you! I promise."

"And I promise I will be back," said Andrew.

Ramona and Andrew combined their powers and created a portal that bridged straight to Christmas Village. Daisy stood alongside Neva as the Kruna Yura of Light and the Kruna Yura of Shadow prepared to enter the portal that would take them many time zones away.

"I'll have Peach call ya about what she'll do!" said Daisy.

"Bye, guys!" said Ramona. "See you soon!"

"Bye, Ramona!" said Neva. "Bye, Andrew..."

"Bye, Neva," Andrew said with a warm smile. He gave a quick, two-fingered salute to Daisy, who reciprocated the gesture.

Ramona and Andrew turned and entered the portal. The gateway disbanded shortly after their entry. That left just Daisy and Neva standing together. A sudden realization made the Kruna of Ice somber.

"I forgot to tell him that I love him," Neva mumbled.

"That's no problem!" said Daisy. "Just give him a call!"

Neva shrieked in disgust. "What is wrong with you? That's not genuine! That's just lazy! I have to tell him in person first!"

Daisy shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

"YES IT DOES! THERE'S NOTHING ROMANTIC ABOUT SAYING IT OVER THE PHONE, DIRT-FOR-BRAINS!"

"I dunno – voice still sounds the same for the most part. I guess it would suck if you got cut off mid-three-word-sentence because the reception dropped."

"Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid! You don't know anything! You're almost as dense as he is!"

"And you're so knowledgeable? How many boyfriends have you had before him?"

Neva's face turned blood red with a throaty grunt. "That-that-that's besides the point! I would have to imagine that that's how it goes!"

"Alright, alright! Don't worry about it! He'll be back. Tell him then. Sheesh, when did I become your relationship counselor? Give me a break!"

Daisy put an arm around Neva and hugged her. They stood there on the path a little longer, staring into the distance past where Ramona and Andrew left in their portal and in the direction where Athelstan and Warra trekked. Marut would return later on in the day, but Daisy and Neva would not see the others for a while.

"Hey, Daisy?" Neva asked.

"Yeah?"

"I guess I need some time to figure out what I'm gonna do now...but...what are you gonna be up to?"

Her expression turning stoic but hopeful, Daisy did not respond right away. Neva's question made the Kruna Yura of Earth think back to a certain discussion she had in the future at The Northernmost West...

* * *

"With that, I shall be on my way," said Arka Knight. "Now that you've demonstrated control of the Alkemei Orianthi, you are ready for the next step. May the stars shine down on you, Kruna Daisy."

 _The next step?_ Nova Daisy thought. _What is that supposed to mean?_

"Godspeed," said Arka Knight. He turned and headed on his way, leaving Daisy with a nagging feeling of wonder brought about from his previous statement. Before he got far, Daisy ran up to Arka Knight to ask him one more question before the stone wielder-spellcaster Shy Guy departed.

"Wait! Hold up!" Daisy shouted. "What's the next step?"

Arka Knight stopped and turned around to face Daisy. "The next step is the possibility that you yourself may need to don the Master Pendant. Should it come down to it – should you be put in a situation where the Master Pendant is the only thing that could grant you victory – then you'll be capable of both handling its power and keeping the being inside at bay."

"When would I ever need to put that thing on?"

"Use your imagination. You've only been fighting her archfiends this entire time. It wouldn't be insane to say that she herself could be too powerful to defeat without the Master Pendant's aid."

Just as Arka Knight turned to continue on his way, Daisy stopped him again. "Isn't there an alternative that would be better than using the Master Pendant as a trump card? Let's not forget that that would mean somehow securing it from Kokoro, and who knows what's going on with him now."

"The only other option doesn't exist in this time anymore," said Arka Knight.

"But there's another option?"

"It doesn't exist anymore, so what does it matter?"

"It doesn't, I guess... Well, it doesn't now..."

"Alright then."

"But, if it did still exist, then could it overpower the Master Pendant?"

Arka Knight paused for a moment before giving his response. "It could. Maybe."

"Then let me ask; did it exist back when Marissa sent my team and I to this time?"

"Yes. It did."

"So then it wouldn't be insane for _me_ to say that such an option could be used back in the past, would it?"

"Hmm... I suppose it would not. In fact, that may be a brilliant thought. If nothing can be done about eliminating the threat the Master Pendant – and the being inside – poses from this time, you at least have a shot at eradicating it from your world for good and preventing any possibility of Osiris's or the Shadow Queen's revival. A bit of a long shot, but still one nonetheless."

"Then can you tell me what I would need to do?"

Arka Knight nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will... Alright. When you return to the past, a new task awaits. This is a task you will complete in secret, understand?"

"Of course," Daisy replied.

"The Master Blacksmiths," Arka Knight said. "They're the ones who created all the Alkemei Pendants of Power, including the Master Pendant. You will have to find their forge, which I will give you direction to. No one else knows where it is. The Blacksmiths have been dead for eons. By the time I came into existence, their location had become lost history. It is only through some otherworldly assistance that I learned of its whereabouts."

"What do I have to go there for? Is there some special Alkemei there?"

"An Alkemei even more elaborate and mysterious in its abilities than the Master Pendant. The Master Blacksmiths dubbed it the 'Alkemei Vranzer.' "

"Alkemei Vranzer..."

"It's supposedly the true very last Alkemei they ever made, and it was thought to have 'fate-altering powers.' But it was never used. It never left their forge, and its existence is entirely unknown – to everyone who's still alive, anyways. So if you find the city in which the forge resided, you will find the Vranzer. In this timeline, Kokoro somehow had discovered the ruins and destroyed the Vranzer along with the entire area. But in your time, the ruins still stand. Because of that, the Vranzer should still be there as well. Go and obtain possession of it when you return to your time, Kruna Daisy. And when you find it, do not let anyone else get a hold of it. Do not let anyone destroy it either; but if presented with a dilemma, destroying it is better than letting someone else take it. If you have to cement the Vranzer to your neck to make sure no one else takes it, then so be it; because if the Vranzer works, the results of it falling into the wrong hands could potentially be disastrous. Is that clear?"

Daisy nodded. "Crystal."

"Good," Arka Knight replied. "Now, listen closely as I tell you the route to the decayed ruins of a city built in the highest peaks of the world – a place that had devolved into an uninhabitable snow land beyond several thousands of meters above sea level at the far bottom of this planet..."

* * *

Daisy smiled at Neva. "I've got something I need to take care of."

"When are you gonna go do that?" asked Neva.

"I'll probably head out tomorrow," said Daisy.

"Oh, okay..." Neva mumbled. "So I guess you won't be around either?"

"Probably not for a while," Daisy replied. She tightened her hold on Neva as they stared up the path. In no hurry to leave, they stayed there under the afternoon sun; its rays beaming down on them, the trees around them, and the free world beyond the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Do you ever feel like a specific time of day always looks and feels different depending on what day of the week it is?" Neva asked. "Like, a Monday will feel different from a Tuesday, but the time and weather could be the same for both days. A sunny one o'clock afternoon on a Monday isn't the same as it is on a Tuesday. Saturdays and Sundays never look or feel the same as the other at all. Thursday's and Friday's have a special feel and appearance to them."

"What made you think of that?" Daisy asked.

"It's just something Andrew and I were talking about a couple days ago. I wondered if you thought the same thing. Doesn't it look like a Sunday right now? Does it feel like a Sunday?"

"I don't think I've ever actually caught on to that."

"You never noticed the sun shining a different way on Sundays than it does on other days of the week?"

"Maybe I did but just didn't give it any real thought. You might be onto something there. What do you think it means?"

"I was hoping you knew. I think that each day has a different meaning. That's the only thing that makes sense. But then what does each day mean? What does a Sunday mean? And a Monday? And a Thursday? And all the other days?"

"I guess it depends on who you ask. I think Sundays feel like a day for beginnings."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah! I mean, it is at the beginning of a calendar week, isn't it? And if not Sunday, then Monday can be a day for beginnings too."

"Is that why everyone left today? Is that why you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Maybe. They might've just thought today was a good day to get started."

Neva sighed. "I miss everyone already. Yesterday was so totally awesome, but today's just so...not that."

"It's an all-around weird feeling, isn't it?" said Daisy.

"Yeah. It is."

"Well, don't blame it on the fact that today's Sunday!"

Neva laughed. "I'm not trying to. I'm just...I don't know. I'm just lost on what to do now. Gosh, Sunday. Frickin' Sunday... I never liked Sundays. You know what this is for me? The start of sucky nothingness."

"It doesn't have to be that," said Daisy. "What have you wanted to do since you were a kid?"

"I don't know. I never figured that out. I never even got a chance to finish school."

"Then there's something you can look forward to getting done, right? Finish school and figure out what you want to do in life. And, you can do both here in the Mushroom Kingdom."

Neva's expression turned somber. "Yeah, sure. Sounds...real great..."

Daisy took note of Neva's less than enthusiastic response before replying. "Or...you can put that on hold for later and come along with me tomorrow."

Neva looked up at Daisy. "You want me to come with you?"

"Do you want to?" Daisy asked. "I was just going to go by myself, and I know that all that we did in the future took a lot out of you. But if you're up for another quest, you can come. I'd be more than glad if you kept me company."

Neva did not reply right away, but Daisy was in no rush for her to. They stood there out on the path and took in the peaceful afternoon atmosphere until Neva gave an answer. A decision made, Daisy and Neva left the path and headed back to Peach's Castle.

* * *

Rosalina sat in a special, decorated chair by a fireplace in a distinct location of the Comet Observatory's Cosmic Archives. Lumas gathered all around her as she picked up a book off of the end table by her chair. Polari and Lubba soon entered the cozy, homey area of the archives to join Rosalina and the Lumas.

"Now then...with some spare time upon us, we have a brand new story to read," said Rosalina. "It is a tale of eight elemental wielders stranded in a future world who pulled off one of the greatest victories in history."

"And it was a real upset, from what I could tell," Lubba said as the Lumas exchanged excited muffles and gasps.

Little did they know, in a different timeline over eight years into the future...

* * *

Rosalina floated to her special, decorated chair by a fireplace in a distinct location of the Comet Observatory's Cosmic Archives. Polari, Lubba, and the Lumas already gathered there gave cheers and applause as more Lumas filed in. Before she sat down, Rosalina placed two of the three books she carried on the end table by her chair.

"As per request, we have three stories to take us through the night tonight," said Rosalina. "Are we all ready to begin?"

The Lumas sounded off a collective assurance that they were ready. With her audience's enthusiasm evident, Rosalina wasted no further time and opened up the first of the three books.

"This might be my favorite triad of chronicles in the archives yet," Polari whispered to Lubba.

"We're in for a daunting thriller of tales unlike any recorded before," said Rosalina. "Let us start with the story of a powerful earth wielder who went on a quest with seven others to cleanse the eight elemental shrines and realize their destiny as Kruna..."

* * *

 _ **The End**_


End file.
